Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday warned that he was not back at AC Milan just to act as a mascot and immediately got off the mark for his new club by scoring in a friendly against a local lower-league side.
“I’m ready. I feel more than alive. I hope to play immediately,” the 38-year-old told a news conference in Milan before racking up a goal and an assist in a 9-0 win over fifth-division Rhodense. “I’m not here as a mascot. I’m looking for the last bit of adrenaline I might have. At my age, you’re not looking for anything else but a challenge. I have not lost my passion for what I do.”
Ibrahimovic has signed a six-month contract worth 3.5 million euros (US$3.9 million) with the option for an additional season, seven years after he left Milan for Paris Saint-Germain.
Photo: AP
Hundreds of fans waited outside of the club’s Casa Milan headquarters to catch a glimpse of the returning hero, who helped the fallen Italian giants win their 18th and last Serie A title in 2011.
“I got more requests now than when I was 28,” said Ibrahimovic, who parted company with MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy in October last year. “I wanted adrenaline and at Milan you can’t say no. It’s a club I love — in 2012, I didn’t want to leave.”
His first league game could be tomorrow against UC Sampdoria at the San Siro.
“I want to feel the grass and the atmosphere of the stadium,” Ibrahimovic said. “If they boo, the adrenaline will increase and at the end of the game, they will applaud.”
Ibrahimovic scored 56 goals in 85 appearances in his first spell at Milan and scored more Serie A goals for the club (42) than anyone else in the past decade.
One of the most successful clubs in the world, the seven-time European champions languish 11th in the Serie A table, 14 points away from Champions League soccer and just seven away from the relegation zone.
Club legend Paolo Maldini contacted the Swede after he left LA Galaxy and the calls intensified after a 5-0 loss to Atalanta BC — their heaviest defeat in 21 years.
“After Atalanta, I got lots and lots of calls,” Ibrahimovic said. “It wasn’t a difficult decision.”
Ibrahimovic said that going to the US after his career-threatening knee injury at Manchester United had refueled his passion.
“A year ago [former AC Milan sporting director] Leonardo had looked for me, but I still didn’t feel ready to make a difference in Italy,” Ibrahimovic said. “I only had one MLS championship in my legs after the injury. Now I feel alive — more than alive.”
The Swede scored 53 goals in 58 games for LA Galaxy.
“Things need to be improved on the pitch and that’s why I’m here,” Ibrahimovic said. “I know perfectly well that I can’t play like when I was 28 or 35, but smart players know how to manage themselves — you can run less and shoot more from 40m.”
With 116 games for Sweden and 62 goals, Ibrahimovic is the all-time leading scorer for Sweden’s national team.
Milan chief soccer officer Zvonimir Boban said the club would not just count on Ibrahimovic.
“We must not hide behind the broad shoulders of Zlatan Ibrahimovic,” Boban said. “We hope the course of the season will change and are optimistic about the effect he will have on the team and the environment — but we need results.”
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