Zlatan Ibrahimovic retires: 16 most controversial quotes of the legendary Swedish superstar

Zlatan Ibrahimović has officially announced his retirement from professional football following Milan's victory over Verona.

The Swedish star, who has represented numerous prestigious clubs throughout his illustrious career, made the decision to hang his boots.

After the match, Ibrahimović took to the San Siro pitch to address the crowd. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "It's the moment to say goodbye to football, not just to you. I have many memories and many emotions here, the first time I arrived here you gave me happiness. The second time, love. I want to thank everyone, especially the fans. I will be a Milan fan for life The time has come to say goodbye to football, but not to you. See you around, if you’re lucky. Forza Milan and goodbye.”

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Following his knee injury, Ibrahimović had joined Milan after his time with LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS) and his departure from Manchester United. Throughout his career, he made a significant impact at clubs such as United, Barcelona, Milan, Inter, Juventus, and Ajax.

Ibrahimovic was known for his extraordinary technical skills combined with an imposing physical presence, he revolutionized the sport and will be missed by millions of fans around the globe. Zlatan was also famous for making controversial comments.

Here's a look at 16 most iconic and controversial quotes of the Swedish superstar:

In the year 2000, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was a bright young forward who aroused the notice of legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. A trial was provided to the player. Ibrahimovic declined it. “I was like, 'No way, Zlatan doesn't do auditions.' "I thought 'You either know me or you don't, and if you don't know me, you can't really want me'.”

Ibrahimovic's trickery and flicks were even openly questioned by the huge Norwegian striker John Carew as to whether they were actually essential. The slight elicited a predictable snappish and vicious response. "What Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange."

Rafael van der Vaart sustained an ankle ligament injury while they were teammates at Ajax, which he said was caused by Ibrahimovic intentionally fouling him. The Dutchman didn't agree with Zlatan. "I didn’t injure you on purpose, and you know that. If you accuse me again I'll break both your legs, and that time it will be on purpose."

In the summer of 2001, Ajax faced up against Liverpool in a preseason friendly. Stephane Henchoz was thoroughly embarrassed by Ibrahimovic, both on and off the pitch. "First, I went left; he did too. Then, I went right, and he did too. Then, I went left again, and he went to buy a hot dog."

Pep Guardiola has weathered more Ibra insults than anyone else. Indeed, during the forward's lone season at Barcelona in 2009–10, it was evident from the get-go that while Ibrahimovic was more than capable of bringing a fresh perspective to the team's attacking style, he was not going to get along with the Catalan manager. "Guardiola started his philosopher thing. I was barely listening. Why would I? It was advanced bullsh*t about blood, sweat and tears – that kind of stuff."

Ibrahimovic's perception that Guardiola was inferior to his mentor, Jose Mourinho, was a major factor in their disagreements. "Mourinho is Guardiola's opposite. If Mourinho brightens up the room, Guardiola pulls down the curtains."

In essence, Ibrahimovic believed that although Mourinho understood him as a player and a person, Guardiola was unable to bring out the best in him. “When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway and you step on the gas. Guardiola filled up with diesel and took a spin in the countryside. He should have bought a Fiat.”

After a defeat to Ibrahimovic's former team, Inter, in the 2010 Champions League, things eventually reached a breaking point in the locker room. "Guardiola was staring at me and I lost it. I thought 'There is my enemy, scratching his bald head!' I yelled to him: 'You have no balls!' And probably worse things than that."

When he signed with Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, Ibrahimovic was upfront about the fact that he didn't know a lot about Ligue 1. He didn't believe it really mattered, though. “I don’t believe they can change the Eiffel Tower for my statue, even the people behind the club. But if they can, I will stay here — I promise you.”

Although Ibrahimovic found it relatively simple to establish himself on the pitch, finding a home wasn't as simple. But once more, he wasn't really concerned. "We are looking for an apartment; if we do not find anything, then we will just buy a hotel."

Zlatan briefly shared a team with David Beckham at PSG. Although the Englishman is a style icon, Ibrahimovic was unimpressed by his musical preferences. "We were looking through his playlist in the dressing room. There was lots of Justin Bieber, Jonas Brothers and Selena Gomez. It is nice to know that even David Beckham doesn't have good taste in everything."

2013's World Cup play-off between Sweden and Portugal was preceded by a question to Ibrahimovic about how he anticipated the match would proceed. 

Ibrahimovic: "Only God knows."
Reporter: "It's hard to ask Him."
Ibrahimovic: "You're talking to him now."

It should come as no surprise that Ibrahimovic believed Brazil 2014 had been immediately diminished after Sweden fell to Portugal. “A World Cup without me is nothing to watch, so it is not worth waiting for the World Cup.”

“I don’t think that you can score as spectacular a goal as those of Zlatan in a video game — even though these games are very realistic these days.” 

“I won’t be the King of Manchester, I will be the God of Manchester.”

So, how does the future look? Ibrahimovic has officially decided to hang up his boots. But could he now break into the coaching industry? "Impossible. Because during the match I’d slap at least two players and, after the match, eight!"

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In the previous season, Ibrahimovic played a pivotal role in Milan's Scudetto triumph, but unfortunately, suffered a severe knee injury thereafter which hampered his career.

While there were expectations that Ibrahimović would continue playing until the 2024 Euros, it appears that this announcement signifies the end of his remarkable journey on the field.