Zlatan Ibrahimovic received an emotional farewell as he announced his retirement at the age of 41. The striker was left teary-eyed as were the fans present at the San Siro after AC Milan final 2022-23 Serie A match vs Hellas Verona.
Milan came out on top with goals from Olivier Giroud (45+2′), Rafael Leao (85′, 90+2′) in a 3-1 win. Meanwhile, Davide Faraoni (72′) scored for Verona. Milan finished in fourth position in Serie A with 70 points in 38 matches, packed with 20 wins, 10 draws and eight defeats. Meanwhile, they also reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final, where they lost to rivals Inter Milan.
While giving his retirement speech at the San Siro, Ibrahimovic was booed by the away fans, but came up with a witty and brutal reply. The reply received a huge applause from the home side’s fans. “Keep booing. This is the biggest moment in your year seeing me”, he quipped, much to the joy of Milan fans.
Here is the video:
Addressing the Milan fans, Ibrahimovic also said, “I say goodbye to football but not to you. The first time I arrived you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love. I want to thank my family and those close to me for their patience.”
Milan are currently searching for Ibrahimovic’s replacement and have been linked to Brazilian striker Arthur Cabral. There were rumours that they have already signed a deal with Fiorentina, but Cabral’s agent Luis Portela denied it.
Cabral’s agent said, “I saw information that Milan and Fiorentina had a verbal agreement, but that is just speculation. There’s nothing at this point. Arthur is focused on the Conference Final. He wants to win that title and after the season everything will be discussed. What’s best for everyone will be done.”