It’s official: Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be joining AC Milan or some other European power come January — instead, the Swedish striker will focus entirely on the 2019 MLS season with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
“MLZ (Major League Zlatan) Im not done with you yet,” said Ibrahimovic on Twitter, putting to bed some rumors that the striker himself has continuously distanced himself from since the close of the regular season.
At the age of 37, Zlatan Ibrahimović's days as a professional footballer are numbered. But after scoring 22 goals in his first 27 appearances in Major League Soccer, the big Swede has reminded the world — and most importantly, himself — of his devastating return to power following his serious knee injury in April of 2017.
Was there ever really any doubt the most earth-shattering moment of the regular season would win MLS Goal of the Year?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals during his inaugural Major League Soccer campaign. But it’s his first that will forever be memorialized.
Last weekend, the LA Galaxy’s 3-1 win over Minnesota United — coupled with Real Salt Lake’s 0-3 defeat to Portland — seemed to all but guarantee Zlatan’s side a place in the playoffs. The route was clear: defeat the Houston Dynamo, the West’s 10th-place side, at home, and the Galaxy would be in.
Anything less and it was all over.
27 minutes into the first half, the Galaxy took control through Ola Kamara with Romain Alessandrini providing the assist.
Minnesota United drew a record crowd for its final home match at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday, and although the 50,000+ in attendance weren’t just there to watch Zlatan Ibrahimovic play (although that’s what Zlatan would have you believe), the big Swede delivered during a rare appearance on turf — he scored the first goal in the 30th minute and delivered an inch-perfect assist for the Galaxy’s third in the 3-1 win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made the television rounds in Los Angeles since arriving at the Galaxy, including stops on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Pardon the Interruption and Jimmy Kimmel.
On Sunday, more than 50,000 spectators will attend Minnesota United’s final match at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (the club will move into Allianz Field in Saint Paul next year), and they’ll be treated to a visit from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy.
After a dramatic 18-day search and rescue mission resulted in 12 members of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach being saved from the Tham Luang cave complex back in July, the group has now made their first studio since the incident, appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in Los Angeles.