Zlatan Ibrahimovic abruptly quits punditry after World Cup final

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The Independent

20 July 2026

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

appeared to quit punditry following the

World Cup

final with the former AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain star declaring: “This was the first and last time for me”.

Former Sweden international Ibrahimovic formed part of the Fox Sports punditry crew during the

and was stationed between

Thierry Henry

, the former

champion with France, and Alexi Lalas, the former US international, along with host Rebecca Lowe.

Analysts Alexi Lalas, left, and

during the

(AP)

The chemistry between the three pundits was

a talking point throughout the World Cup

, with Henry and Ibrahimovic often sharing one point of view and Lalas taking up the other. There was

a heated moment between Henry and Lalas

following the controversial decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s suspension.

Ibrahimovic, 44, was a more popular element to the broadcaster’s coverage and he signed off from the six-week tournament by appearing to say that his initial foray into punditry would be his last.

“I have been talking a lot for the last one-and-a-half months but these will be my last words,” Ibrahimovic said towards the end of the

final coverage. “Alexi, thank you. Thierry, thank you. Rebecca, thank you.

“'It has been an absolute pleasure to share this studio with you guys - you've made it very easy for me. I also want to thank Fox, America and all the people you don't see.

“I hope that America enjoyed it as much as me. This is my farewell to the studio. This was the first and last time for me. So, take care, everybody.”

Ibrahimovic scored goals and won titles with Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United during his career and retired in 2023.

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