Milan returned to the titles after 11 years, a period when Serie A was one of the most monotonous on the planet – nine”scudetti“Out of a possible ten for Juventus – that’s a nickname for many parents. From Stefano Pioli, the coach who had the time, to Paolo Maldini, ‘il capitano’ has been promoted to sporting director, through Olivier Giroud, the Frenchman who has once again found himself with goals In San Siro, Rafael Leao, the young Portuguesecent a million”, Minyan, the Frenchman who made the “traitor” Donnarumma forget the goal, or Sandro Tonali, the center of gravity in the midfield. But that title is also the son of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the immortal Swedish striker who, at 40, is forced to face his own yard. And you aghast.
Zlatan is the link between Milan’s last two titles. He was present in 2011, in the twilight of the Berlusconi era at San Siro, and before a crisis that would leave “Rossoneri“There is no light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, 11 years ago Ibrahimovic was in full force, and he was an almost unrivaled goalscorer in world football. In 2022, the Swede is no longer that player, but he remains the key. And at Sassuolo Square, After the match that gave him the title he was in, he was there, partying, cigar in his mouth.
More than ever in his long career spanning 23 years (except for his early days at Malmö and that year at Manchester United when he was seriously injured), Zlatan was a more used substitute than a regular starter. Other times, the coach would have signed a “death sentence” if the Swede was left on the bench, but he has embraced the status of a luxury substitute and mentor role for some of the team’s young players, among them Rafael Leao.
The young Portuguese international is now one of the figures in “Rossoneri”, worth 100 million euros by the Italian press for the exceptional season he scored, and his third in Milan – 14 goals and 12 assists, three of them in the title match with Sassuolo. A huge statistical leap from the past two years with a boost from “Ibra.” A lot in training,” said the young Portuguese a while ago, and was voted the best player in the First Division this season.
The Party Starter has arrived: Tweet embed ??#Always with you #AlwaysMilan pic.twitter.com/2NzR27Glo7
– AC Milan May 22 2022
“I have a responsibility, I have teammates who admire me. I think of my experience, my former teammates, all the coaches I had…At my age, I have to give back. When I was young, I just wanted to take without giving anything in return. In this Age, I have nothing to prove, I do not need to prove anything to anyone for several years. This is a young team, I am who I am, and I try to give my support on and off the field. I try to be a leader in my own way,” the Swede admitted in a recent interview with ESPN.
Nearly 600 targets
When he returned to the San Siro at the end of 2019, Zlatan promised that he would not retire until Milan won the championship, meaning that this would be his last stop before the end, a final ‘goodbye’ from his career that began in the past. Century, in the distant 1999, at the club in his hometown, Malmö. Now, he is close to reaching 600 goals (592), numbers built in nine different teams and in the Swedish national team: Paris Saint-Germain (156), Milan (92), Inter Milan (66), LA Galaxy (53), Ajax. (48), Manchester United (29), Barcelona (22), Malmo (18) and Sweden (62).
In San Siro, he performed his role. It helped stop the bleeding and restored optimism toRossoneriIn that first half of the season, he scored 11 goals, in the next he scored 17, followed by a rare season in which he did not reach double figures: he scored only eight goals, also because he started in about a third of Milan’s Serie A matches, He competed on the field several times to replace both veteran Olivier Giroud (35).
In the title celebrations, Zlatan opened the door to a definitive end to his career, although everything depends, as always, on his physical condition. “I will continue to play if I feel well. The decision will be made soon. I have had a lot of physical problems this season, but I will decide quickly,” Zlatan said, after winning the 33rd title of his career.
This is a man who likes to present himself as God thinking of his death as a player. A few days ago, in an interview, the Swede said that he was “in a panic” at the prospect of giving up playing football. “I’m in a situation where I’m getting close to the goal line…I’m feeling a bit panicked,” he told ESPN. “Because when I stop, what am I going to do? I know I can do many things, and I will have many shows from everywhere. But the adrenaline I have on the field, I won’t get it anywhere else. I tried to delay. I will try to delay as much as I can.”