AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has shared graphic footage of his knee being emptied of synovial fluid on social media.
The 40-year-old recently revealed he had 'never suffered so much' while helping Milan to the Serie A title without an ACL.
The striker was forced to rely on painkillers and injections for six months that made his role on the pitch peripheral during the second half of the campaign.
The Swede revealed he had to receive injections almost once a week for the past six months to drain his knee of synovial fluid, which builds up when cartilage is damaged.
Ibrahimovic shared a video of him undergoing the procedure his Twitter with the caption: 'Emptied the knee once a week for six months.'
The footage shows medical staff inserting a needle into the side of his left knee and slowly withdrawing the fluid. The clip then shows two syringe barrels full in a metal bowl.
Ibrahimovic told fans he had surgery to give him a 'new ACL' last week on Instagram.
He shared a photo of the Milan team celebrating their title win, writing: 'For the past six months I played without an ACL in my left knee. Swollen knee for six months.
'I was only able to train with the team 10 times in the last six months. Took more than 20 injections in six months. Emptied the knee once a week for six months.
'Painkillers every day for six months. Barely slept for six months because of the pain.
'Never suffered so much on and off the pitch. I made something impossible to something possible.
'In my mind I had only one objective, to make my teammates and coach champions of Italy because I made them a promise.
'Today I have a new ACL and another trophy.'
Despite undergoing the surgery that will rule him out for eight months, Ibrahimovic reportedly does not intend to retire.
He has reportedly already spoken to Milan about his future, according to club technical director Paolo Maldini.
Maldini told Gazzetta, via Football Italia: 'I spoke to [Ibrahimovic] on Monday and we said we'd discuss it again in about 15 days. I don't see a problem in reaching an agreement.
'Naturally, he's not happy at playing so little. We'll see what happens in the next two weeks.
'Whatever we do will be for the good of him and Milan. From what I understand, his intention is to keep playing.'
The announcement of Ibrahimovic's second spell at Milan at the end of 2020 was widely seen as a surprising short-term solution.
The former LA Galaxy and Manchester United hitman's arrival sparked Milan's rapid revival from midtable strugglers to Scudetto contenders, earning the irrepressible veteran a new contract by popular demand.
Ten years after his first Serie A victory with Milan, Ibrahimovic repeated the trick at the end of his first full season following his return to the Rossoneri, scoring eight goals in 23 appearances as they saw off arch-rivals Inter in a tight title race.