Zlatan Ibrahimovic at an event. LaPresse

Zlatan Ibrahimovic returns to Sweden team after five-year hiatus

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Mar 16, 2021 1:28 PM ET

The 39-year-old AC Milan forward who retired from international football in the summer of 2016 confirmed via Twitter that he'll be featuring for the Sweden men's national team after manager Janne Andersson called him up for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Kosovo.

The return of the God @svenskfotboll pic.twitter.com/hQThIdWRY0
— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) March 16, 2021

"He can be a little bit funny at times," Andersson said when responding to Ibrahimovic's tweet, per Reuters (h/t ESPN).

"First and foremost he is a very good footballer, the best we have had in Sweden. It's obviously very good that he wants to come back.

"Apart from what he can contribute on the field, he has incredible experience and can contribute with that to the other players in the team."

Sweden face Georgia on March 25 and Kosovo on March 28.

Ibrahimovic is his country's record goalscorer and tallied 62 goals in 116 international appearances before calling time on his Sweden career after the group stage of Euro 2016. He has recorded 14 Serie A goals for AC Milan during the 2020-21 season and left little doubt he deserves to play up front for his national team.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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