Zlatan Ibrahimovic is now 40-years-old, meaning his future as a player is in question. One on hand, if he were to retire now it would be on an absolute high note as he helped guide AC Milan to their first Scudetto in over a decade. He even promised he’d do so when he made his triumphant return. On the other hand, this is a Zlatan Ibrahimovic future – he’s not a player who acts like he ever wants to retire.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Future is Up in the Air
Milan sporting director Paolo Maldini said he was told Ibrahimovic has no intention to retire, according to Fabrizio Romano. Maldini mentions that finding an agreement with the Swede will not be an issue.
Although Milan lifted the Serie A title this year, it was a tough season for Ibrahimovic. According to himself, for the last six months, he played without an ACL in his left knee, had his knee swollen, took more than 20 injections, emptied the knee once every week, and took painkillers every day.
Now that the season is over, Ibrahimovic had surgery on that knee. He will be out for the next six to eight months. This injury will cause him to miss at least half of the next season, which of course begs the question of retirement.
Milan are also hot on the trail for Divock Origi from Liverpool, according to Romano. This gives the team another striking option to go alongside Olivier Giroud. Milan will also lean heavily on breakout player and reigning Serie A Player of the Year Rafael Leao.
With all the injuries and pain, Ibrahimovic still had a decent season. He had eight goals and three assists in 23 league appearances. It’s important to mention that several of these appearances came in the last moments of matches for the Swede to regain fitness. In total, he averaged direct goal involvement in every 91 minutes he saw on the pitch. This is a very solid number, especially for a 40-year-old.
Ibrahimovic never has any quit in him. Perhaps he’ll choose to end his career on a high note, but that may still come as a surprise.
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