Zlatan Ibrahimović profile
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish former footballer, born in Malmö, whose main achievement includes 34 trophies and more than 570 career goals.
He played as a striker and was known for acrobatic strikes and volleys, alongside his technique, ball control and physical dominance.
34 career trophies
Sweden all-time top scorer
570+
More than 500 at club level
34
Major titles across 5 European leagues
62
Sweden national team record · 122 caps
12
Swedish footballer of the year awards
About the athlete
Full name
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Born
3 October 1981, Malmö, Sweden
Sport and position
Football; striker
Career record
34 trophies; over 570 goals
Career
Born to Bosniak father Šefik Ibrahimović and Catholic Croat mother Jurka Gravić, Zlatan began playing at six. He played for Malmö youth sides FBK Balkan, Malmö BI, and BK Flagg before joining Malmö FF. At fifteen, he nearly quit to work at the Port of Malmö, but his coach persuaded him to stay. Outside football, he earned an honorary black belt at Malmö’s Enighet taekwondo club.
Porto signed Militão to a five-year contract on 7 August 2018 as the club entered the season as reigning Portuguese champions. On 2 September, he started his first Primeira Liga match, helping secure a 3–0 home win against Moreirense where he set up Porto’s opening goal for captain Héctor Herrera while partnering Felipe in central defence.
His first Porto goal came in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 28 November 2018, heading in Óliver Torres’s cross during a 3–1 home victory over Schalke 04. He scored his first league goal on 3 January 2019, netting the decisive winner against Desportivo das Aves. Militão’s stellar defensive performances earned him the Primeira Liga Defender of the Month award for four successive months, spanning from September 2018 to January 2019. On 14 March 2019, Real Madrid announced his signing ahead of the summer transfer window for a reported €50 million fee, with the move taking effect on 1 July 2019.
Ibrahimović signed his first professional contract with Malmö FF in 1996. Following Malmö’s 1999 relegation, an Arsenal move fell through before Ajax technical director Leo Beenhakker signed him in July 2001 for 80 million SEK (€8.7 million). Under Ronald Koeman, he won the 2001–02 Eredivisie and scored 5 European goals as Ajax reached the Champions League quarter-finals. In August 2004, his solo goal against NAC Breda after dribbling past five players won Eurosport Goal of the Year.
In August 2004, Ibrahimović joined Juventus for €16 million, scoring 16 goals in his debut season to top Serie A and winning his first Guldbollen in November 2005. Stripped of two Scudetti after Calciopoli, Juventus were relegated, prompting his move to Inter Milan in August 2006 on a four-year deal. He scored 15 league goals as Inter won the title with a record 97 points, then scored twice against Parma in May 2008 to retain the trophy (17 goals in 26 matches). In 2008–09, his 25 goals won the Capocannoniere top-scorer title and another league crown.
In August 2009, Barcelona signed Ibrahimović in an exchange involving Samuel Eto’o and Alexander Hleb. He scored in his first 5 La Liga games—a club record—and registered 11 goals and 4 assists in his first 15 league matches while winning the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup. In August 2010, he returned to Italy with AC Milan, scoring 13 goals and 8 assists in his first 21 matches to win the 2010–11 Serie A title. In 2011–12, he earned his second Capocannoniere with 28 goals in 32 league games, including a hat-trick against Palermo.
Ibrahimović joined PSG in July 2012, scoring 30 league goals in his debut season to secure PSG’s first title in 19 years and becoming the first player to score in the Champions League for 6 different clubs. In 2013–14, he netted 4 goals against Anderlecht (including a 19-minute hat-trick) and topped Ligue 1 with 26 goals (41 overall). After reaching 100 PSG goals with a Coupe de France hat-trick against Saint-Étienne, he set a club single-season record with 38 Ligue 1 goals in 2015–16 to seal a fourth consecutive championship.
Medals and marks
| Category | Record |
|---|---|
| Career trophies | 34 |
| Career goals | Over 570 |
| Club goals | More than 500 |
| Scoring span | Four consecutive decades |
| Inter, first season | 15 Serie A goals; club record of 97 points |
| Inter, 2008–09 | Serie A top scorer with 25 goals |
| Milan, 2011–12 | Serie A top scorer with 28 goals |
| PSG, 2013–14 | Ligue 1 top scorer with 26 goals |
| PSG, final Ligue 1 season | 38 goals; club record |
Ibrahimović’s Performance For Sweden
Zlatan Ibrahimović played for the Sweden national team from 2001 until 2023, making his mark as the top goalscorer in the nation’s history with 62 goals in 122 appearances. He played his first senior match for Sweden on January 31, 2001, facing off against the Faroe Islands. Throughout his career, he represented his country in two FIFA World Cups (2002, 2006) and four UEFA European Championships (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).
Famous for his goals, his most memorable international showing happened in November 2012, when he netted all four goals—including a 30-yard overhead kick—in a 4–2 friendly victory over England. Appointed as the national team captain back in 2010, Ibrahimović led Sweden’s offense for more than ten years, collecting 12 Guldbollen awards as Sweden’s Footballer of the Year along the way.
After he declared his retirement from international play post-Euro 2016, he made a brief return to the national team in 2021 to lend a helping hand for Sweden’s World Cup qualification effort.
Ibrahimović’s Life in 2026
Zlatan Ibrahimović wrapped up his pro football career at the end of the 2022–23 Serie A season with AC Milan, finishing off a journey that lasted more than twenty years. After hanging up his boots, he jumped right into executive and advisory roles in the sports world.
He’s now an Operating Partner for RedBird Capital Partners and a Senior Advisor to AC Milan ownership, collaborating closely with Gerry Cardinale. In this role, Ibrahimović provides guidance to RedBird on strategic moves in their sports, media, and entertainment ventures, while still being a key player in AC Milan’s wider business and football management setup.
FAQ
Ibrahimović played as a striker. His game was associated with acrobatic strikes, volleys, technique and ball control.
On 21 June 2016, Ibrahimović announced that his career haul surpassed 570 goals, with more than 500 coming at club level. During his international career, he scored across four consecutive decades.
His career included Malmö, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. At Manchester United, Ibrahimović scored the winning goal in the 2016 FA Community Shield against Leicester City.
Ibrahimović won 34 trophies in his career. He received the Guldbollen in November 2005. He was the leading scorer in Serie A and Ligue 1, and set a PSG record with 38 Ligue 1 goals in a season.