Only those who don’t know anything about his rare items understood exactly what “I’ll be back” he spewed. Zlatan Ibrahimovic last year at about the same time, just before he walked through the operating room door to undergo a major operation that could end the career of any athlete, let alone someone over 40. Made from a different pasta, this quirky guy from Malmö, Sweden, with Bosnian paternal and Croatian maternal roots, is back on the pitch as promised and with a bang befitting his name.

With a goal he scored for Milan against Udinese, Zlatan became the oldest player (41 years and 166 days) to score in Serie A a week ago, taking the record from Alessandro Costacurta, and in the Swedish premier in the qualifying stage Euro 2024 against Belgium, lost for four days the opportunity to become the oldest player to play in this competition.

Record goal courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic 🇸🇪🦁 pic.twitter.com/EQeyrJ88D2

— Liga Serie A (@SerieA_EN) March 19, 2023

This record was taken from him by a player who reminds us of us, because that night he happened to play against our team. Because otherwise, if Lee Kasharo, born on September 29, 1981, did not start in the starting lineup in the Gibraltar-Greece game, that is, four days ahead of Ibrahimovic, why would anyone today honor the memory of a policeman who until now was known only because that in 2015 he scored the first official goal in the history of Gibraltar?

For Zlatan, this is just a small obstacle in his path. Soon he will have another chance to break the record and improve it to limits that are probably unbeatable in today’s demanding era that prevents players of this age from playing at such a high level of competition. For him, of course, age is just a number on a police license. As he already “threatened”, he returned to the courts after such a serious operation, not just to play for 5-6 minutes, but to start the games!

Until; Based on the final phase of Euro 2024 in Germany, Ibrahimovic left all scenarios open, saying only that he would stop playing football only when he felt adrenaline building up inside him. It is not known when this will happen, when it comes to a man who took another … hundred years of his life, when he played against his 16-year-old son Maximilian a few weeks ago in a double header between the men’s national team and Milan U18, probably not the time coming soon.

What is left for Ibre to close the magnificent list of titles and personal distinctions? In fact, just winning the Champions League, an opportunity she will pursue this year with Milan, logically has little chance of success. The Roseneri’s next opponent in the quarter-final stage is the current unbridled Napoli, against whom they will mainly put up a heavy legacy of a T-shirt emblazoned with 7 Champions League stars and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s ignorance of the danger!

Aside from the 28 titles he has won at club level, and with no chance to enrich them at national level, as Sweden has never been a team built to win the World and European Cups, Zlatan is the only player to score in the Champions League with six goals. different teams (Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, ​​Milan, Paris Saint-Germain) and the only one that scored in 26 championships in a row, starting in the 90s with Malmö and continuing until now in the 1990s-20s. 4th in his incredible career!

To reach this height, the child of poor immigrants, who grew up in very difficult conditions in a modest suburb of Malmö, Sweden, had to develop a special character, breaking all boundaries in terms of “stereotype”, “defeat” and “arrogance”. as they show his timeless and legendary ranting, which began with his denial of a trial at Arsenal despite making the trip to London to see Arsene Wenger at the age of 17: “I turned her down. Zlatan doesn’t go to auditions!

In another confession, he showed his strength of character from a very young age: “The last time I cried was when I didn’t receive my contract money and salary from Malmö. I sent a letter to the FA and asked them to annul all three points that Malmö won thanks to my goals. The federation replied that my money was paid to my parents because, by law, I was too young to receive a salary. I then told the Federation that I was legally too young to be top scorer and win the league with Malmö, so my goals should not count until I am older. The next day my money was transferred to my account. I’m above the law!

An indicator of his character was his willingness to cooperate with the UN Food Program. During Paris Saint-Germain’s match against Caen in February 2015, he took off his shirt and showed the cameras the tattoos he had tattooed on his body with the names of 50 people in need to remind the world that there are people suffering from hunger. The tattoos were done with henna – they were not permanent, but the message remained very strong: “My tattoos are gone, but these people are still suffering. I hope you see them through me.”

Aside from his inexhaustible ranting, which has crossed the line of megalomania in the eyes of many, Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains attached to his roots. Often – He often visits his childhood friends in the slums of Malmö where he grew up, financially supporting many families in the area because, as he himself says, “whatever happens in my life, money, fame, fame, whatever, I will be the same person. I won’t change for anyone now. I wasn’t born to try to please everyone”…