At 39, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the star striker of Sweden, dreamed of a new international tournament with his selection (June 11 - July 11), he who was away for five years before making a comeback too unexpected that followed at the end of March.
His hopes were abruptly vanished on Saturday, with the announcement of a sprained left knee forcing him to undergo "six weeks" treatment according to his club AC Milan.
He was injured a week ago during the match against Juventus (3-0).
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" It's difficult but I am appeased ": Van Dijk renounces Euro 2020
Bad news quickly confirmed by the Swedish Football Federation, which evacuated any uncertainty about the ability of the top scorer in the history of his national team to be on foot for Euro 2020, postponed for a year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. "I spoke with Zlatan Ibrahimovic who unfortunately told me that his injury prevented him from participating in the Euro this summer," said Swedish coach Janne Andersson in a statement, noting the withdrawal of the former scorer of Paris SG and Manchester United. The period of unavailability, which therefore ran until approximately June 26, had made any hypothesis of participation in the Euro very uncertain, with Sweden already having to play its three group matches before that date (against Spain on June 14 ,Slovakia on the 18th and Poland on the 23rd).
The Euro infirmary is filling up
"Ibra", who has just extended his contract until June 2022 with the Rossoneri, was one of the most anticipated stars of this competition, with his temperament bordering on arrogance and above all perked up by a superb season at Milan (15 goals in 19 matches in the Championship and a place currently on the Serie A podium).
He also becomes one of the first European leaders to formalize his package for the Euro, at the end of a grueling season for many elite players, some of whom ended their 2019-2020 season last summer before d. 'shift into the next one.
The great infirmary of the Euro account, for the moment, the package of the Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk, injured long time, and that, very likely, of the Spanish prodigy Ansu Fati.
In addition, the Italian of Paris SG Marco Verratti, also injured in a knee and who will remain on the sidelines according to his club between four and six weeks from May 11, is uncertain even if his coach Roberto Mancini said he was "Confident" for the recovery of his midfielder.
What future with Sweden?
For "Zlatan", the disappointment is up to the initial ambition which had guided him in his choice to reconnect with the Swedish jersey, remobilized by a return to the highest level in Italy, at AC Milan, after a move to Los Angeles Galaxy, in the North American Championship. At the end of March, for his big comeback, he had delivered two assists in two matches, for two qualifying victories at the World Cup-2022. Which brought his total of caps to 118 (for 62 goals).
Almost 40 years old, Ibrahimovic then said he had "the impression that it was (s) our first international match", after five years of absence during which Sweden had managed to qualify without him for the 2018 World Cup. It is now logical to wonder if these two selections of March 2021 will have been the last for Ibrahimovic, while the next big deadline for Sweden after the Euro will be the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022. But between his recovery of a cruciate ligament rupture in April 2017, and his return to the fore this season, the 1.95m giant with an oversized ego has repeatedly proven that he should never be buried ...
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