Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores in his 22nd professional season and has now been successful in four different decades. As “Benjamin Button”, the almost 39-year-old is helping AC Milan to regain its shine. The Swede forgets his age himself. The press celebrates the “goal machine”. Zlatan Ibrahimovic simply laughed off the question of his age. “I’m like Benjamin Button. I was born old and die young,” said the Swede when he was asked about his biological clock again after his brace at the start of the AC Milan season. Zlatan himself does not know exactly how old he is. “I’m 39”, he said immediately after the game, followed by a short pause for thought: “Oh no — 38.”
The sports day Ibrahimovic hits again in a European game after 1309 days
Although the clock doesn’t run backwards for Ibrahimovic either, unlike the fictional character Button, that doesn’t bother the striker. In the 2–0 (1–0) against FC Bologna, he repeatedly showed that he is almost as agile and agile as a 20-year-old. And that he hasn’t lost any of his accuracy. He scored the two goals of the day with a header and a penalty kick, so he has now scored in 22 professional seasons in seven different countries. It all started in 1999 when he was just 18 years old at Malmö FF in Sweden, and since then he has been successful in four different decades. “Ibrahimovic is a goal machine that stopped time. He loaded a team that was lost last season on his shoulders and dragged them to success. Ibrahimovic is like good wines: they age and get better and better,” wrote the newspaper ” Corriere dello Sport “.
“Your Majesty Ibra”
Indeed, Ibrahimovic has restored Milan to its former glory since his return in January. With nine wins and three draws in the last twelve games, the 18-time champions made it to sixth place, Ibrahimovic scored ten goals in this phase. The reward was participation in the Europa League qualification, where Milan won 2–0 a week ago at Irish representative Shamrock Rovers. Goalscorer to make it 1–0: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. “Zlatan is a trump card in hand for Milan,” wrote the “Gazzetta dello Sport”: “Your Majesty Ibra sinks Bologna. Under Zlatan’s leadership, Milan starts as it ended last season.” Incidentally, Ibrahimovic leads the list of goalscorers, as the only double packer of the — not quite finished — first round. The Swede even had a great chance of a third goal when he had already rounded goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupsk and missed. Ibrahimovic would have gone down in history as the oldest three-packer in Serie A. “I could have scored more goals. If I were 20, I would have scored two more,” says the oldie. He will have to make up for that at a later date. Incidentally, “Benjamin” Ibrahimovic will celebrate his 39th birthday on October 3rd. At least that’s what it says in his passport.