10. Barcelona vs Zaragoza (2009)
“It almost snapped the keeper’s hands off,” said Barça boss Pep Guardiola of Ibrahimovic’s thunderous 30-yard free-kick, which blasted through Juan Pablo Carizzo’s grasp. “You should see Ibra’s free-kicks in training. When he’s shooting, our keepers tremble with fear." One of them, Victor Valdes, defended his Zaragoza counterpart: “No goalkeeper would have kept that out. The power he gets on shots is frightening.”
Jermaine Pennant, who played for Zaragoza in that 6-1 defeat, said afterwards of Ibrahimovic: “He’s absolutely on fire. He’s scoring for fun, he’s linking up perfectly with Messi and Iniesta and Xavi. Barcelona were already the best team in the world. Now, with Ibrahimovic, it’s frightening to think what they’re capable of.”
Things ultimately didn’t work out for Mr Charisma at the Camp Nou, but Barça fans fondly remember that ferocious free-kick, as well as the volley with which he settled El Clasico the following month.
9. Lecce vs Milan (2011)
“Zlatan had no right to win the ball,” marvelled Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri. Mathieu Flamini had punted the ball upfield to relieve the pressure on AC Milan. Lecce pair Gustavo and Giuseppe Vives had a significant head start on Ibrahimovic, who combined underestimated speed and incomparable strength to make it his own.
Affording himself a split-second for a glance goalwards, the Milan No.11 noticed goalkeeper Antonio Rosati was marginally off his line. That’s all he needed. A majestic lob from 30 yards followed.
“Rosati wasn’t really off his line,” said Allegri. “But the slightest of misjudgements and Zlatan will punish you. He’s a unique player.” Please note the Italian commentator getting just a touch excited.
8. Inter vs Fiorentina (2009)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was irked when a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Manchester United ended his and Inter Milan’s Champions League dream in March 2009. Four days later, the fearsome forward took his fury out on a Nike T90 Omni ball – and on Fiorentina. Ibra’s 11th-hour free-kick from 35 yards out rocketed home, past goalkeeper Sebastien Frey and off the underside of the crossbar, at 109 km/h.
“I didn’t know what had happened until I got home and saw the replay,” said Viola left-back Juan Vargas. “I was there [on the pitch], but it was too quick to see.”
7. Italy vs Sweden (2004)
“Zlatan has had a career full of exceptional goals,” assessed iconic Italian keeper Gigi Buffon. “But that was probably the first quite important one and it was really beautiful. He did something exceptional and they celebrated a lot, because they went into the next round at our expense.”
Buffon had seemed certain to grasp the bouncing ball, just inside his six-yard box, until Ibrahimovic flung his 6ft 5ins frame through the air and, somehow, got to it ahead of the goalkeeper in their Group C clash at Euro 2004. With his back to goal and both feet off the ground, Sweden’s No.10 produced a breathtaking flick that lobbed the ball over Buffon and Christian Vieri, who leapt in vain on the line, to snatch a 1-1 draw.
6. Anderlecht vs PSG (2013)
“Even the best of the best, the majority of them would have put that in row Z,” said PSG left-back Maxwell of the third of four Ibrahimovic goals in a 5-0 crushing of Anderlecht in the 2013/14 Champions League. Ibra ran on to an awkwardly bouncing ball, struck it first time with immense ferocity, and watched it fly into the top corner of Thomas Kaminski’s net.
“After my third goal, the whole stadium stood up and was clapping,” remembered Ibrahimovic. “I was a little taken [aback] by the moment. It was a special feeling.”
5. Sweden vs France (2012)
“How can I blame any of my players for that?” asked France manager Laurent Blanc post-match. “That’s not even a chance to any other player.”
France had begun the day top of Group D, but in the knowledge that anything less than victory could send them home from Euro 2012. Sweden were playing merely for pride. But with the scoreboard reading 54 minutes and 0-0, Ibrahimovic, from just inside the penalty area and with both feet in the air, scissor-kicked a Sebastian Larsson cross into the bottom corner of Hugo Lloris’s net.
