The legendary forward has joked that he wants to play long enough to turn out alongside Daniel Maldini’s son
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scotched any suggestions that he could be about to retire by indicating that he will keep playing football until he is not physically able.
The Milan forward may be 39 but he has been on red-hot form this season, scoring 10 goals in six Serie A matches, despite having suffered from Covid-19.
And given such a return, the former Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United forward has no intention of hanging up his boots.
“I’ll keep going until I can’t do these things I’m doing,” he told BBC Sport. “I just have to keep physically good and the rest will be solved by itself.
“I have a lot of experience, goals have never been an issue, I just keep going. I’m not the same player I was five years ago, I’m not the same player I was 10 years ago, we all change because of the development in your physical point of view,” he said.
“I’m honest in saying that I’m not running like I ran before; I’m running more intelligent now. The Italian league, the reason I say that it’s the most difficult to play in for a striker is because it’s very technical and the philosophy of Italy is to not to concede a goal rather than score a goal.
“I feel like I’ve been here different generations. I played against [former Milan defender] Paolo Maldini and now I’m playing with his son, Daniel. Hopefully I can play with Daniel’s son also, that would be a miracle.”
With the former Sweden forward on such hot form, it is no surprise that Milan have been going well in the league.
They presently top Serie A and are five points clear of San Siro rivals Inter ahead of the weekend’s kick offs.
“We are in unbelievable form – we are doing great, we’re doing good,” Ibrahimovic added.
“But still we haven’t won anything, we have to keep that in mind.”
Indeed, he returned to Milan precisely because of the challenge it posed.
“The first time I came to Milan I came to a club fighting for the title, the second time I came it was in a situation to bring the club and the team back to the top where it belongs,” he said.
“It’s a different challenge, it’s a challenge I like, because when they say it’s too difficult, it’s almost impossible, that’s where I come in the picture and that’s where I feel alive.
“If I can succeed and if I’m able to do what I think I can do, the feedback is amazing, the feeling is amazing because it’s a bigger achievement than coming to a top team that is already top. I’m very motivated.”
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