The King has met Zlatan Ibrahimovic on several occasions and in different contexts, he says.

– It has always been very inspiring and interesting, says King Carl XVI Gustaf and continues:

"He has a fantastic career behind him. There are many Swedes who have had wonderful experiences and sat in front of the TV and had their hearts in the pit of their throats many times.

Hope to see more of Ibrahimovic

The King hopes that Ibrahimovic, whom he describes as a great and enthusiastic person, can continue to be an inspiration to young people.

"I hope he can continue to encourage young people to be sporty and take good care of themselves.

Watch Zlatan's emotional farewell in the clip below.

Javascript is disabled

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Learn more about browser support

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was thanked – see the emotional scenes in the player Photo: C More