Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Known as one of the most dominant strikers the game has ever seen, the Swedish superstar seemed to cool down following his brief stint in the MLS in 2019. However his return to his old club A.C. Milan in 2020 appears to be a prime opportunity for the 39-year-old to dominate the European football scene once again.
Zlatan’s career so far has been nothing short of success. He has played in nine different clubs and seven different leagues throughout his professional career, often bringing his team to a top place finish both domestically and internationally. His skill on the pitch has led to an impressive resume consisting of 31 trophies in his career and 550 goals, 12th most of all time.
Though Zlatan has enjoyed success for most of his career, he is no stranger to adversity, especially in the past year. Following a disappointing Western Conference semifinal loss with the LA Galaxy, many assumed that his professional career would be over, and for good reason. He was 38 years old, which is well above the average age of retirement in soccer, 35. In addition, he had already retired from international football in 2018. The stage was set for a comfortable retirement, with various business opportunities awaiting him in the future.
However, Zlatan does not want comfort. He wants the exact opposite: competition and the pursuit of being the best in the world. Zlatan knew that regardless of whether he had passed his prime or not, he was still capable of competing at the highest level in one of the most competitive leagues in Europe.
Still, when he announced his return to A.C. Milan in December of 2019, people were caught off-guard. Despite people’s knowledge of his competitive drive, his age and recent failures led many to believe that he would retire.
With Zlatan added to the team, Milan started the 2020-2021 season off strong with a 2-0 victory over Bologna, both goals which were scored by Zlatan. Unfortunately Zlatan’s play was cut short as, on Sept. 24, he announced that he had contracted COVID-19. Fans of Zlatan and soccer were concerned, but his hilarious tweet diffused much of the stress expressed on social media. “I tested negative to Covid yesterday and positive today. No symptoms whatsoever. Covid had the courage to challenge me. Bad idea”.
His reaction to catching Covid was a typical “Zlatan response,” one that gave hope to his fans that he would beat the virus and return swiftly. And indeed, he recovered from the virus two weeks later, starting for Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, a match between the two Milanese clubs, A.C. Milan and Internazionale. He led his team to victory in this derby, scoring two crucial goals that secured the victory and put A.C. Milan at the top of the table, with four victories and zero losses.
Zlatan’s charismatic and alpha persona coupled with his dominant presence on the field make him an inspiration to many. He has a way of turning his haters into fans, as he consistently backs up his trash talk by decimating his opponents. He is a true lion, and one that continues to get better and better with time.