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By Megan Armstrong
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There's a reason Zlatan Ibrahimovic gets away with dropping his last name entirely to just be known mononymously as Zlatan, referring to himself in the third person, or delivering blunt 2026 FIFA men's World Cup commentary as a FOX Sports studio analyst.
The reason, even if lacking decorum is simple: Zlatan was that dude on the soccer field.
Zlatan has become the lightning rod of this World Cup, and his omnipresence in the news cycle has led to some people discovering one of his most absurd highlights for the first time. As with all things Zlatan, it's going viral.
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Zlatan's Sweden and England met for an international friendly on Nov. 14, 2012, and Zlatan scored on this bicycle kick from over 30 yards out. Zlatan scored all four of Sweden's goals in the 4-2 win in the inaugural match at Friends Arena.
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Zlatan won he FIFA Puskás Award, given to whomever executed the best goal of the year, for his bicycle kick goal against England.
"We will remember this goal for a long time because it's not a normal goal," he said at the time, per FIFA. "I knew what I was going to do before the ball arrived. I positioned myself next to the defender to be able to flick the ball. I had a little bit of luck on my side because it went in the goal and that's what makes it perfect. It's probably one of the most beautiful goals of my career."
Zlatan appeared for Sweden in the 2002 and '06 World Cups and retired from the national team in 2016 as its all-time leading goalscorer. His decorated club career spanned Malmo FF, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, LA Galaxy before he retired from world football altogether in 2023.
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