Stockholm, March 21 (BNA): Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s retirement did not enter his thoughts when he was sidelined for eight months due to swollen left knee after surgery. But his condition was certainly a major concern for Swedish football.
Indeed, the AC Milan forward’s main priority soon became simply to return to normal health, rather than reach the level required to sustain his trophy-laden career.
Ibrahimovic’s return to his position, at the age of 41, to play for his country in the European Championship qualifiers, is evidence of his belief in himself and his ability to withstand, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday he became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history and now hopes to be selected for Sweden’s game against Belgium on Friday in his first appearance for the national team in nearly a year.
Given Ibrahimovic’s recent inactivity period – the game against Udinese over the weekend marked his first start since January last year, after he underwent knee surgery in May – he’s not ready to discuss how long he has left in his playing career. He is certainly not thinking about Euro 2024 in Germany.
Sweden is also playing Azerbaijan in the qualifiers during the international break and Ibrahimovic, the country’s all-time leading scorer and possibly the greatest player of all time, is unlikely to start for the team. Nowadays he sees himself more as a mentor to the young players in the team.
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