It is exactly three years to the day that AC Milan were able to officially announce the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, over seven years after he first departed.
MilanNews write that the return of Ibrahimovic to the Rossoneri marked the sporting resurgence of a club that seemed destined to remain in limbo for a long time.
Right from his presentation press conference, Zlatan made things very clear regarding what his return meant: “I don’t come as a mascot, to be next to the Devil and dance. I’m here to lend a hand on the pitch.”
At the then age of 38 and after an experience in the USA, Zlatan managed to reinvent himself for the umpteenth time becoming decisive on and off the pitch, guiding a young group that had hit rock bottom after a 5-0 defeat in Bergamo against Atalanta.
Back in July 2020, Ibrahimovic declared: “If I had arrived earlier, Milan would have fought for the Scudetto.” He was right to be so bold, as the transformation that the team underwent to being a confident and cohesive unit was evident in the post-lockdown unbeaten run.
It is obviously not only thanks to Ibrahimovic, but the spark that started the rebirth was mainly his doing and for this reason he deserves a huge slice of credit for the excellent general work since 2019.
At present he has been out for six months after undergoing surgery on a knee that was almost completely out of order, but one that he continued playing with despite the immense pain, something that says a lot about the expense he is willing to go to in order to win.
Ibrahimovic taught the squad how suffer, sacrifice, lose, get back up and win, and now that’s why he is working to recover better and continue his mission. He is now into his 40s, but he feels young at heart and that is all that matters.
