World Cup return for Ibra gets Sweden talking

STOCKHOLM: The final whistle which signalled that Sweden had qualified for the World Cup was still echoing around the San Siro when the speculation began – will retired record goalscorer ZlatanIbrahimovic return for the Finals in Russia?

Sweden had just secured a 1-0 aggregate victory over Italy with a squad short on big names, a team that snatched second place in European qualifying Group A from the Dutch and beaten France at home before knocking out Italy, all without Zlatan.

“This is incredible. The player has just stopped to play one-and-a-half years ago and we are still here talking about him,” Sweden boss Andersson told reporters when asked if Ibrahimovic was set to return.

The 36-year-old departed the national team after a disappointing group stage exit at Euro 2016, ending an international career that saw him score 62 goals in 116 matches for his country.

Shortly after the game Zlatan posted a picture on social media with the caption “We are Zweden”.

By Tuesday, it had over a million likes on Instagram, but Andersson didn’t seem entirely positive about a possible return.

“Zlatan is, as I expressed it, our greatest player of all time, a fantastic athlete in every way, but he has chosen not to take part,” he told a news conference in Milan on Tuesday.

“These guys who did take part and have performed fantastically. It’s sad to sit and talk about someone who hasn’t been here.

“I have a gang that has done fantastic, we can talk about them instead.”

The Manchester United striker, who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury, has always been something of a divisive figure in his native country, adored for his skills but often perceived as arrogant and selfish.

After his departure, the Swedes went back to their traditional style of being a tightly-knit collective where no individual is more important than the team – a return for Zlatan now could upset that balance.

Andersson’s players were not in the mood to discuss a possible return either.

“First and foremost he must open up the possibility himself. Otherwise I don’t think one should have this discussion,” defender Ludwig Augustinsson said after the Italy game.

Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino Raiola was a lot more positive towards a comeback for his client.

“If it’s up to me, I’ll deliver him myself,” he told Sweden’s SportExpressen. — Reuters