'I wanted to get on to the pitch, score a goal and then celebrate like a God in front of the Curva,' Zlatan Ibrahimovic said on Monday night.
Well, he got on the pitch, for 35 minutes as a second half substitute. His introduction got the biggest cheer of the day but there were to be no celebrations with the Curva on what was another disappointing day for AC Milan and their fans.
Stefano Pioli's side are in miserable form in front of goal, having drawn a blank in their last three games and so turning to Ibrahimovic, at the age of 38, is a desperate attempt to turn form around.
Here is Ibrahimovic, a winner wherever he has been, stepping into a side that has the fourth-worst goals for column in Serie A.
The Rossoneri have scored 16 goals in 18 games. For context, Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku has scored just two fewer than the entire Milan team on his own this season. Lazio's Ciro Immobile has managed three more than the dismal total from Milan.
For those who flock to the San Siro with impenetrable loyalty, they have been treated to just seven Milan goals in nine games. From those nine games, Milan have taken 10 points from a possible 27. Two wins, four draws.
And so expecting a 38-year-old Ibrahimovic, who had not played a competitive match since LA Galaxy's season finished on October 25, to come in, wave a magic wand and make everything better was fanciful at best.
It is easy to understand why Milan's hierarchy sanctioned an expensive short-term deal for him. He has confidence like no other player on the planet and remains one of the finest strikers to play the game.
He brings with him a winning mentality - more than 30 career trophies shows that.
But he alone cannot fix this sorry mess of a Milan side. Not at 38. Not with the level of quality around him.
Pioli is persisting with a 4-3-3 system that, while appearing attacking on paper, often stifles the players in the side, leaving them short in midfield and exposed in transition.
His predecessor Marco Giampaolo preferred a 4-3-2-1 system that used Andre Silva, now on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, as a loan striker.
Before getting the boot, Giampaolo managed one win and two defeats in his home matches. They scored two goals and conceded five over that period. And so the alarm bells sounded.
Milan were in freefall and the hierarchy knew it was not working, so in came Pioli, ironically a fan of bitter rivals Inter.
What Pioli must do now is find a way to make it work. Build a side around Ibrahimovic that plays to his strength.
He needs to be flanked with pace - he cannot be expected to do a lot of the running.
He needs to be provided with pin-point deliveries - he cannot be expected to create his own chances from deep.
Ibrahimovic scored 56 goals in two seasons with Milan between 2010 and 2012 and while those sort of numbers are not expected to be even close this time round, he will be expected to make a telling contribution.
There was a moment in the bore draw with Sampdoria, one of only three sides to have scored less than Milan this season, when Ibrahimovic puffed out his cheeks, hands placed firmly on his hips as the groans roared around the San Siro.
Hopes of European football next season are fading fast. They are now seven points off Cagliari in sixth, which would be a lofty enough position to win a spot in Europa League qualifying.
They are 12 points off Atalanta, who sit fifth, and so hopes of direct entry into the Europa League appear slim, even after 18 games.
For those optimistic fans who still believe a top four finish is possible - spoiler, it isn't - they are 13 adrift of AS Roma.
Ibrahimovic stepped into the lion's den on Monday with only a matter of days since signing his contract and being presented to supporters and the media. The ink had barely dried and he was expected to come in and save the day.
His illustrious career will afford him time to get up to speed, whatever that is now at the age of 38. And he appears under no illusions as to the challenge he has walked into.
'It shows on the field that there is a lack of confidence and aggression when we are trying to create goals,' the Swede said after the Sampdoria draw.
'We are not very solid. We need to understand what to do to reach the team's ceiling.
'I have been here for four days, I will try to help in every way. A little bit of trust is missing still.'
It is a trip to Cagliari next, followed by games against Udinese, Brescia, Verona and Inter Milan in Serie A.
Eight points clear of the relegation zone, and with some particularly poor sides below them, should alleviate any pressure that a club the size of AC Milan can drop even further than they are right now.
But if Ibrahimovic cannot back up his talk and his God-complex looks to be misplaced, this could prove an expensive reunion for everyone.