Zlatan Ibrahimovic's best goals - ranked

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the footballing gift that just keeps on giving.

Despite being one year older than Mikel Arteta and six years older than Julian Nagelsmann, Zlatan shows no signs of slower down, kicking off the 2020/21 campaign in inspired from for Milan.

His recent return to the Swedish national team has got us thinking; what is the very best goal the Swede has scored so far? With close to 600 to choose from, this is no easy task but we've given it a go anyway. Here are our top strikes.

10. Udinese vs MILAN (2020)

We kick off our trip down memory lane with a goal from everyone's least favourite year, 2020.

You'd struggle to find many 39-year-olds capable of performing an overhead kick under no pressure at all, let alone with two defenders breathing down their neck. Zlatan managed to pull this off in the dying minutes of Milan's game against Udinese.

The finish showed excellent speed of thought and acrobatic skill. What's more, it won his side the game too. Not bad.

9. INTER vs Fiorentina (2009)

Look, we've got nothing against great solo goals.

Sometimes though, only watching a 6'5 Swede thump home a free kick from 30 yards will scratch our footballing itch.

If you're the same, make sure you check out Zlatan's ridiculous strike against Fiorentina back in 2009. It's bloody brilliant. He gets the ball to move in ways previously thought impossible.

8. Italy vs SWEDEN (2004)

This is the most unexplainably brilliant goal on this list. It just looks so weird, so out of place but so great, all at the same time.

There's a lot going on here but here are our main questions.

1) How on Earth did Zlatan beat a prime Gianluigi Buffon to the ball?
2) How on Earth did he judge it perfectly to loop over Christian Vieri on the line?
3) How much would it hurt to take a Zlatan kung-fu kick to the face?

7. PSG vs Bastia (2013)

This one is all about the timing.

Watching the flick on from former Football Manager wonderkid Hervin Ongenda all the way, Ibrahimovic met the ball with a precise movement of the heel.

No other player in the world could look this casual while scoring such a devastating scorpion kick.

6. Anderlecht vs PSG (2013)

Only bonafide footballing legends got applauded by opposition fans.

It's happened to Lionel Messi, it's happened to Cristiano Ronaldo and of course, it happened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a game against Anderlecht.

Out of the four goals that he bagged against the Belgian side, this one was the best. Latching onto a bobbling ball, Zlatan unleashed a truly ridiculous drive straight into the top corner.

5. SWEDEN vs France (2012)

Sweden went into their final group game of Euro 2012 against France with nothing to play for.

That did not stop Zlatan producing a moment of inspiration to send the travelling fans happy. With little over ten minutes on the clock, the striker met Sebastian Larsson's early cross with an unstoppable scissor volley.

The ball was in the net before Hugo Lloris knew it and the strike was rightly crowned goal of the tournament.

4. INTER vs Bologna (2008)

The cliche 'he had no right to score from there' is usually used to describe a long range piledriver.

However, it also applies to Zlatan's physics defying finish against Bologna back in 2008.

Being marked touch tight at the front post and facing the cross, he somehow managed to contort his leg in such a way that the ball ended up cannoning past Francesco Antonioli.

Zlatan is simply not human.

3. Toronto vs LA GALAXY (2018)

For his 500th career goal, Ibrahimovic treated us to something simply extraordinary.

LA Galaxy's number nine Jonathan dos Santos floated the ball into his direction. What came next was legendary.

Meeting the ball with a Street Fighter style finishing move, Zlatan managed to guide it into the bottom corner. You will never see another goal like it as long as you live.

2. AJAX vs NAC Breda (2004)

Even as a youngster, Zlatan was still capable of some unbelievable feats.

Case in point is his much discussed, mazy run and finish against NAC Breda all the way back in 2004.

During this incredible solo effort, Zlatan fooled no less than five opposition players, plus the goalkeeper, plus the cameraman who faced the impossible task of keeping up with the Swede's magical feints.

The goal was Ibrahimovic at his mercurial best and it hinted at the illustrious career that was in store.

1. England vs SWEDEN (2012)

Joe Hart, if you are reading this, look away now.

Now that we've got that out the way, we can get on with discussing the best goal that Zlatan has ever scored.

Celebrating in any friendly match is frowned upon enough as it is, so if you take your shirt off during said celebration you better have scored a blinder.

Luckily for Zlatan, his overhead kick against England definitely qualifies him to do whatever the bloody hell he likes to celebrate. Words cannot really do it justice, just watch.