Marseille the Final Challenge for Zlatan Ibrahimovic at End of His PSG Career

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Parc des Princes farewell went as well as the super Swede could have hoped on Saturday, if not better.

Two goals, a new record in Paris Saint-Germain's straightforward 4-0 win over FC Nantes and being centre of attention from the hours before kick-off to the moment he decided to leave the pitch with his two sons after scoring his record-breaking goal—it was the perfect send-off for the 34-year-old.

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Through an individual pre-match introduction to tifos in the crowd and a pause after 10 minutes of the game—in reference to Ibrahimovic’s shirt number—the PSG supporters were able to pay tribute to the man who has pushed the capital club so far since his arrival back in 2012.

The talismanic marksman admitted to reporters after the final whistle that the outpouring of gratitude from Les Parisiens’ fans—combined with the presence of his children on the pitch with him at the end—brought tears to his eyes:

"

I know what I will do next year but I won't tell you. I am very excited tonight; I've had four fantastic years here. This is a fantastic group; it's even the best group I've played with. I will miss this team.

We're proud of what we've done. The club will remain in my heart. I hope they will continue to win because the project is huge. I'm not worried.

It was a beautiful night; it was hard to describe what I experienced. I never cry usually, but when I saw my children come on, I had tears in my eyes. I am very grateful to the French people. I had to give them the best of myself.

"

With Carlos Bianchi’s 1977-78 record of 37 Ligue 1 goals bettered and Ibrahimovic’s emotional Parc des Princes farewell done, it is time for the curtain call.

It is fitting it should come against Olympique de Marseille, PSG’s bitter rivals and one of the Scandinavian superstar’s favoured opponents, in the Coupe de France final at Stade de France on Saturday.

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Zlatan is already a hero for the French capital outfit, but his final match for the club gives him the chance to add one final layer to his PSG legacy.

Already the top scorer in the fixture known as Le Classique with nine goals across all competitions, the former AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus, Ajax and Malmo FF man has the chance to hit double figures and beat Marseille one last time before departing.

With l'OM in such poor recent form, despite a small recovery under caretaker boss Franck Passi, it appears to be the ideal time to produce a memorable thrashing of Les Phoceens that would live long in the memory of PSG supporters.

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Not only does Ibrahimovic have personal gains to be made in the Coupe de France final, but there is also collective achievement at stake.

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If the Sweden international can help to lead Les Parisiens to victory at Stade de France, it will complete a second consecutive domestic clean sweep.

Until last season, that was something that had never been done before in French football. Now it has already been achieved once, doing it one final time would emphasise Zlatan and PSG’s sheer dominance of the football landscape in France.

After the Marseille clash, that will be it for the towering striker and his employers. All that will be left to do is bid farewell to France during this summer’s UEFA European Championship before moving on to his next challenge—wherever and whatever that might be.