WATCH: Zlatan Ibrahimovic gets emotional during farewell given to him by Swedish National Team

The Sweden national team has arranged a testimonial match to celebrate former Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has retired. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was present at Friends Arena for Sweden's game against Serbia this evening, and a ceremony was planned to honour his contributions to the squad. Indeed, as with his departure to AC Milan, things became emotional. 

Despite the 3-0 setback, the whole audience remained in their seats after the final whistle, knowing it was time to honour Sweden's greatest player of all time. After stepping out on the pitch past a guard of honour, a film chronicling Ibrahimovic's journey was shown on the big screen.

Watch the video here:

Sweden gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic a heartfelt farewell tribute. 🥺💛

pic.twitter.com/HnH5fJnzUJ

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) June 8, 2024

Zlatan Ibrahimovic then delivered a statement in which he thanked the Swedish people for their support and encouraged future generations to never give up, drawing inspiration from his experience. The striker was extremely upset as he closed with 'You are welcome Sweden, I love you', similar to his departure at San Siro in 2023.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic records

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Sweden's all-time best scorer, having scored 62 goals in 121 appearances. He quit the national squad following Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for a poor World Cup qualification campaign.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in two World Cup finals, in 2002 and 2006, but has never scored a goal. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still regarded in high regard by the country's players, some of whom grew up idolising him.

The experienced forward, who currently serves as an advisor to patron Gerry Cardinale at San Siro, retired at the conclusion of last season due to a series of knee ailments. He played most of his career in Serie A, making 283 games, scoring 156 goals and assisting 68 times. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was awarded Swedish Player of the Year a record 12 times and received the Puskas Award for Best Goal in 2013.