Team India paceman Jasprit Bumrah penned an emotional tweet on June 5 (Monday) and paid tribute to one of the greatest athletes in contemporary sport, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swedish superstar announced his retirement from football on June 4 (Sunday) at the age of 41. The global superstar, who played for legendary clubs during his career, made the announcement after AC MIlan's 2022-23 season came to an end. Bumrah shared pictures of Ibrahimovic and wrote a message on his social media account.
"For being a constant source of inspiration for me and helping me discover that lion-hearted never-back-down attitude, thank you. You’ve made outstanding memories through your time in the game that’ll live on," Bumrah said in a Tweet.
In his more than two-decade career, Ibrahimovic played for clubs like Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United and LA Galaxy among others. For Sweden, Ibrahimovic scored 62 goals in 112 matches and is the leading goal-scorer for his country.
"I have many memories and many emotions in here," Ibrahimovic said while announcing his retirement at San Siro.
"The first time I arrived here you gave me happiness. The second time, love. I will be a Milan fan for life.
"The time has come to say goodbye to football, but not to you. See you around, if you’re lucky. Forza Milan and goodbye," he added.
Bumrah in rehabilitation
India's fast-bowling spearhead, Bumrah has not played a single competitive game since September 2022 when he played a T20I against Australia. Due to back injury, Bumrah was ruled out of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final. Bumrah had undergone a successful back surgery in New Zealand and is currently under rehabilitation. There is a big question mark on Bumrah’s availability in the ODI World Cup which India will host later this year.
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