The eventual 2-0 result handed Blanc’s side their first loss it 24 outings – a run during which they had beaten England at Wembley, Brazil at the Stade de France and Germany at the Weserstadion – and gave Sweden a first victory over France in 43 years.
Fortunately for Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri, Karim Benzema & Co, Wayne Rooney saved their blushes by scoring against Ukraine to ensure France and England progressed. And fortunately for Blanc, all the world wanted to ask him about afterwards was the latest addition to Ibrahimovic’s highlight reel, a strike which was ultimately voted the goal of the tournament.
READ FourFourTwo's 50 Most Memorable Euros Goas: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
4. Inter vs Bologna (2008)
“No normal human would have even thought of trying to score from there,” remarked Inter right-back Maicon, himself no stranger to wonder goals. Adriano had fizzed in a left-wing cross, but the ball was behind Ibrahimovic. Nevertheless, the Inter No.8, turned his back to goal and – employing taekwondo-indebted flexibility to get his right boot to shoulder height – flicked the ball into a seemingly non-existent gap at the near post to break the deadlock.
Bologna goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli didn’t even move. Nor did Ibra’s torso once the net had rippled. He simply outstretched his arms as if to say: ‘Nobody else could have done that.’ We're unlikely to argue.
3. Sweden vs England (2012)
"Sometimes you feel you're looking at a computer game where you can do all these incredible things," reflected Sweden coach Erik Hamren. "Because it’s not possible to do that."
The foresight to realise Joe Hart wasn’t going to be able to head the ball too far clear; the imagination to even think of attempting to score from a bicycle kick; the daring to actually try it; the execution to lob it over Hart, Gary Cahill and Ryan Shawcross into a tiny gap. Simply, the Swedish superhero’s effort was preposterous.
“That’s the best goal I’ve seen live,” said England midfielder Steven Gerrard of the acrobatic effort that eventually won Ibrahimovic the FIFA Puskas Award.
READ The 15 best hat-tricks of all-time: starring Bale, Berba, Bergkamp and more
2. Toronto vs LA Galaxy (2018)
How many players in the world would have scored the goal Ibra did this month? Zlatan may liken himself to a lion, but he has the flexibility of an electric eel and his spinning wheel kick had the precision of a perfect MMA strike.
“I don’t know if I have to [call you] the lion, the cat, the dog,” said an awestruck Paul Pogba in a video message to his former Manchester United team-mate. “No, Zlatan, respect, respect. I tell you to play football and you watch too much Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee.”
LA Galaxy were 3-0 down when Ibrahimovic reduced the deficit with his 500th career goal, and his side pulled it to 3-3, before eventually going down 5-3. "It's not the first time I've gotten a standing ovation [as an away player],” said the 36-year-old. “Obviously it's not good to lose, but I'm happy for Toronto because they'll be remembered as my 500th victim."
1. Ajax vs NAC Breda (2004)
“Maradona! Zidane!” exclaimed the Dutch commentator after Ibrahimovic rounded off a move in which he evaded seven challenges (a pair of adversaries had two bites at the cherry), and left three Breda players on their backsides, before slotting the ball into an empty net.
“I received the ball with a defender on my back,” the Swede later explained to FourFourTwo. “Another tried to challenge me, but I kept the ball from both. Then I turned and saw the goal. I was going towards the goal dribbling past players – ‘bam, bam, bam’ – as I searched for a moment to shoot. It didn't come, so I kept on going past different players. Then I was past the goalkeeper.
But I decided to go backwards to get a better angle to score. I went past the same player again. I used to play with him, but I didn't realise it! He said to me, ‘Zlatan, I thought we were friends.’ I apologised because I didn't realise it was a former team-mate. It was my best goal.”
