While the AC Milan team experience yet another delicate moment, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is thousands of miles away enjoying a vacation in Miami.
La Gazzetta dello Sport writes that after the bicycle kick on the sand on Boxing Day which caused discussion, yesterday there was a post with the Swede surrounded by fans wanting selfies with the and the comment “I am Miami beach.”
Ibra is still on the other side of the ocean, meaning he will not be at San Siro this afternoon for the crucial match against Sassuolo and he will not even be seen for the first match of the new year, on 2 January in Milan against Cagliari, in round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.
Zlatan will return to Milan on the 4th but some personal commitments already on the agenda, i.e. made before signing for RedBird, could keep him away from Milan for a few more days. His presence in Empoli, on January 7th, is far from certain.
Those who expected to see him at the stadium at every match – especially in this moment of crisis – will have to revise their predictions. Including Pioli, who on the eve of the pre-Christmas trip to Salernitana stated: “Zlatan will always be with us during the matches.”
Yesterday, in a press conference, Pioli returned to the topic and explained that he had been warned by Ibra himself.
“He told me that he would leave because he had already made this commitment before returning here, I don’t think this is the problem. We’re there heard through messages, he asked me how the team trained and what the sensations were, as we always do,” he said.
Since Ibra began his third spell at AC Milan, appointed by RedBird as Senior Advisor, he spent over five hours with the players and coach before the match against Salernitana, and then was at the Arechi for the game.
He went down to the changing rooms (before the game, given he is not allowed to during) and then watched the match in the stands, next to the CEO Giorgio Furlani. There was no magic though, as the 2-2 draw felt like a defeat.
Is he injured too?