Zlatan Ibrahimovic in talks over surprise debut in new sport just one year after retiring from football
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be set to appear in the boxing ring following his retirement from football last year.
The legendary striker’s glittering career saw him play for European giants including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic scored nearly 500 goals in over 800 senior appearances and is regarded as one of the sport’s greatest ever finishers.
He hung up his boots in June 2023 and could now be in line for a new sporting venture in the world of boxing.
As reported by The Sun, Misfits Boxing co-president Mams Taylor has revealed he has held talks with Ibrahimovic over taking to the gloves.
“I’ve tried to convince Zlatan and he can fight. I’m good friends with his manager and we had a FaceTime, the three of us,” he said.
“It was really cool because he’s seen a lot of Misfits fights and he’s followed it. He was a kickboxer, he’d be a good one as well.
“But yeah, there’s other names that aren’t quite as big as these guys that are but still very respected and have achieved a lot that are interested.
“And because it’s so realistic that those guys are going to fight, I’m not gonna give you their names.
“But, I will say that Zlatan and Wayne Rooney, there have been conversations and I think it’s a matter of time. At some point it will materialise.”
Ibrahimovic’s former United teammate Rooney previously admitted that he had conversations with Misfits over a potential fight.
The England legend is a huge boxing fan but it’s unlikely he’ll make an appearance in the ring as he is the manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
Ibrahimovic could be a successful boxer though thanks to his background in martial arts.
The 43-year-old has an honorary black belt in taekwondo and had it fastened around his waist by Olympic medallist Mauro Sarmiento.
If he was to join Misfits, with their co-founder KSI telling talkSPORT he’d like to see him fight Cristiano Ronaldo, he would follow in the footsteps of fellow former Premier League footballer Danny Simpson.
The ex-Leicester City man fought and drew with YouTube star Danny Aarons in August.
However, Misfits’ Taylor has not been one to reveal any potential new names to enter the ring with his promotional company.
“I’m not going to give you any names because I’ll ruin the surprise,” he added. But definitely there’s some really big names and some very credible footballers, ex-footballers who have expressed interest.
“So I think that’s gonna unfold in its own time.”
