Sports
‘I Want To Continue As Long As Possible’, Says Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not thinking about retiring from professional football despite needing a physio to watch his every step.
Since returning to Milan in January 2020, Ibrahimovic has scored 30 goals and supplied nine assists in 54 games in all competitions.
However, the striker has struggled with injuries and featured in only half of the Rossoneri’s Serie A games in 2020-21, while he was forced to pull out of Euro 2020 duty with Sweden.
Still, he became the fourth-oldest scorer in Serie A history this season when he struck against Bologna last month and took his domestic league tally to 400 versus Roma a week later.
Ibrahimovic acknowledged he has had to learn to listen to his body more and seek treatment as quickly as he can, though it has not made him think about hanging up his boots.
“Last season I had more injuries than I usually have and have had before. But it’s because I didn’t think about taking it easy when I felt something, I just powered on. I have that mentality. I give 200 per cent,” said Ibrahimovic.
“After I turned 30, I noticed the pain does not go away, it just moves within the body.
“What I have changed is that now I have a physio that follows me everywhere in Italy 24 hours a day. At the very least, he is right there poking.
“That’s the only change I made. As soon as I feel something, I want to take care of it immediately.”
He added: “We always want to play, but I have to find the right balance considering the injuries I’ve had.
“You learn something new every day. I get to know my body better with every day that passes. But as my body ages, my head becomes younger and I look more handsome.
“I haven’t set a date to quit. I want to continue as long as possible and not think about when it will end. I don’t want to be sad, like someone who quits thinking he could’ve played again.”
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