Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimović was out of contract with the Serie A club at the end of the season and Milan had already announced there would be a special ceremony after its match against Hellas Verona to bid farewell to the 41-year-old Swede.

But Ibrahimović later revealed in a news conference that no one knew the big news he was about to drop.

"Even my family didn't know, because I wanted that when I announced it, everyone heard it at the same time," he said.

Ibrahimović was given a guard of honour by his teammates as he walked out after the match at San Siro.

The 38-year-old Swedish forward scored 11 goals in all competitions after returning to Milan in January.

Ibrahimovic, who first signed for the club in 2010 and won a Serie A title that season, resumed pre-season training with his team-mates on Monday.

He previously featured for Serie A rivals Juventus and Inter and played for Paris St-Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy between his Milan spells.

A panel of FIFA and external football experts selected 10 goals to put to a public vote, with the efforts ranging from the sublime to the outrageous.

Barcelona icon Messi is nominated for the fourth time in five years, while three female players are included after there were none up for the award last year.

All goals selected for consideration were scored between July 16, 2018 and July 19, 2019, and we have the low down on each one, with voting open until September 2…

The striker announced his retirement from the national set-up after featuring for his country at Euro 2016.

A move to Manchester United from Paris Saint-Germain soon followed, though the 36-year-old has seen his second season in English football hampered by injury.

Speaking this week to Swedish media, Ibrahimovic, who has featured just seven times in all competitions this season, implied he could make a return.

"I miss the national team. If I want, I do it. I want to feel I can deliver a good performance," he said.

United have declined a mutual option to extend the Swedish striker's stay at Old Trafford for a further 12 months, with Ibrahimovic expected to be out until 2018 after undergoing surgery to repair his damaged cruciate ligament last month.

Ibrahimovic was an instant success after joining United as a free agent from Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 28 goals in 46 appearances.

United have the option of exercising a 12-month extension to Ibrahimovic's one-year deal, which is up at the end of the month.

But despite the 35-year-old's preference to remain at Old Trafford, sources say his name is likely to be on the club's list of released players to be published by the Premier League on Friday.

Manchester United's Ibrahimovic caught Mings with an elbow shortly after the Bournemouth defender landed on the back of his head during a 1-1 Premier League draw.

Both players are charged with violent conduct and have until 6pm on Tuesday to respond.

Mings faces an extended suspension if the accusation against him is upheld, with the FA claiming the standard three-match ban for violent conduct would be "clearly insufficient".

The Swedish forward, who has scored more goals against St Etienne than any other team, enjoyed another profitable evening against the Ligue 1 side, opening the scoring with a deflected free-kick on 15 minutes.

He tapped home his second from close range with 15 minutes to go and sealed his treble - the 17th of his career - from the penalty spot (88) after he was fouled by Kevin Theophile-Catherine.

The pair have rarely featured in attack this season under Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese preferring to start summer signing Ibrahimovic as a lone forward with Manchester United captain Rooney predominantly used from the substitutes' bench.

But Rooney and Ibrahimovic showed they can be an effective partnership as they helped launch a United PR event, which included the first viewing of a club special edition TAG Heuer watch.

The charismatic striker heralded his arrival at Old Trafford in the summer, saying he would become 'the God of Manchester', although some doubted if the Swede would be able to cut it in his mid-30s and in a more physical league.

Not one to be phased, Ibrahimovic has continued his scoring form with United that he demonstrated during his time at clubs around Europe, starting with a bang as he became the first player to score in his first three Premier League appearances for United.