Ibrahimović began his career at Malmö FF in the late 1990s before being signed by Ajax, where he made a name for himself. He signed for Juventus and excelled in Serie A in a strike partnership with David Trezeguet. In 2006, he signed for rival side Inter Milan and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. In addition, Ibrahimović would finish as the league's top scorer in 2008–09 and win three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona, before moving back to Serie A football the following season, joining A.C. Milan in a deal that made him one of the highest-paid players in the world.[5] After winning a further Scudetto with Milan in 2010–11, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain in July 2012. During his stay at PSG, Ibrahimović has won four consecutive Ligue 1 championships, two Coupes de la Ligue, and one Coupe de France. In October 2015, he became the club's all time leading goalscorer.[6]

Ibrahimović is one of ten players to have made 100 or more appearances for the Swedish national team. He is the country's all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals. He represented Sweden at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, as well as the 2004, 2008, and 2012 UEFA European Championships. He has been awarded Guldbollen (the Golden Ball), given to the Swedish player of the year, a record ten times, including nine consecutive times from 2007 and 2015.[7]

With his playing style and acrobatic finishing compared to Dutch legend Marco van Basten, Ibrahimović is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the game and one of the best footballers of his generation.[8][9][10][11] His spectacular bicycle kick for Sweden against England won the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year.[12] Off the field he is known for his brash persona and outspoken comments, in addition to referring to himself in the third person.[13][14] In December 2013, Ibrahimović was ranked by The Guardian as the third-best player in the world, behind only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[15] In December 2014, the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter named him the second-greatest Swedish sportsperson of all time, after tennis player Björn Borg.[16]