Swedish football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Sweden’s Nations League matches in June against Slovenia, Norway and Serbia due to injury, coach Janne Andersson said on Wednesday.
“He’s had injury problems for a while and hasn’t played so much in Milan, so he’s declined to play”, Andersson told reporters as he presented Sweden’s squad.
Ibrahimovic, 40, returned to the Swedish national team in March 2021 after a five-year hiatus.
In March, he said he wanted to continue playing international football for “as long as possible” despite Sweden’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
But speculation has since mounted that this may be his last season as a player due to his mounting injuries and has seen him rarely play for his Serie A club AC Milan.
His physical problems have prompted even former Italian star Francesco Totti, who aged 40 was dragged away from playing kicking and screaming, to suggest that the Swede should “listen to his body” before deciding to continue.
Ibrahimovic will be 42 by the time of the next major international tournament finals he could play in, Euro 2024 in Germany.
