Ibrahimovic Ready To Play For Sweden In Rio 2016 Olympics
Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be bound for the 2016 Olympics after Sweden forced a draw against Portugal in the European Under-21 Championship on Wednesday in Czech Republic.
The 33-year-old veteran said via ninemsn.com that he has never played at the Olympics and it would feel great to be at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. However, the PSG star immediately considered the hurdles of joining the Scandinavians to next year’s Olympics in Brazil, one of which is the approval needed from his French club, Swedish Football Association, and Sweden national coach Erik Hamren, who said it was too early to make any decisions about including Ibrahimovic in Sweden’s team.
“It’s all about how the situation looks at that point but if I have the chance to represent my Sweden at an Olympics, why not? We’ll have to see how the situation is … but if I’m available, absolutely,” said Ibrahimovic via the Guardian. “First of all I have to get an invitation from the team, they might not think I’m good enough.”
Ibrahimovic might well be on the top of Swedish fans’ list for Olympics, with each teams allowed to bring three overage players. The PSG striker and Sweden senior captain can no doubt give depth, experience and leadership to a young Swedish squad.
Sweden, who is also in contention to qualify for Euro 2016 in France, earned a 1-1 draw after Simon Tibbling’s 89th minute equaliser. The stalemate sent both Swedes and Portuguese to the semi-finals while securing their slots in the 2016 Olympics. Sweden will face Denmark in Prague on Saturday, while Portugal will battle Germany in Olomouc.