Euro 2016: One last hurrah for Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

Despite achieving massive success at club level among several of Europe’s most prestigious sides, scoring a succession of fantastic goals throughout a glistening career at the top – and seamlessly turning himself into a well-known brand for the modern generation of budding football fans to behold – Zlatan Ibrahimovic has evidently failed to hit the same lofty heights whilst operating on the international scene.

 

The Swedes have never been notorious for their success at major international tournaments, yet as Euro 2016 likely represents Zlatan’s last ever stint with his proud national side, perhaps the competition can indeed take on a whole new meaning for Erik Hamren’s team this summer.

 

After successfully seeing off local neighbours Denmark in a well fought play-off qualifier in recent weeks, the Swedish camp will quite rightly be full of confidence at the moment. However, although nothing can quite be taken for granted in the realm of modern day international football these days, next summer’s tournament is bound to turn out a pretty competitive one to say the very least…

 

So then, will Zlatan Ibrahimovic shine at Euro 2016 by the end of the current campaign, or have the good times already come and gone for the current PSG striker and Sweden?

 

Well, as Zlatan will be operating at Euro 2016 next summer as a 34-year-old professional, time clearly no longer resides on the side of the infamous centre-forward. He’s been around the block enough times to know that success at European championships doesn’t always come easy – especially among a team lacking in extraordinary quality across every area of the pitch.

 

However, if there is any player capable of achieving the impossible in the least likely of scenarios – Zlatan Ibrahimovic would surely have to be that man. When it comes to displaying sheer confidence in the final third on every given occasion, consistently producing a level of technical ability that most players could never even dream of possessing – and simply scoring great goals that get re-watched over and over again thanks to their daring nature alone – the long-term Swedish international very rarely disappoints.

 

After first emerging with Sweden at the 2002 World Cup, the Scandinavian outfit obviously found themselves with a real talent on their hands. He was brash, ambitious, and somewhat greedy on the ball to say the very least – but as most world class players ultimately start out with several controversial question-marks hanging persistently over their heads – such an outcome shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise.

 

Since then, Ibrahimovic has relatively impressed on the international scene – yet in reality, most of his achievement has admittedly been developed on an individual level more than anything else. Whilst the Swedish footballing community will already be aware of the rather inconvenient notion in itself, the rest of Erik Hamren’s team simply can’t compare when held up alongside their iconic front-man.

 

When Zlatan fails to enjoy the rub of the green, Sweden subsequently suffer as a result. It seems as if no one else within the current Swedish ranks is quite capable of picking up wherever Ibrahimović leaves off – and that will unfortunately limit them greatly at Euro 2016. Relevant betting tips therefore place the Scandinavians as out-in-out under-dogs at next summer’s tournament…

 

Although the likes of Marcus Berg, Sebastian Larsson and Kim Kallstrom have proved decent enough assets at club level throughout the years, those aforementioned names are arguably no longer operating at the very top of their game. That may arrive as worrying news for the Swedes of course – for their national side ultimately looks somewhat short of young emerging quality, as well as sheer defensive reliability at the back. The days of Olof Mellberg holding it down in defence are sadly long gone from a Swedish perspective after all.

 

So then – when all is said and done – Euro 2016 probably won’t prove a success for Sweden next summer. However, will Zlatan Ibrahimovic impress us all with one last hurrah come the end of the current club campaign? Of course he will…