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Former Barcelona star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has sent a message to the club ahead of the new season. Ibrahimovic, who played for the Blaugrana for just one campaign, last appeared for AC Milan in 2023 before announcing his retirement from football.
The Swedish striker is a renowned name in football, having played for several top European clubs throughout his 24-year career. Although his time at Barcelona was short-lived, he made a quite an impact, while winning La Liga, the Supercopa de Espana, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup under Pep Guardiola.
Despite a less-than-ideal relationship with Guardiola that led to his departure, Ibrahimovic has consistently expressed his appreciation for Barcelona. This time, he took a moment to greet the Blaugrana supporters and wish the team the best of luck as they prepare for the new season. He said:
"What’s up Barça fans? This is Zlatan. I hope you’re well. I wish you all the best. Good luck for the season! Take care, ciao." (via Barca Universal on X)
The 42-year-old striker joined Barcelona in 2009, with Samuel Eto’o moving to Inter Milan as part of the deal. In addition to the high-profile swap, Barcelona paid a significant fee for Ibrahimovic, but he did not meet expectations despite a strong start. After a falling out with Guardiola, he was loaned to AC Milan the following season and eventually sold to them.
Following his stint with the Italian side, Ibrahimovic played for PSG, Manchester United, and LA Galaxy before returning to Milan to finish his career. He scored over 500 goals in his career across multiple leagues and netted 62 goals for Sweden in 122 appearances.
Hansi Flick pleased with Barcelona’s preparations and provides transfer update
Barcelona had a strong pre-season in terms of results, winning their matches against Manchester City and Real Madrid, although they suffered a defeat to AC Milan in a penalty shootout. They will conclude their pre-season with a match against Monaco on August 12 in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
Robert Lewandowski, who returned to the Barcelona lineup after a disappointing Euro 2024 with Poland, was central to the Blaugrana's improved showing, scoring twice against AC Milan last night (August 6).
The German coach expressed satisfaction with Lewandowski’s performances and also noted the consistent improvement of the young players following their game against Milan.
“We played a great second half (against Milan). He (Lewandowski) deserved both of those goals because he worked very hard for them. We have 16-year-old players who performed exceptionally well. There are players who have really gotten a lot better over the last several days," he said (via Barcelona website).
Barcelona are also set to sign Spanish forward Dani Olmo for €60 million. Regarding any further transfer activity, Flick has confirmed that the club will not add any other midfielders after signing Olmo from RB Leipzig.
We have several quality players in midfield, some of them are injured now but they will be back. I think we are well covered in that position," Flick said (via Fabrizio Romano).
After their game against Monaco, Barcelona will start their La Liga campaign with an away game against Valencia on August 17, before playing their first home match against Athletic Club on August 24.
