{"id":66821,"date":"2018-03-22T16:01:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T20:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=66821"},"modified":"2018-03-22T16:01:01","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T20:01:01","slug":"zlatan-ibrahimovic-to-ditch-manchester-for-the-mls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2018\/03\/22\/zlatan-ibrahimovic-to-ditch-manchester-for-the-mls\/","title":{"rendered":"Zlatan Ibrahimovic to ditch Manchester United for the MLS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Swedish striker <strong>Zlatan Ibrahimovic<\/strong>\u00a0announced that his departure from <a href=\"http:\/\/Manchesterunitedfootball.co\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manchester United<\/a> is imminent as he is to seek a new chapter in his career in Major League Soccer, with the LA Galaxy.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Great things also come to an end and it is time to move on after two fantastic seasons with Manchester United. Thank you to the club, the fans, the team, the coach, the staff and everybody who shared with me this part of my history. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/foreverred?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#foreverred<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vo1Gs3SUHL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vo1Gs3SUHL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zlatan Ibrahimovi\u0107 (@Ibra_official) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ibra_official\/status\/976883992829026305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 22, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Man Utd superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy, per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kbaxter11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@kbaxter11<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PZVd8g8Ii4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/PZVd8g8Ii4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleacherReport\/status\/976835622236237825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 22, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h1>Zlatan Ibrahimovic Headed for MLS LA Galaxy<\/h1>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107 left <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/clubs\/paris-saint-germain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paris Saint-Germain<\/a> in the summer of 2016 as he made his move to Old Trafford on a free transfer. The Swede endured a turbulent spell during his 18 months at Old Trafford but can look back on his time with some fondness having secured his only European Cup triumph to date, winning the Europa League against one of his former sides in Ajax. The charismatic Swede also bagged two goals in the Carabao Cup final as United conquered Southampton 3-2 at Wembley. Despite scoring 17 goals in 28 Premier League appearances, Ibrahimovi\u0107 could only help United to a disappointing sixth-place finish, somewhat commiserated by their two cup triumphs.<\/p>\n<p>While the 36-year-old looks set to move to America to join a host of household names in the MLS, lets take a look back at the Swede\u2019s illustrious career thus far.<\/p>\n<h2>Malmo FF- 1999-2001<\/h2>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107 signed his first contract with his hometown club in 1996 before being promoted to the senior side in 1999. A tally of 16 league goals in 40 appearances sparked interest from some of Europe\u2019s top clubs. However, Zlatan famously turned down <strong>Arsene Wenger<\/strong>\u2019s offer of a trial at <a href=\"https:\/\/arsenalfootball.co\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arsenal<\/a>, claiming that \u201cZlatan does not do auditions\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>Ajax- 2001-2004<\/h2>\n<p>Ajax secured Ibrahimovi\u0107\u2019s signature in an \u20ac8.7 million move while he helped the Amsterdam side to capture the Eredivisie title in the 2001-02 season under the management of <strong>Ronald Koeman<\/strong>. Ibrahimovi\u0107 scored a brace on his Champions League debut in the 2002-03 season in a 2-1 victory over Lyon and added three more goals to his tally in the competition as the Dutch side were eliminated by AC Milan in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p>Honours: Eredivisie: 2001-02, 2003-04<\/p>\n<h2>Juventus- 2004-2006<\/h2>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107\u2019s 16 goals in his first season for the Old Lady were recognized as he was awarded the \u2018Guldbollen\u2019, awarded to the best Swedish footballer of the year as Juventus captured the Serie A title. However, his spell at Juventus would be marred by controversy as the Turin club were exposed for bribing match officials in the Calciopoli scandal. This saw their last two Scudettis stripped from them and they were relegated to Serie B. A mass exodus of some of Juve\u2019s top talent followed, including Ibrahimovi\u0107, as the Italian