Zlatan Ibrahimovic will turn 40 just before the World Cup in Qatar kicks off. The Swedish forward feels like he's been a presence in European football for decades now -- a combination of his large personality and his proclivity for attempting the outrageous on a football pitch.
After controversially not being selected for the 2018 World Cup, it remains to be seen whether Ibrahimovic will be travelling to Qatar in 2022 with the Swedish national team as they look to qualify through the playoffs. If he does so, having retired from international career twice already in his career, it will be an impressive story, as he looks to represent his country into his 40s.
Ibrahimovic has been a fixture on TV screens while playing in La Liga, Serie A, and the Premier League -- not to mention countless matches in the Champions League -- but he has never lit up World Cup games in the same way, with Sweden rarely making the World Cup throughout his time in the national team.
With his age creeping up on him, Qatar could be Zlatan's last chance to steal the show and achieve something spectacular on the biggest stage with the whole world watching.
Did Zlatan Ibrahimovic win the World Cup?
For a player with his reputation, Ibrahimovic has a fairly underwhelming record at World Cups. He was still a youngster when Sweden went to the 2002 World Cup, but he did manage to catch the eye. The Swedes made it out of the group of death, containing England, Nigeria, and Argentina, before drawing Senegal in the Round of 16. Ibrahimovic almost won the game after a strong run on the right, but his left foot shot was straight at the 'keeper.
In 2006, Zlatan was more of a regular in the Sweden team, playing most of the minutes as the team once again made it to the Round of 16 before losing to Germany. Sweden missed out on the next two World Cups due to poor qualifying tournament, with Zlatan temporarily retiring from international football after the team missed out on the 2010 World Cup. He again announced his international retirement after Euro 2016. Although he reportedly wanted to return to the setup for World Cup 2018, with Sweden having qualified, he was not included in the squad for the tournament.
| Year | Matches Played | Goals and Assists | Minutes Played |
| 2002 | 2 | — | 46 |
| 2006 | 3 | — | 207 |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic World Cup goals
Perhaps the biggest mark on Ibrahimovic's career is his nonexistent World Cup record and, more generally, Sweden's poor record during his time. Of course, football is a team sport and he can't be hold solely responsible, but there's no doubt that it will be a big regret for the Swede.
He has won everything at the club level while representing many of Europe's most prestigious clubs, but he has never replicated that on the international scene. That being said, his record for Sweden is still strong. He's the all-time top goalscorer for the Swedish men's side with 62 goals in 120 games. He's the top scorer for his country at European Championships with six goals, and he's the only Swedish player to score in three consecutive European Championships: in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
Will Zlatan Ibrahimovic qualify for 2022 World Cup?
Sweden were drawn in Group B for UEFA's World Cup qualifiers alongside Spain, Greece, Georgia, and Kosovo. The group winner would automatically qualify for the World Cup while the runner-up would advance to UEFA's playoffs. Spain won the group with 19 points, while Sweden came in second with 15. They won all of their home games during the campaign but lost away to Spain, Greece, and Georgia.
Sweden entered the draw for the playoffs with a semifinal and a final to play. They were drawn against Czech Republic, who they will host in Solna. If they get past the Czech side, they will face Poland in the final, with the winner of that game entering the World Cup draw.
Poland were originally drawn against Russia, but after FIFA and UEFA agreed to ban Russian teams from the competitions, Poland were given a bye to the final. The winner of Sweden vs. Czech Republic will face Poland on March 29, with the match being played in Poland.
Could Ibrahimovic be oldest player at World Cup?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 39 and turns 40 in October, a month before the World Cup starts, putting him amongst the oldest players to ever play in a World Cup if he features in Qatar. As you might expect, many of the oldest players to have features in World Cups are goalkeepers.
The oldest player to ever feature in a World Cup is Essam El-Hadary, who played for Egypt during the 2018 World Cup. The goalkeeper was 45 at the time of Egypt's game against Saudi Arabia. Second on the list is Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón at 43. He came on for the last five minutes of Colombia's final group game against Japan and set the record for oldest World Cup player before it was beaten by El-Hadary.
The record that Mondragón beat had been standing for 20 years and was set by Roger Milla. The Cameroonian striker is still the oldest outfield player to feature in World Cup match. He was over 42 when Cameroon faced Russia in 1994. He also scored in that match, making him the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, a record he still holds.
There's no doubt that Zlatan Ibrahimovic would love to break both of those records (oldest outfield player, oldest goalscorer). However, Qatar 2022 will come too soon for him to break Roger Milla's record, and he would have to hang around for another World Cup cycle to manage it.