Zlatan Ibrahimovic is simply a man that needs no introduction. The Swedish striker played at some of the world's biggest clubs, including FC Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. He achieved unbelievable goal scoring success at every single club he joined, cementing himself as one of the greatest scorers in the history of the sport. This was no different when he landed in MLS with the LA Galaxy. In one of the most groundbreaking moves in the history of the league, Ibrahimovic signed with the Galaxy in March 2018. There is absolutely no one else who played just two MLS seasons that could find themselves this high up the list. He announced his arrival with a full page ad in the LA Times, reading "Dear Los Angeles, you're welcome."
Galaxy fans answered his call with thank yous the second he stepped on the pitch. It just so happened that his very first match was the first ever El Trafico matchup against LA Galaxy. A rivalry was born. Ibra's debut was heard around the world, as he came on for just 19 minutes, volleying one in from 40 yards out, then winning it with a stoppage time header. It was quite an introduction to America. The volley won the 2018 MLS Goal of the Year Award.
The goal scoring did not ramp up for Ibra until late May and early June. At that point, it never stopped. He scored a brace against FC Dallas. Two games later, he did the double on Real Salt Lake, finishing it off with a charging run and aimed header. In the very next match, he put two more across against San Jose. He laced one in just one minute into the Cali Clasico. In the next three games, Ibrahimovic scored a goal in each. On Independence Day, he scored on the team from the nation's capital in first-time fashion. After taking a one-game break, he returned with a hat trick in a 4-3 victory over Orlando. It began with a signature power header. Goal number two was a diving header off an Ola Kamara cross, while the third was a match-winning volley, planted into the bottom corner. In the second edition of El Trafico, he scored in one of the least chaotic matchups, a 1-1 draw. Towards the end of the season, Zlatan went on another streak. He scored 6 goals in the final six matches of the campaign. One of hist best goals came against Toronto FC, with his team down 3-0. Zlatan somehow swiveled his body to score a sort of spinning karate kick, off the post and in. and He put two in against Vancouver, a penalty and a screamer of a strike down the middle of the net. In October, he directed his headed attempt into the bottom corner in Minnesota. The Galaxy ended up missing the playoffs despite the addition of their new striker, they missed by a single point. Zlatan made the 2018 MLS All-Star team and the Best XI, as well as the Newcomer of the Year Award.
In his first season with the Galaxy, Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals, assisting 10. Despite his incredible performances, LA was disappointed to waste a year of him and miss out on the postseason. In 2019, things got even better for the big man. In the first five matches of the fresh season, he scored a whopping 7 times. On opening day, he scored against Chicago. In match two, it was a two penalties against Portland, with a nice Paneka. He scored a rocket and assisted against the Whitecaps. In a 2-0 victory over Philly, he scored both goals. To cap off the absurd streak, Zlatan scored from the spot against the Dynamo. The Galaxy won all five games to kick the year off. In a losing effort with New England, he scored one of the greatest goals of his MLS career, a consolation bicycle kick.
In July, he terrorized Toronto FC with another double. He scored a difficult header, then touched home another. In El Trafico, he came alive once again. LAFC had nightmares about him, as he put three past his rivals en route to a 3-2 win. He equalized the match with a lovely volley just eight minutes in. An acrobatic header stole the lead in the second half. His left footed shot from outside the box settled in the bottom right of the LAFC net. In August, he scored a brace in three straight matches. He wreaked havoc on FC Dallas first. Next was Seattle, in a 2-2 draw. He opened it up with an extremely contested header, before pushing a penalty past Stefan Frei. Lastly, it was the next matchup with LAFC, so of course Ibrahimovic would show up. The match ended 3-3, but he contributed 2 more goals to the rivalry. He scored under two minutes in at the near post, then dribbled the keeper for another. In a 7-2 thrashing of Sporting Kansas City, he notched yet another hat trick. After scoring a penalty for his first, he used close control in the box on the second and finished the hat trick with the left footed worm-burner. Following the trio of goals, he scored once in each of the next four matches.
The LA Galaxy finished in fifth place in the Western Conference in 2019. Zlatan scored 30 goals on the year, assisting an additional 7. This means he scored 52 goals in just 56 MLS matches. In the first round of the playoffs, his side defeated Minnesota United. In the second round, the scene was set for another El Trafico. Ibrahimovic scored against LAFC again, but they exacted their revenge for all the damage he caused, ending his MLS career. LAFC took the match 5-3, sending the Galaxy crashing out the playoffs. He snuck his goal through the wickets of Tyler Miller. At the end of the year, Zlatan announced that he would be departing Major League Soccer to rejoin AC Milan. Ibrahimovic made the 2019 MLS All-Star Team, the Best XI and the ESPY for Best MLS Player. Ibrahimovic left Los Angeles in his usual arrogant manner, saying “I came, I saw, I conquered. Thank you LA Galaxy for making me feel alive again. To the Galaxy fans – you wanted Zlatan, I gave you Zlatan. You are welcome. The story continues…now go back to watch baseball.” Zlatan Ibrahimovic comes in at #18, for his astonishing goal scoring record in just two seasons.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2019 | LA | 2,610 | 30 | 7 |
2018 | LA | 2,143 | 22 | 10 |
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