giants were left at the lowest point in the club\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<h2>Inter Milan- 2006-2009<\/h2>\n<p>Following the Calciopoli scandal, Ibrahimovi\u0107 moved to Inter Milan for \u20ac24.8 million. Inter enjoyed a historic 2006-07 season as they broke the points record with 97 on their way to winning the Scudetto, with top scorer Ibrahimovi\u0107 bagging 15 goals. Inter recorded a successive league title in the 2007-08 season as Zlatan scored 17 goals in 26 league matches and was named as Serie A Footballer of the Year. In his third and final season at Inter, he enjoyed the best goal=scoring form of his career so far. The Swede recorded 25 Serie A goals as Inter won their third successive Scudetto and Ibrahimovi\u0107 was named as Serie A Footballer of the Year for a second consecutive season.<\/p>\n<p>Honours: Serie A: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09<br \/>\nSupercoppa Italiana: 2006, 2008<\/p>\n<h2>Barcelona- 2009-2011<\/h2>\n<p>Ibrahimovic joined Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer of 2009 in a deal which saw <strong>Samuel Eto\u2019o<\/strong> join Inter plus a fee of \u00a359 million being paid to the Italian club. Playing in <strong>Pep Guardiola<\/strong>\u2019s memorable Barcelona side full of flourishing attacking talent including <strong>Lionel Messi<\/strong>, <strong>Andreas Iniesta,<\/strong> and <strong>Thierry Henry<\/strong> would prove to be a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Despite winning the La Liga title in his first season, Barcelona was eliminated by Ibrahimovi\u0107\u2019s former club <strong>Inter Milan<\/strong> in the semi-finals of the Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107 struggled during his time in Spain and subsequently criticised Guardiola, \u201cyou bought a Ferrari, but you drive it like a Fiat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Honours: La Liga- 2009-10<br \/>\nSupercopa de Espana: 2009, 2010<br \/>\nUEFA Super Cup: 2009<br \/>\nFIFA Club World Cup: 2009<\/p>\n<h2>AC Milan- 2010-11 (loan), 2011-12 (permanent)<\/h2>\n<p>After a frustrating season at Barcelona, Ibrahimovi\u0107 opted to return to Italy for a third stint, however this time at AC Milan. His first season would bring more domestic success for the striker as he captured his fourth Scudetto and his first with Milan. The Rossoneri opted to use the option to buy Ibrahimovi\u0107 after his loan spell for \u20ac24 million. Milan was unable to secure a second consecutive Scudetto despite Ibrahimovi\u0107 scoring 28 Serie A\u00a0goals in 32 matches. Despite his domestic success at Milan, the Swede would have to watch on with envy as Guardiola\u2019s side won the Champions League in the 2010-11 season, a competition that would continue to allude Ibrahimovi\u0107 throughout his career.<\/p>\n<p>Honours: Serie A: 2010-11<br \/>\nSupercoppa Italiana: 2011<\/p>\n<h2>Paris Saint-Germain- 2012-2016<\/h2>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107 opted to join the revolution in Paris after PSG\u2019s newly found riches allowed them to splash \u20ac20 million on the Swedish talisman. His time in France will be remembered fondly with a huge amount of domestic success which saw PSG win the Ligue 1 title in all four of Ibrahimovi\u0107\u2019s seasons at the club, as well as winning the Coupe de France in 2015 and 2016, and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2014, 2015 and 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Ibrahimovi\u0107 can boast an incredible goal-scoring record during his four-year stay at PSG having notched 113 Ligue goals in 122 appearances, including an astonishing 38 goal return from 31 appearances during his final season at the Parc des Princes.<\/p>\n<p>Honours:<br \/>\nLigue 1: 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16<br \/>\nCoupe de France 2015, 2016<br \/>\nCoupe de la Ligue: 2014, 2015, 2016<\/p>\n<p><strong>Manchester United Honours:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>EFL Cup: 2017<br \/>\nUEFA Europa League: 2016-17<br \/>\nFA Community Shield: 2016<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic\u00a0announced that his departure from Manchester United is imminent as he is to seek a new chapter in his career in Major League Soccer, with the LA Galaxy. Great things also come to an end and it is time to move on after two fantastic seasons with Manchester United. Thank you to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2467,"featured_media":6518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,18,30,3,28],"tags":[49,560,464,674,323,36,84,181,139],"class_list":["post-66821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-manchester-united","category-news","category-premier-league","category-transfers","tag-ac-milan","tag-ajax","tag-barcelona","tag-inter-milan","tag-juventus","tag-manchester-united","tag-paris-saint-germain","tag-pep-guardiola","tag-zlatan-ibrahimovic"],"modified_by":"Ben Kerr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2467"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}