This summer, several top stars will leave their clubs in old age. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is retiring, with Lionel Messi and other players the future is uncertain.
Football will lose one attraction, European football at least two, maybe even three of the greatest strikers in the sport’s history will be absent from this continent next season. A year after Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr FC (Saudi Arabia), many more footballing stars are looking for a new role. Some have already found what they are looking for, some are still looking, one doesn’t do anything anymore.
Ibrahimovic breaks up
The one who loves football”Ciao” says is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. After 827 competitive games in Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, England and the USA, in which he scored 496 goals and prepared 204 goals, the 41-year-old is retiring. At AC Milan, the Swede said goodbye on Sunday (June 4th, 2023) and then announced: “Today was my last day as a professional soccer player.“
Ibrahimovic stood for spectacle – on and off the pitch. His overhead kick from 25 meters against England in 2012 will forever be one of the greatest goals in football history. In 122 caps for Sweden, he scored 62 times. His sayings (“You believe in Jesus, then you also believe in Zlatan”) have a similar legendary status. But now Ibrahimovic is going private.
Messi working on Barca return – or is it going to the desert?
Lionel Messi is not there yet. The seven-time world footballer is also facing a new task, he just doesn’t know what it will look like. But Messi apparently has one wish – to return to FC Barcelona. In 2021, the 35-year-old left his youth club because a contract extension failed due to the club’s financial problems. Messi went to Paris St Germainwas never really happy there and could play for Barca again next season.
A video of Messi’s father and agent Jorge meeting with club president Joan Laporta circulated on social media on Monday. “I still know nothing“Jorge Messi said afterwards in a video circulated by Spanish media in which he was harassed by several journalists. Asked if Barca was his son’s preferred option, Messi Sr. replied: “Yes.“He Himself Would”love it“, however, it depends “of very many things” away.
It’s all about finances again as Barca are still heavily in debt and have their domestic La Liga on their heels, which closely controls the club’s transfer dealings. That’s why there is still a big question mark over Messi’s return. Meanwhile, the Saudi club Al-Hilal is hoping to lure the Argentine Qatar world champions with big money, with foreign media reporting annual earnings of 400 million euros. Another prospect is Inter Miami, who have long been considered a possible employer in Messi’s future.
Benzema follows the call of big money
The sheikhs want Messi to move to Saudi Arabia a year after Ronaldo. Another world footballer will definitely do this. According to media reports, Karim Benzema is on the verge of a move to Al-Ittihad FC, and most of the contract documents are said to have already been signed. There is talk of a contract until 2025, which should bring Benzema 200 million euros in total salary.
Only on Sunday did the Frenchman announce his departure from Real Madrid after 14 years. “It was a surprise, but it’s part of the upheaval. I spoke to him this morning and he told me that he is leaving us. We have to accept his decision. He has earned the right to make his own decisions and we thank him for everything he has done for the club“said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti. In a total of 648 competitive games, Bezema scored 354 goals for the “Royal”.
Also Lloris, Ramos and di Maria are looking
In addition to the three striker legends, there are other players who want to tackle a new task in the final years of their glorious careers. The French national goalkeeper Hugo Lloris informed the Tottenham Hotspur about wanting to leave the club after eleven years. “It’s the end of an era. I’m in the mood for something different“said the 34-year-old, whose contract in London runs until 2024.
On the other hand, the working papers of Sergio Ramos (Paris St. Germain) and Angel di Maria (Juventus Turin) have expired. The same applies to them as to Lloris. They want to continue, but it is still open where that will be. All three players are also rumored to have clubs from Saudi Arabia interested. The desert state apparently wants to become the meeting place for football legends.