Former Manchester United man and legendary forward Zlatan Ibrahimović has confirmed his retirement from football and after receiving an earful from the Hellas Verona fans at the weekend, he fired back in typically memorable fashion.
Hanging up his boots at the age of 41, the iconic Swedish striker and footballing veteran calls time on a remarkable 24-year career, with 34 trophies, 561 goals and 229 assists to his name for club and country. Yeah, not a bad little player.
Nevertheless, having played for three of Italy’s biggest clubs in Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, returning to last year’s Serie A champions for a second spell back in 2020, Zlatan scored plenty against most teams in the league — the once-again relegated Verona included.
On top of that, Ibra has always been a divisive and antagonistic figure, so regardless of how momentous and emotional an occasion it was, the Verona fans proceeded to boo as Zlatan announced his retirement and delivered his final speech as a pro footballer.
Zlatan to the Verona fans:
“Keep booing. This is the biggest moment in your year seeing me”.
Ibrahimović had the perfect response as Verona fans booed his final words as a professional footballer.
As you can see, the former United, Milan, Barca, PSG; Malmo, Ajax and LA Galaxy striker wasn’t rattled by the jeering whatsoever, firing back by saying: “Keep booing, this is the biggest moment of your year seeing me”.
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Always humble, isn’t he?
After all, this is the same bloke that referred to himself “a lion” for most of his career, left LA by saying “I came, I saw, I conquered“, snubbed Arsenal because he said he “doesn’t do auditions”; said he didn’t get his wife a birthday present “because she already has Zlatan” and announced his arrival in 0161 with a massive poster reading, “Manchester, welcome to Zlatan“.
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His ego might have been unparalleled but at least he had the stats and silverware to back it up. These two clips alone sum up the kind of legacy he’s left behind.
taking y’all to weeks back when milan won the serie a, and we all got that ibrahimovic speech. pic.twitter.com/y1cgzPVaJk
Breaking into tears as he bid farewell to the club where he spent a total of five years across two spells, Zlatan when on to add: “I say goodbye to football but not to you.
“There are too many emotions for me right now… The first time I came here you gave me happiness, the second time you gave me love.
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“You welcomed me with open arms, you made me feel at home, I will be a Milanista for the rest of my life… From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the fans… Forza Milan and goodbye.”
Zlatan was one of the last players still playing at the top level who became famous during my childhood. I’m 34 and I can firmly remember the hype over him around 2002 at Ajax when I was 13. The passage of time is a scary thing. https://t.co/FwdpMQEd6R
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
5th June 2023 
