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Five most talked about moments of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s career

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Swedish footballer, Zlatan Ibrahimović announced his retirement from football on Sunday after AC Milan’s final match of the Serie A season.

Ibrahimović is one of the players recognised and known for powerful long-range shots, acrobatic strikes, ball control and volleys.

 

The 41-year-old striker has 511 club goals to his name and 33 major trophies. He is often described as one of the most iconic football strikers in the world.

 

Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in 1999 and signed for Ajax two years later, where he gained a reputation as one of the most promising forwards in Europe. He departed two years later to sign for Juventus before joining domestic rivals Inter Milan in 2006, where he won three consecutive Serie A titles.

In the summer of 2009, he moved to Barcelona in one of the world’s most expensive transfers. After just one season, he returned to Italy having signed for Inter’s rival Milan. With them, he won the Serie A title in his debut season.

 

In 2012, Ibrahimović joined Paris Saint-Germain, leading them to their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years and soon establishing himself as a leading figure in their dominance of French football.

However, the player, yesterday, while announcing his retirement from football said he is saying “goodbye to football, not just to you,” referring to the fans. He spoke on the San Siro pitch following Milan’s 3-1 win over Verona.

 

Zlatan is known for his skill and ability on the football pitch, but he is also known for his fiery personality and his tendency to speak his mind and that has created the most controversial moments of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

 

Ibrahimovic is a player who is not afraid to speak his mind or stand up for himself on the pitch. His savage moments, including insulting Pep Guardiola, calling out Marco Materazzi, and scoring spectacular goals, have made him one of the most entertaining and controversial players in football history.

 

Here are his five of the most talked about moments:

 

1. Facing Marco Materazzi

In 2010, Ibrahimovic accused former Italian former footballer Marco Materazzi of insulting his wife and family. This, Ibrahimovic did during a match between AC Milan and Inter Milan.

 

However, the duo got into a fight and had separated by their colleagues and officials present.

 

The moment, many described as “standing up” for his family.

 

2. Bicycle kick goal against England

During a friendly match between Sweden and England in 2012, Ibrahimovic netted one of the most unique goals in the history of football.
He scored a stunning bicycle kick goal from 30 yards out that sailed over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net.

 

3. Four goals in a match against Anderlecht

In 2013, Ibrahimovic scored four goals out of five in a Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Anderlecht.

 

One of the uniqueness of the goals was, he scored with both feet and his head and from a range of distances. This describes his specular moves and his role in the elevation of his club.

 

4. Confronting Pep Guardiola

The player had once disclosed he had a contentious relationship with Spanish football manager, Pep Guardiola when they were both at Barcelona.

 

He made this known in his autobiography titled “I am Zlatan.”
Explaining what happened, Ibrahimovic said the manager insulted him during a training session by saying, “You have no balls.” Ibrahimovic was said to have replied to Guardiola, “You don’t have any balls either.”

 

5. Again, critising Pep Guardiola

Ibrahimovic had in 2019, criticized Guardiola for his accomplishment as manager of Manchester City.

 

“He’s not a man, he’s a coward. He’s a little baby who’s been pampered all his life,” he disclosed, in an interview with the Mirror.

 

Meanwhile, he also trolled Verona fans booing his retirement speech while addressing the fans of AC Milan during their final Serie A game of the season.

 

As Ibrahimovic was giving his retirement speech, Verona fans jeered at him, to which he gave a cheeky response by saying, “Keep booing. This is the biggest moment in your year seeing me.”

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Belgium Appoints Rudi Garcia As National Team Coach

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The Belgian Football Federation has named Frenchman Rudi Garcia as the new head coach of the national team, following the sacking of Domenico Tedesco after a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign.

In a statement released on Friday, the federation confirmed the appointment of the Underworld former Napoli, Lyon, and Roma manager, who will be formally introduced to the press later in the day.

READ MORE: Nuri Sahin Fired As Borussia Dortmund Head Coach

Garcia’s task will be to rejuvenate the Red Devils after their early exit from the European Championship and underwhelming performances in the Nations League.

Belgium recently parted ways with Tedesco, who had been in charge since February 2023.

