Zlatan Ibrahimovic reveals the first thing he asked when he returned to Milan in January 2020 and admits he is getting older, so he must listen to his body.
The Swedish striker turns 40 in October and his contract with the Rossoneri expires in June 2022.
He is currently on the sidelines due to an Achilles injury, but Stefano Pioli hopes he will recover in time for the Rossoneri’s game against Atletico Madrid next week.
Ibra was forced to miss UEFA Euro 2020 with a knee injury and returned to action two weeks ago, scoring one goal against Lazio coming on as a substitute.
However, he suffered a new injury just a few hours after the game.
“When I was young, I just played, even if I felt pain in the tendon, like today. I wanted to win and score, stop. With time and experience, I discovered the head and I realized how important it is to talk to your body,” he told Sportweek.
“Well, now my head is fine, but my body is getting old, it doesn’t always keep up with it [the head] and it’s a problem,” he continued.
“This year I have to listen to my body, every little signal it sends me. Only by doing so, I can avoid worse consequences. I need to listen to my body every day to play consistently.
“I need to think slowly, day by day, and think that I am not Superman.”
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Ibrahimovic returned for a second spell at Milan in January 2020. The Rossoneri had been struggling under both Marco Giampaolo and Stefano Pioli, but his return is seen as one of the factors that helped Milan return to the Champions League for the first time in eight years.
“When I arrived at Milan, I asked in the locker room how many had played a game in the Champions League,” the Swede recalled.
“Only two raised their hands. I thought it was a joke.
“[Last season], the goal was to win the Champions League and win the championship, I was not successful on this, but we came close, we arrived second. It’s not just because of me, we all did a great job together.
“The teammates, even the young and inexperienced ones, have understood what is needed to get where we arrived last May, but also that something is missing to win. We’re all working hard on this”.
Ibrahimovic is not available for the Rossoneri’s trip to Spezia today. The Rossoneri play at the Stadio Alberto Picco at 14.00 UK time today.