Football
ESPN staff 8y

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says 'I know what I'll do next year' before lifting trophy

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said he knows what his next step will be after celebrating Paris-Saint Germain's Ligue 1 title with two goals on Saturday.

The big Swede set a club record with 38 goals in a Ligue 1 season as PSG defeated Nantes 4-0.

It was an emotional night for Ibrahimovic, who was playing in his final game at the Parc des Princes after announcing this week that he will leave the club after this season.

Sources told ESPN FC this week that Ibrahimovic is in "delicate" discussions to move to MLS next year, but the striker wasn't about to reveal his plans amid the title festivities in Paris.

"I know what I will do next year but I wouldn't tell you," he said to BeIn Sport.

"I am very excited tonight, I've had four fantastic years here. This is a fantastic group, it's even the best group I've played with. I will miss this team.

"We're proud of what we've done. The club will remain in my heart. I hope they will continue [to win] because the project is huge. I'm not worried.

"It was a beautiful night, it was hard to describe what I experienced. I never cry usually, but when I saw my children come on, I had tears in my eyes.

"I am very grateful to the French people. I had to give them the best of myself."

In a postgame ceremony after the game, PSG players were introduced one by one -- Ibrahimovic last, of course -- before lifting the trophy for the fourth straight season.

"I'm very emotional today. It was a very special game after four years here," he told the crowd.

"You will remain in my heart. I hope the club continues with this captain and keeps winning a lot without Ibra. It's difficult, but it's possible.

"Thanks to everyone, to Paris, France, myself and my family are very happy."

PSG coach Laurent Blanc called his striker a "phenomenon."

"Zlatan, Zlatan... Some don't like him, some love him. For me, Zlatan is a phenomenon, as shown by his statistics and the goals he's scored," Blanc said.

"He's a phenomenon. He succeeds in doing amazing skills, amazing stuff with the ball while he's built tall and strong. It's unbelievable.

"Whether you love him or not, with the statistics he has, with the quality he has, I can tell you that he belongs with the best -- and I've seen lot of players."

The manager also said Ibrahimovic would be impossible to replace in the transfer window.

"We are thinking about the next market and we'll always try to be competitive," he said. "Competitive in France of course, as we already are, but above all in Europe.

"We lose a phenomenon, a player who scores lot of goals, there is no player like him, like Zlatan, in the current market. So we are going to have to invent him! He doesn't exist.

"So we have to keep our course of action, we may try another one, but we must stay competitive."

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