Sweden superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pulled out of the national Swedish football team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to an injury to his Achilles tendon.
Ibrahimovic ended his near five-year retirement in March for the Euro 2020 football tournament yet had to pull out due to an injured knee.
Sweden team coach Janne Andersson commented in a statement, “Unfortunately, is not far enough in his recovery to be able to play in the next matches…It’s a shame for us and a shame for Zlatan too, of course.”
Currently, Sweden is second in the qualifying Group B table, with a game against Kosovo on 9th October, followed by a match against Greece on 12th October.
To replace Ibrahimovic, Viktor Gyokeres has taken over. In 2019, Gyokeres won second of his two caps, as well as scoring nine goals in 11 games in the 2021 season for Coventry City, who are in the Championship.