One of these two football monuments will see its world dreams fly away this Tuesday (8:45 p.m.), in Warsaw, during the Poland-Sweden play-off.
Erling Haaland, Jan Oblak, Marco Verratti… The list of big names who will miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is already substantial. It will be even more copious this Tuesday at the end of the evening, at the end of the qualifications. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Sadio Mané (Senegal) or Mo Salah (Egypt) are among these stars in the balance, the last two named clashing with their respective selection on the side of Blida. There will only be one left. Same thing for Robert Lewandowski and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in Warsaw.
Qualified for the benefit of the banishment of Russia for the geopolitical reasons that we know, Poland receives Sweden there this Tuesday (8:45 p.m.), during one of the three play-off finals in the Europe zone. At the same time, Portugal will challenge North Macedonia, but it will take a few months to see Scotland face Ukraine (June?) for the last ticket.
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The Swedes won theirs with a win over the Czech Republic last Thursday (1-0 ap) in the semi-finals, thanks to a goal signed Robin Quaison at the end of the suspense, or boredom it is according to (110e). Enough to ignite with happiness the 50,000 spectators of the Friends Arena, near Stockholm, and in particular “Ibra”, confined to the rank of first supporter of the Swedish selection that evening due to suspension.
“Ibra” replacing at kick-off?
The former Parisian, who is aiming for a second participation in the World Cup after… 2006, is however not certain to start this Tuesday. In fact, he even has every chance of starting on the bench and it is certain that he will not have “not 90 minutes in the legs“, he who has only played 39 in four matches in 2022. Forfeited for the Euro last summer, unavailable until September and regularly forfeited in 2021-22, the Swedish giant has still managed to show valuable in the good course of his club in the league (18 matches, 8 goals, 2 assists), AC Milan appearing at the top of the Serie A standings, while often being overwhelmed in the Champions League (4 matches, 0 goals, assists).
The beginning of the end for Ibrahimovic? At 40, his best years are obviously behind him, who describes himself as “an old guy, but fit“. His aura still allows him to represent an asset, but in terms of selection, the future lies with the Forsberg-Isak-Kulusevski trio. At the Qatari World Cup, the native of Malmö will be 41 years old. “I’m here to help them move forward“, he said at a press conference before the Czech Republic, inviting everyone to “enjoy it while (it’s) on the lawn, because you won’t see anything like it. You’ll see Elanga, I say that with all due respect, but you won’t see Ibrahimovic again, so enjoy while you can.».
Elanga is Anthony Elanga, 19, Manchester United player and son of Joseph Elanga, with whom Zlatan played in Malmö in 2000-01. Since then, “Ibra” has enjoyed the heyday of Ajax, Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, Paris and MU, before trying the American experience at LA Galaxy and returning to Milan, where he will likely extend for one more season in 2022-23. The last?
I will play until I find better than me, so I keep playing.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Anyone who admits to havingfearof post-football hearscarry on as much as possible and just enjoy“. If possible, going through the Qatar box next winter, therefore. “The future remains to be written. I don’t project myself. I don’t want to regret that I quit football and told myself that I could continue playing football, because then I would regret for the rest of my life seeing that I could have continued. I want to play as long as I can. The reality is I’ll play until I find better than me, so I keep playing“Said the third top scorer in the history of PSG (156 goals, behind Cavani and Mbappé) on the UEFA website, author of 62 goals in 120 caps with Sweden. A total which could have been higher if the interested party had not cut for five years before returning to selection for the Euro, in vain.
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Spared in a friendly last Thursday, against Scotland (1-1), Robert Lewandowski, he is a priori left to start this Tuesday. So much the better, because Poland will already have to do without the Marseillais Arkadiusz Milik, touched in Glasgow. Good too because the Bayern gunner is at the height of his career. If Ibrahimovic is on the downward slope, Lewandowski, 33 (74 goals, 128 caps), is still one of the best attackers on the planet, if not the best. Twice winner of the Fifa trophy for the best player of the year, failing to have won the Golden Ball, he has already found the net 45 times in 37 matches in all competitions with the Munich club in 2021- 22. Monstrous…
The Fifa Trophy in the absence of the Golden Ball
All after breaking Gerd Müller’s record – believed to be untouchable – by scoring 41 times in 29 Bundesliga matches in 2020-21. “If you had told me that a few years ago, I would have told you that it was impossible“, he indicated, “thankingin passing the late Müller, who died last August at the age of 75. “Without him it would have been impossible, he broke so many records… For me and all the players of the following generations, the objective was always to break his records“. Tomorrow it will be to titillate those of Lewandowski, “a machine in the surfaceaccording to his teammate Manuel Neuer.
Less precocious than Ibrahimovic, more discreet too, the native of Warsaw has already participated in the World Cup. It was four years ago, in Russia, where Poland was to play its play-off semi-final. Even before the decision of the international bodies, Robert Lewandowski had however clearly established that he had no intention of going to Moscow. “I can’t imagine playing a match against the Russian national team in a situation where armed aggression in Ukraine continues“Wrote the Bayern Munich player on social networks, he who has since broken his cooperation with the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, accused of collaborating with Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine.
This Tuesday, in Warsaw, however, it will only be about football, not politics. With a legend who will have to give up on the Qatari World Cup and the other who will have left to play what will probably be his last World Cup. If he is still dashing, the Pole will indeed be 34 years old at the time of the tournament… It remains to be seen whether it is Robert Lewandowski or Zlatan Ibrahimovic who will be there.