After falling out of the World Cup qualifiers, Swedish national soccer coach Janne Andersson will continue to rely on the experience of veteran star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“I would be stupid if I didn’t involve him in some way,” said the coach after Poland lost 2-0 in the playoff final for a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar. Ibrahimovic left his sporting future in the national team open.
“I’m not here because it’s about me, it’s about Sweden. The most important thing is what happens to Sweden, not what happens to me personally. I’m one piece of the puzzle among many pieces,” said the 40-year-old.
return after five years
Ibrahimovic came into play in the 79th minute when the score was 2-0, but was unable to do anything. “I respect Zlatan very much, both as a person and as a footballer. I would have liked to have had him earlier, but he made his own decision to retire after 2016,” Andersson said. The Milan striker only returned to the national team in 2021.
Ibrahimovic has not yet thought about a possible role in the national team’s support staff after retiring.
“As long as you’re active, you’re active. If I’m already focused on what the next step is, it means you’ve relaxed mentally and prepared for the next step – and I haven’t done that,” he said.