At 40, he now rubs shoulders with the … son of one of his former teammates: Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic confessed on Tuesday to apprehend with a certain “panic” the prospect of hanging up his crampons. Suspended for Thursday’s play-off match in Stockholm between Sweden and the Czech Republic for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the striker said he was ready to continue “until the end” if his teammates missed out on qualifying.
“I have this little fear: what will happen next? I know that I will have other possibilities, that I will have many offers. But this adrenaline that I have on the lawn I will not find it anywhere else, ”confessed the Swedish giant in a press conference.
“So that’s why I’m having this panic. I will continue as much as possible and just enjoy,” continued the former PSG player. Facing journalists, “Ibra” was with the newcomer to the Swedish selection, Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga, 19. Strictly speaking, a generation apart: the latter is indeed the son of Cameroonian international Joseph Elanga, with whom Zlatan played for a club at Malmö FF in 2000/2001.
“I don’t have 90 minutes in my legs”
“Enjoy it while I’m on the pitch, because you won’t see anything like it. You’ll see Elanga, I say that with all due respect, but you won’t see Ibrahimovic anymore, so enjoy while you can,” the Malmö native said, laughing. In the event of qualification against the Czechs, however, he admitted that he would not last 90 minutes for the decisive match against Poland, which went directly to the final round after the ousting of Russia.
“I don’t have 90 minutes in my legs. But we knew that before this rally,” he said, describing his body as “an old guy, but fit.” Besides Elanga, Sweden can count on their new offensive nuggets Dejan Kulusevski (currently on loan at Tottenham) or Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad).
“They are the future, we should not invest or bet on me, but on them. I’m here to help them move forward, ”said the veteran. After almost five years of absence, the Swedish star had made his return to the selection just before the Euro last year, but had to finally forfeit the competition due to a knee injury.