Zlatan Ibrahimovic not returning to LA Galaxy in 2020

Not long after Zlatan Ibrahimovic posted a farewell message on social media, the club made it official: The Lion of Los Angeles is departing.

“We would like to thank Zlatan for his contributions to the LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer,” Galaxy President Chris Klein echoed in a statement. “Since his arrival in 2018, Zlatan has positively influenced the sport of soccer in Los Angeles. We are grateful for his work ethic and passion. We thank Zlatan for his professionalism and immeasurable impact on the Los Angeles community and the soccer community in North America as a whole.”

The news is bittersweet for an organization that valued Ibra’s goalscoring production but was also eager to jump into a new era spearheaded by GM Dennis te Kloese and manager Gullermo Barros Schelotto. LA could have held back the project for another year, but now the club are free to pursue a clinical (and preferrably young) striker.