Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to make a comeback for his country after being named in the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Kosovo and an international friendly against Estonia.
Ibrahimovic, who has scored 62 goals in 116 games for Sweden, had announced his retirement from international football in 2016 right after his team finished at the bottom in their group and were eliminated from Euro 2016. There have been speculations regarding his comeback ever since, especially when Sweden qualified for the World Cup in 2018. However, the national team coach, Janne Andersson had outrightly ruled out the possibility.
But, in a press conference on Tuesday, the coach has now confirmed the return of the marksman, stating that his experience will help the other players in the team.
"First and foremost, he is a very good football player, the best we have had in Sweden," said Andersson. "It is of course very funny that he wants to come back. In addition to what he can contribute on the pitch, he has incredible experience and can contribute it to other players in the team."
View this post on Instagram
As for Ibrahimovic, who is married to Helena Seger, took to social media to announce his comeback by simply saying, “The return of the God.”
Sweden are set to play two World Cup qualifiers against Georgia (March 25th) and Kosovo (March 28th) followed by a friendly against Estonia (March 31st). Meanwhile, Sweden's squad for Euro 2021 will be announced on March 18th. If Ibrahimovic takes the field in any of the aforementioned games, he will become the oldest player to play for Sweden, surpassing the likes of Henrik Larsson and Thomas Ravelli.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jonathan Nackstrand
