Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic said Friday that he was happy to rejoin AC Milan, and would look for a “final rush of adrenaline” through this season, trying to help the Italian club out of its current difficulties.
“Paolo Maldini (Milan’s technical director) called me after my final game in Los Angeles. I received more offers at 38 than when I was 20,” Ibrahimovic said at a presentation conference broadcast live from the club’s headquarters.
“I have been looking for one final rush of adrenaline to give it my all,” he stressed.
The player added that this was not a difficult decision to make for him. “When I first left AC Milan I did not want to go. It was a corporate decision. What is important is I am here and I want to improve things as much as possible,” he explained.
Ibrahimovic arrived in Milan from Sweden on Thursday greeted by the club’s Chief Football Officer (CFO) Zvonimir Boban.
The agreement between Ibra and the “Rossoneri” club was announced on December 27. The striker joined Milan as free agent, after his contract with LA Galaxy expired.
He signed a contract lasting until the end of the current season of Italy’s Serie A, with an option to extent it for the next year, according to the club.
The current deal was reportedly worth 3.5 million euros (3.9 million U.S. dollars).
At the conference on Friday, Ibrahimovic pointed out he had no intention of resting during this second experience with AC Milan.
“I did not come here to be a Rossoneri mascot,” he stressed.
“I know what I have to do, Zlatan is still here and the duel with Cristiano Ronaldo (currently playing with Juventus) will be exciting.”
Boban sounded confident as well.
“We are very positive about the effect he will be able to have on the team and the atmosphere, and it is clear that results will be needed,” Boban said.
“We should not hide behind Zlatan’s broad shoulders, we need to change the direction of this season, and we hope his presence will help us.”
Currently, AC Milan ranks 11th in the 20-team Serie A.
Born in 1981, Ibrahimovic once played at AC Milan for two consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2012, winning the club’s 18th league title and scored 56 goals in 85 matches for Milan.
He had also performed successfully with two other top Italian clubs, namely Juventus between 2004 and 2006, and Inter Milan between 2007 and 2009.
In his 21-year career so far, he has also played for Malmo, Ajax, Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United.
In Milan on Friday, he sounded eager to make the most with the Rossoneri.
“Let’s see how these six months go, if I have given something and I am able to give something more, then I will stick with the Rossoneri,” he said.
“I will not want to stay just because I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I am not interested in that…I am 38 years old, and I know what I have to do on the pitch, even if both the style of play and the game change.”
Source: Xinhua – ROME
