Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now been at AC Milan for half a year, and yet there are still some question marks about his responsibilities and the impact he has made so far.
As this morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport states, the next official event in which Zlatan’s presence is guaranteed is scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Stockholm at 18:00 CEST at the Friends Arena, which will be a tribute match with Sweden against Serbia.
Ibrahimovic’s latest Instagram posts are a close-up photo with a caption that is difficult to interpret and a short video holding a koala, the only social trace of his trip with the team to Australia. There is very little about him as a Senior Advisor.
If you keep scrolling on his social feeds, there is a photo of Ibra in the dugout at San Siro with the caption ‘4-3-3’. The fans are still waiting to know the name of the new coach didn’t take it very well: instead of welcoming the next coach and announcing the plans, Ibra seemed to be playing games.
For the first time as a figure attached to Milan, Zlatan was criticised by his own fans, the same ones who expected to find him on the front line, operating in the mercato and dictating the lines of the new era.
Coach and the mercato
In reality, the Swede remained in the shadows, having little involvement in the choices. Starting with that of the coach: Julen Lopetegui had been contacted when he had just been appointed by Gerry Cardinale, without him being able to express his opinion.
Even Fonseca doesn’t have Ibra’s stamp. The former striker appreciates him for the skills that everyone recognises in him (good style of play, ability to enhance young players, knowing how to work in a team) but it wasn’t him who proposed his candidacy.
Among the options on the table, only Mark van Bommel – a former team-mate of Ibrahimovic during the Scudetto season who has just left Antwerp – seemed to have his endorsement.
The same is true when it comes to players, because Zlatan does not sit at the negotiating table, the direct line with the agents lies with the CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Geoffrey Moncada.
The fans are asking him for a signal, especially on the possible signing of the new striker. It is an investment that Milan absolutely must get right and the feeling is that Ibra should have a big say, for obvious reasons.
Influence on the U23s
The only field in which Zlatan has had an impact so far is that of the Under 23s. He entrusted the management of the sector to Jovan Kirovski, a manager known during his American experience and who arrived directly from Los Angeles.
Kirovski is making his debut in Italian football and Ibrahimovic gave him Bonera as coach. The former will have to take care of the composition of the squad.
And yet, it is not even certain that Milan will have the opportunity to launch a team in Serie C for next season, because one of the participating clubs must be unable to register for the 2024-25 campaign. The deadlines for submitting the documentation are about to expire, so Milan are waiting.
There is little or nothing known about everything else to do with Ibrahimovic. He went with the first team on the trip to Australia, a commercial rather than sporting venture, and we know Zlatan’s appeal is global.
Six months of (almost) silence
On June 11th, Ibrahimovic will have done six months with the Rossoneri. He has almost always been present at the stadium, sitting in the row reserved for club directors, but without ever speaking in public.
Cardinale, owner of the club, spoke on the stage at the Business of Football Summit in London: “He has the authority to be my voice with everyone at Milan. I am sure that Zlatan will be revolutionary: he allows me to live in the USA but to being in Milan I relied on him to gather opinions, perspectives and advice.”
When Zlatan’s third spell at the club was announced (after two different experiences as a player from 2010-12 and 2020-23) he was defined as ‘Senior Advisor of the Ownership and Senior Management of AC Milan’.
His tasks were not specified, precisely because he wants to be able to intervene in every area, and yet so far he has not been seen much. Will he be satisfied? Knowing him, no.
