The great return. Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to competition with AC Milan, this Sunday evening against Atalanta Bergamo (2-0), during the 24th day of Serie A, playing his first match of the season, almost nine months a day for day after having surgery on his left knee. The 41-year-old Swedish star entered the game in the 74th minute, in place of Olivier Giroud, greeted by a huge cheer from San Siro.
“The supporters give me the strength, the adrenaline and the motivation to continue, without the help of the tifosi it is difficult, commented after the meeting “Ibra” on DAZN, a sports streaming service. I feel good and it’s been a year and two months since I felt like today. I felt free to be able to do what I love, play football”, he added, recalling having “suffered a lot during the last six months of last season” due in particular to his knee pain. .
A great architect of AC Milan’s revival since his return to the club in January 2020, “Ibra” had surgery on May 25, just after the rossonero club conquered the Scudetto. This intervention aimed to “definitively resolve the instability” of his left knee, which had been causing him pain for several months, “thanks to the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament”, according to his club.
Despite his age and his painful joint, Ibrahimovic had extended his contract last summer until June 2023. He has not yet announced his intentions at the end of the season. Handicapped throughout the end of last season by his knee, the Swede has not scored since January 9, 2022.
Mike Maignan also took over
“We improve with each training session, today that’s what I miss, I only did three,” explained the Swede. His ambition for the end of the season is “to play all the matches, and not just to come in for five or ten minutes” at the end of the game. “Whoever thinks like that is already finished,” he concluded.
Also asked about the extension of the Portuguese Rafael Leão, Ibra replied jokingly: “I have already lowered my salary to give him. I play for free. He wants my house too? “The former PSG player had agreed last summer to lower his salary to around one million euros (against seven times more), excluding bonuses. Not sure that this is enough for the management of Milan to be able to retain their Portuguese player, author of an excellent season (nine goals and five assists in 22 appearances in Serie A) at the end of the contract in June 2024 and who would have aroused the interest from several major European clubs.
After a black month of January (2 draws and 6 defeats), the Italian champion also found Mike Maignan in the cage, after five months of absence. The goalkeeper of the France team spent a quiet evening and it was the other Blues Olivier Giroud and Théo Hernandez who shone. On a delivery from Giroud, Hernandez volleyed from the left and his missile hit the post before entering after bouncing off the unfortunate Bergamo goalkeeper Juan Musso.