ZlatanIbrahimovic decided to step down from international football on June of 2016 and even though it was something that was going to occur either sooner or later, it’s still a sad thing to see as the former Inter Milan player has played a huge role for the Sweden national football team and now the Swedish Football Association has to try and find a player that can fill in his boots.
In 116 caps for Sweden, ZlatanIbrahimovic has managed to score 62 and this makes him the top goal-scorer for the Swedish national side.
“There is a future after Zlatan. I am sure there will be new fantastic football players from Sweden. We’ve had them before.” This the statement released by the Sports Minister Gabriel Wikström as he was saying that there is a bright future even in the absence of ZlatanIbrahimovic.
Even without Ibrahimovic, the Swedish national side has managed to stay in the upper section of their group from the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification stages. Sweden is located at the 2nd spot of group A with 10 points collected from their 5 initial matches.
The Swedish national football has not managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup since 2006 when they reached the round of 16.
The next 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match of Sweden is scheduled to take place on June 9 as they lock horns with the national side that is currently located at the 1st spot which is France.
Alexander Isak and Emil Forsberg are some of the more talented rising stars that are being labeled to be the next ZlatanIbrahimovic or at least to be the performers that are capable of putting the Swedish national team on their shoulders.
Emil Forsberg recently showcased his goal-scoring abilities as the 25 year old midfielder score twice during Sweden’s qualification match against Belarus which was played on March 25.