He was Barcelona star, was paid $70 million and now works in a paddle tennis court

One of the greatest teams in the history of soccer was Josep Guardiola's Barcelona, which dominated Europe between 2008 and 2012. In that period of time he won two Champions League titles (2009 and 2011) and three La Liga titles. In addition, it captivated spectators around the world thanks to its eye-catching attacking play, with many passes in the opponent's half and memorable victories.

That team had great stars in all positions. Victor Valdez was the goalkeeper, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique were the center-backs, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta controlled the midfield and Lionel Messi shone in attack. Other great players passed through the ranks over the years, such as Javier Mascherano, David Villa and Thierry Henry.

But there was one player who, although he stood out, did not leave a great memory. He is Zlatan Ibrahimović, who arrived in Catalonia in 2009 after great performances at Ajax, Juventus and Inter. Barcelona paid him $70 million, he played 46 games and scored 22 goals, but after a year and a half he left to play for Milan. One of the reasons for his departure was the bad relationship he had with Guardiola. Later he continued to excel at PSG, Los Angeles Galaxy and Manchester United, but he could never get another chance at Los Blaugranas.  

At the end of the 2022/23 season, the Swede announced his retirement from soccer, putting an end to a brilliant 24-year career. Now, away from soccer, he is dedicated to a completely different activity: he invested in a paddle tennis court company called Padel Zenter, which has different facilities in Sweden and Italy.

Prophet in his homeland

In addition to standing out in the clubs where he played, Ibrahimović was a key player of the Swedish National Team. He played there between 2001 and 2023, totaling 122 games, with 62 goals and 25 assists. He played in the World Cups of Korea and Japan 2002 and Germany 2006.