Is This the Year Zlatan Ibrahimovic Gets His Hands on the Champions League Trophy?

As one of the most charismatic players of his generation, there's no reason why this year couldn't be the year for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The flagship Swede since Henrik Larsson retired; Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made an incredibly diverse career for himself that has one huge common trait about it - winning. He wins titles, he wins cups, he wins individual accolades and he wins individual football matches of the highest caliber seemingly single handedly. So, how has the enigmatic Swede never got his hands on the biggest one of all - the UEFA Champions League?

If you were to look at the teams he has played in across his career, it's a surprise that he has never actually come home with the title. Having scored goals for Malmo, Ajax, Internazionale, Barcelona, A.C. Milan and now Paris Saint-Germain, the talismanic forward has always been paying for one of the finest teams in Europe. However, he seems to have a bit of a hex hanging over him with the Champions League.

He's never even played in the Final - indeed, the Internazionale side that he was the poster boy of was hugely underwhelming in Europe, frequently crashing out several rounds before the bookies had them listed. At Barcelona, he was quickly deemed surplus to requirements as he watched his new team flounder in the semi-finals to the team he had just departed, Inter. His time in the red half of Milan was fruitful, helping the club to win a Scudetto that seemed to be drifting away from their grasp again and again, but the club's balancing of the books seen him on the move yet again without a European medal to his name.

His role in the cash rich PSG squad, which has the potential to go further with each passing year, might be his best hope of winning the trophy. Few forwards in the world are as good as Zlatan, and PSG have no shortage of cash, so there's no likelihood that he will be on the move again for a few years yet. PSG are seen as perennial outsiders now following the investment of QSI, and currently are rated at round 20/1 to win the whole thing.

A huge issue with Zlatan, though, is that he frequently hasn't got the key goals that make the difference on the European stage. He has scored countless important, and several title winning, domestic goals but his European record when it matters most flatters to deceive. Is this the team around him faltering Or is the common denominator Zlatan?

The only problem for Zlatan is that he has had an injury prone season so far - if he can't get fit soon, there are fears that his injuries could scupper his sides' chances of making it to the later stages and actually claiming European glory. The incredible Swede has won many accolades, trophies and even more fans along the way but it looks like the European curse might continue to hang over him for a little longer yet.