Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand hailed Zlatan Ibrahimovic as one of the best strikers in the world after he announced his retirement from football.
Ibrahimovic played for some of the world's biggest clubs during an illustrious 24-year career. The Swedish striker joined United in 2016 from PSG and went on to score 29 goals in 53 appearances for the Reds before leaving in 2018 for LA Galaxy.
Eventually, the 41-year-old would return to Europe with AC Milan, with his second spell at the club ending last weekend after the club's 3-1 victory over Verona in Serie A. In a speech on the San Siro pitch, Ibrahimovic said: "I have so many memories and lived so many emotions in here, the first time I arrived here you gave me happiness. The second time love.
"I want to thank my family, everyone close to me, for their patience. I want to thank my second family, the players. I want to thank (AC Milan head coach Stefano) Pioli and his staff for the responsibility you have given me. I want to thank the managers for the opportunity.
ALSO READ: Ibrahimovic retires from football
"But most important of all: from my heart I want to thank you fans. You welcomed me with open arms, you made me feel at home. I will be a Milan fan for life."
Discussing Ibrahimovic's retirement on his Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand paid tribute to the striker who he faced on several occasions during his career. "Zlatan, you have got to remember, this guy epitomised winning, he had a mentality that was as good as you are ever going to get," the former centre-back explained.
"He knew how good he was, there was an arrogance. He respected no-one. You cannot fake that [arrogance] during a 24-year career, you can't fake that. He was a different player, I think he was one who got into a lot of players heads before the game had even started, especially in Italy.
"When I spoke to [Fabio] Capello, I asked him to name me some of the best players he had coached. He has coached [Paolo] Maldini, [Franco] Baresi, [Roberto] Baggio, big players and Zlatan was one of the first names he said. If you look at Capello's CV and the players he has managed to be in the top tier like with Ronaldo [says a lot]."
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
READ NEXT:
