31st March 2018. Zlatan Ibrahimovic steps onto the StubHub Centre pitch for the first time as an LA Galaxy player in the 71st minute. His new team are down 3-1 to their latest rivals in the City of Angels, LAFC, in the inaugural ‘El Trafico’. What happened next personified the legend of Zlatan. Chris Pontius pulled a second goal back for the Galaxy moments after the Swede was introduced into the game, and then in the 77th minute, Zlatan did what Zlatan does best. From 40-yards out, the ball fell perfectly into the path of the imposing striker, and without hesitation, Ibrahimovic volleyed past Tyler Miller from that obscene distance to put the Galaxy back on level terms. And just for good measure, the 36-year-old forward scored a 90th-minute winner to secure a vital win in the first LA Derby. For MLS, this was the highlight package of a lifetime. For Ibrahimovic, it was just another game.

An impending move

Ibrahimovic in the USA was something that was always going to happen. Having conquered most of Europe with spells at both Milan clubs, PSG and Manchester United, America always seemed to be the final destination in the veteran striker’s international football tour. And why not? MLS had, for the most part, been seen as a cushty league to play the final years of your footballing career. With an annual salary of over $1 million and playing for a franchise based in one of the most iconic cities in the world, why wouldn’t you want to spend the last two to three years of your career chilling on the beach and dominating an under-developed league?