Time running out for PSG's Zlatan in UCL

Andrew Gibney 19:54 10/03/2015
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  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic is arguably one of the most decorated players in the game, but the big question will be if he finishes his career with a coveted Champions League winners medal.

    It was the vision no one at Paris Saint-Germain wanted to see. After 68 minutes of last season’s 3-1 first-leg victory over Chelsea in the Champions League, Zlatan Ibrahimovic lay on the ground, leg in the air, holding his hamstring. Owner Nasser Al-Khelaïfi confirmed after the game that the talismanic Swede would miss the return game at Stamford Bridge. One week later, the Ligue 1 club were eliminated on away goals.

    Nearly 12 months on and Ibrahimovic now has the chance to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League. It is not only an opportunity for redemption, but it could represent the last chance the iconic striker has to shine on football’s grandest stage.

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    This season, Ibrahimovic has seen his progress met with a combination of injuries and suspension, leading many to question how much time he has left at the top of the game. An injury to his heel saw an absence of six games in the league, and it is still not clear if he has managed to fully recover.

    At 33 years old, the slightest knocks appear to be taking their toll. His recent lunge into Romain Hamouma’s leg led to a two-match ban, and Laurent Blanc has stated that it may have been beneficial for Ibrahimovic.

    “Ibra isn’t a young boy,” the PSG coach told reporters on Friday. “He is 33. Against Chelsea, he will have the same pressure on him as the whole team.

    “He must score more because that’s his role in the team. But he worked well during his two-match suspension. It’s a good thing for him to return this weekend because he needs a competitive match before the game against Chelsea.”

    Against Lens on Saturday, Ibrahimovic had clearly taken Blanc’s words on board, employing a shoot-on-sight approach. Before David Luiz gave PSG the lead, Zlatan had four good attempts, hitting the woodwork with one. He would get on the scoresheet from the penalty spot, but his best moment came in the second half when his delightful flicked pass set up Javier Pastore for the final goal in their 4-1 victory.

    Still, he has only managed one goal from open play in 10 games and apart from little flashes of the old Ibrahimovic, the signs are there that he is clearly not the player he once was.

    Time is running out for Zlatan to fill the most notable gap in his extensive medal collection. Nine league titles with five different clubs, but the Champions League looks destined to be the one that got away.

    The Swede would have hoped for a more favourable draw than meeting Chelsea in the last 16, but then to lift the trophy, he knew he would have to go and beat some of Europe’s best sides.

    The odds of him achieving that goal are increasing by the day. It would be a travesty in modern day football if Ibrahimovic’s legacy didn’t contain a Champions League triumph; Wednesday night against Chelsea could be a defining moment.

    Defeat for the Parisians means Ibrahimovic is faced with trying to win the trophy another year older, and in the last year of his contract with PSG. Speaking to French Radio Station RMC last week, Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino Raiola made some strange comments regarding his future, all but declaring that he wouldn’t allow the Swede to retire for another eight years.

    “Zlatan still has a year and a half on his contract. He is happy in Paris, he tries to do his best and is in good shape, though he had some problems this year,” Raiola said.

    “But for Zlatan the future is short. I don’t know if he can finish his career at PSG. He worked for himself for 15 years, now he will work for me for the next eight years. I think he can play until he is 42 or 43 but I don’t know if he will play another eight years at PSG.”

    It would be a travesty in modern day football if Ibrahimovic’s legacy didn’t contain a Champions League triumph

    The way the Swede has slowed down this year, it is becoming apparent that his time at PSG is coming to an end. Regardless of age and ability, the aura around Ibrahimovic means he will always be a superstar and the most important player at whatever club he plays for. As PSG try to become one of Europe’s elite, Zlatan is struggling to maintain the ability on the pitch to match the headlines he creates with his antics off it.

    There is no doubt that he still has the class to add value to the team for the remainder of his contract, but at the end of next season, before he turns 35, it is time that he and PSG parts ways, and Raiola is smart enough to understand that Zlatan’s chances at European glory are coming to an end.

    “I hope he wins the Champions League for his sake, for PSG and for French football,” Raiola said. “It is a matter of luck too as it is not always the best team who wins.”

    Another year older, with more miles on the clock, there is less chance he will be able to conjure memories of the past. That’s not to say PSG can’t win the Champions League next season, but it may be in spite of Zlatan, not because of him.

    Last season, the Swede was untouchable during the group stage; you only have to look at the four goals he scored against Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium to see just how unbelievable a player he was at his best.

    That is the Ibrahimovic that both PSG and Blanc need to make it beyond Chelsea, but it is just unclear whether or not he exists anymore. On Wednesday night, under the bright lights of London, Ibrahimovic has the chance to turn back the clock and remind the world of what he has to offer. 

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