The Italian-German coach was brought in to rebuild the squad following the departure of the country’s celebrated “golden generation” under Roberto Martinez but failed to deliver the expected results.

The team now faces a critical relegation play-off against Ukraine in March, before beginning their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to North Macedonia in June.

Garcia brings a wealth of experience, having coached top European clubs such as Marseille and Lyon.

He also made his mark at Lille between 2008 and 2013, leading the French side to a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in 2011.

However, his most recent role at Napoli in 2023 ended in disappointment after just five months.

 

 

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Nuri Sahin Fired As Borussia Dortmund Head Coach

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Borussia Dortmund have sacked head coach Nuri Sahin after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Bologna in Tuesday’s Champions League match, marking the club’s fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.

The decision follows a string of poor performances that have left the club in 10th place in the Bundesliga, 20 points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich.

Sporting CEO Lars Ricken expressed that the club had “lost faith” in Sahin, explaining that the decision was painful but necessary.

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“We have unfortunately lost faith that we will achieve our sporting goals,” Ricken said. “We value Nuri Sahin and his work very much, we hoped for a long collaboration, but after the game in Bologna, this was unavoidable.”

Sahin, who had been promoted to head coach in the summer following his role as assistant to Edin Terzic during Dortmund’s surprise Champions League final run last season, acknowledged the disappointment.

“Unfortunately, I was not able to live up to Dortmund’s sporting ambitions at this point in time. I wish this special club all the best.”

The defeat against Bologna caps a difficult season for the club under Sahin’s stewardship.

Despite their strong showing in last season’s Champions League, where they lost to Real Madrid in the final, Dortmund have struggled in the Bundesliga and were eliminated from the German Cup by Wolfsburg.

Their away form, in particular, has been disastrous, with only four wins and nine losses in 15 matches away from the Westfalenstadion.

Dortmund’s leadership, which has historically favored former players in managerial roles, now faces the task of finding a suitable replacement for Sahin.

German media reports suggest potential successors could include Erik Ten Hag, the former Manchester United boss who has been spotted attending Dortmund games recently, or Roger Schmidt, formerly of Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen.

In the interim, U19 coach Mike Tullberg has been appointed to take charge of the first team, starting with Saturday’s home match against Werder Bremen.

The sacking of Sahin is the latest chapter in a turbulent managerial history for Dortmund since the departure of Jurgen Klopp in 2015, with the club having cycled through eight different head coaches in that time. Only Lucien Favre managed to stay longer than two years.

Sahin’s tenure as manager was a significant moment for Dortmund, as he was one of the club’s own, having come through the ranks and played over 270 games for the team, including being part of the squad that won the 2011 Bundesliga title.

However, his time at the helm of the senior team has proven to be short-lived as Dortmund now seek a new direction.

 

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Man City Sign Brazilian Teenager, Vitor Reis For £29.6M

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Manchester City have completed the signing of 19-year-old defender Vitor Reis from Brazilian club Palmeiras, the Premier League champions announced on Tuesday.

The Brazilian youth international joins on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported fee of £29.6 million ($36.2 million).

Reis, a right-footed centre-back, expressed his enthusiasm about joining the English giants. “I’m excited to join Manchester City, one of the biggest clubs in the world,” said Reis.

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“Everyone has seen the amazing achievements in recent seasons, and I want to make my mark as we seek more trophies. Working with Pep Guardiola is something every young player wants to do, and I know he can help me to develop into the best player I can be.”

City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, highlighted the qualities that attracted the club to Reis.

He said, “Vitor Reis is one of the most promising young defenders in the world, and we’re delighted to have been able to bring him here. He is excellent on the ball and outstanding in the air — he has all the attributes needed to be one of the best.”

The signing of Reis is City’s second addition of the January transfer window, following the arrival of Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov.

Reports indicate that the club is also pursuing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush before the window closes.

Manchester City, currently fifth in the Premier League table, have faced challenges this season due to a series of defensive injuries.

However, the team showcased their attacking strength with a dominant 6-0 victory over Ipswich on Sunday.

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