Zlatan Ibrahimović

On 7 October 2001, he made first competitive match in a 2002 World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win. Ibrahimović was part of Sweden's 2002 FIFA World Cup finals squad who were eliminated in the round of 16 by newcomers Senegal. He made two substitute appearances, in the 88th minute of the final group game against Argentina and the 76th minute of the match against Senegal.

Ibrahimović was in the starting lineup for all of Sweden's Euro 2004 matches. He scored a penalty in a 5–0 win against Bulgaria and rounded off a fine performance against Italy by scoring a late equaliser chip with his back heel, which was voted the goal of the tournament. However, he missed a penalty as Sweden were sent home following a shootout loss to the Netherlands.

During 2006 World Cup qualification, Ibrahimović scored four goals in a 7–0 victory away to Malta on 4 September 2004. He did not score during the 2006 World Cup finals as Sweden were knocked out in the round of 16, this time by Germany. Read Less

In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona for €69 million, the second highest transfer fee in football history. His time at Barcelona was short lived however; moving back to Serie A football with Milan the following season, in a deal which made him one of the highest paid footballers in the world and cost the Italian club a confirmed €24 million. He has been described as being "strong and agile, he plays well with his back to goal and boasts some of the best finishing and ball control around." Once criticised for "his work-rate in the big matches", Ibrahimović silenced his critics by scoring and dominating in some of the biggest matches in football including the Milan Derby, the El Clasico and in ties from the Champions League and UEFA Euro against some of the strongest opponents in football. He is the only player to have scored for six different clubs in the Champions League. Read Less

In his next appearance, Ibrahimović scored against Stuttgart in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout stage fixture. He was sent off on 6 March in a league match against Almería, which Barcelona appealed to no avail, and he was suspended for one game. A calf strain during warmups before the next La Liga match following his return from suspension against Athletic Bilbao ruled Ibrahimović out of the second leg 4–1 victory over Arsenal, in which he scored two goals away from home, the return leg of the El Clásico against Madrid (which Barcelona won 2–0), and the next league match against Deportivo La Coruña. He made his return as a substitute in the 82nd minute in against Espanyol.

Ibrahimović finished the season with a sixth-best 16 league goals, as Barcelona broke the world record of most points in a season in a 20 team league with 99 points in 38 matches. He scored his final goal for Barcelona in a Spanish Super Cup match on 14 August in a 3–1 defeat over Sevilla, and on 25 August, he played his last match for the club against Milan for the Joan Gamper Trophy, after which he claimed to the media that his relationship with coach Josep Guardiola had started deteriorating and that Guardiola had not spoken to him since March. Read Less