Zlatan Ibrahimovic Criticizes Players Who Finish Their Careers in Saudi Arabia

Swedish icon Zlatan Ibrahimovic has criticized players who opt to end their careers in Saudi Arabia, saying: “You have to be remembered for your talent, not for what you earned.” Ibrahimovic brought his epic career to an end earlier this year, retiring from playing after a remarkable second stint with AC Milan which included the Serie A title.

The 42-year-old won league titles with Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, PSG and Milan and reveals he had offers to continue his playing career elsewhere, but did not want to step down a level. Ibrahimovic reckons that anyone who has been operating at the highest level should finish their career there if possible, unlike the moves made by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar to Saudi Arabia.

Ibrahimovic’s Thoughts on Finishing Careers at the Highest Level

“I had an offer also from China, I had an offer also from Saudi,” Ibrahimovic told Piers Morgan Uncensored. “But the situation is, what do you want? What objectives do you have? Certain players need to finish their career on the big stage because that is the high end of your career. You have to be remembered for your talent, not for what you earned. Because if you were remembered in the opposite way, what we are training every day for, what we are being recognised for is our talent and that is what you want to be remembered for.”

“So I think certain players that reach a certain level, they have to stop at a certain stage and that’s the big stage. You cannot go in a lower stage and finish your career in a different way, but some players needed the situations where you can earn a lot of money because they didn’t earn enough.”

Ronaldo’s Success in Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo is, unsurprisingly, enjoying a prolific season in Saudi Arabia, with 10 goals in seven league games so far this campaign for Al-Nassr.

Ibrahimovic’s Career Highlights

Ibrahimovic is widely considered one of the greatest strikers of all time. He has scored over 500 goals in his career and won 31 trophies including league titles in four different countries. He has also won numerous individual awards including the Serie A Footballer of the Year award in 2008 and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award in 2009. He is also the only player to have scored for six different teams in the UEFA Champions League.

Conclusion

Ibrahimovic’s comments on players finishing their careers at the highest level are sure to resonate with many football fans. Players such as Ronaldo and Neymar have opted to move to Saudi Arabia for financial reasons, but Ibrahimovic believes that they should be remembered for their talent rather than their earnings. For more news on football and other sports, check out our sport page and follow Metro Sport on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.