Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sticking to ten key rules in order to stay sharp and fit despite the fact he will turn 40 before the end of the year.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (via MilanNews) runs a story titled “Ibrahimovic Decalogue”, or rather the Ten Commandments of the ageless champion. The first point is that motivations are the driving force behind the Swede’s psychophysical strength, while his family are the second.
His relationship with Pioli is the third point mentioned because at the base there is mutual respect and trust. Doing personalised work is the fourth important rule, while the fifth is rotation and load management, as Ibra would like to play all the games but he knows that it is not possible and has accepted this new situation.
The sixth point is competition, as Zlatan charges up when there is someone else vying for the same role as him, so the arrival of Giroud will create new stimuli. Number seven is rivalry: identifying a sporting “enemy” is almost vital for the Swede and now he has the battle for supremacy over Milano with Romelu Lukaku.
The decalogue continues with nutrition as point eight and in particular his strict rules: white meats, bresaola, fresh fruit and vegetables. Number nine is recovery, as he himself admitted: “Today I get tired earlier than when I was younger and I sleep more because I have to recover and rest.”
To round off the 10 points is the prevention of physical problems, and this is where the physical tests planned by medical staff and athletic trainers help to identify weak points and to avoid serious injuries comes into play.
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