Ibrahimovic said Tuesday, June 21, he will retire from international football after the European Championship. The year-old striker said Tuesday ahead of Sweden's final Group E game against Belgium that it would be his last appearance for his country if the team gets eliminated.
Even if Sweden loses and fails to qualify for the knockout stages, Ibrahimovic said he would not be disappointed with such an end to his year international career. So I want to take this moment and thank all the supporters, because they make it possible for me to achieve what I have achieved," he said. He added that he "will not participate in the Olympics" in Rio de Janeiro.
He had been named in a provisional Swedish squad. Ibrahimovic is Sweden's record scorer with 62 goals and can become its joint sixth most-capped player with appearances on Wednesday. Sweden, which has one point after its opening draw against Ireland, still has a chance of qualifying for the round of 16 even though it has yet to register a single shot on target. Its only goal at Euro was an own goal. The Swedes almost certainly need a win against Belgium to qualify.
Looking ahead to the match, Ibrahimovic said: "We need to play a bit more as a team, need to be better. Thus far I haven't really been able to play at my best level. Sweden coach Erik Hamren highlighted Ibrahimovic's contribution to the team and to Swedish soccer in general. Hamren added that Ibrahimovic had discussed retirement with him in "January or February" but that Ibrahimovic only confirmed it Tuesday.
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