Ibrahimovic:

Milan rossonera had to wait eleven years to raise the scudetto again.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
23 May 2022 Monday 02:16
19 Reads
Ibrahimovic:

Milan rossonera had to wait eleven years to raise the scudetto again. After the feat of Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and the immortal squad of Nesta, Gattuso and company in 2011, Juventus Turin took the throne of Italian football. He reigned with a heavy hand for a decade until, last season, Inter ousted him. Not only did AC Milan have to endure a drought that hurt their pride, but, to make matters worse, their Nerazzurri arch-enemies were the only ones capable of breaking the hegemony of the vecchia Signora. But the waiting and the suffering are over. The Rossoneri are back in power.

This weekend, Milan became champions of Serie A after beating Sassuolo (0-3). Stefano Pioli's 'new' team is full of young promises and budding stars, but among all of them stands out a veteran presence, a general with infinite stripes and tanned in a thousand and one battles: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The prodigal son returned to the Lombard city to change the course of the club he loved. At the time, the Rossoneri were mired in mediocrity – eleventh in the table. Two and a half years later, he has been one of the architects, one of the leaders of the locker room that has allowed Milan to return to the top of Italy.

Despite the moment of euphoria, the Swede did not forget that the celebration was missing a person who was very important in his career: Mino Raiola. Ibrahimovic's representative, among many other footballers, died on April 30 after a long illness and Milan's number 11 wanted to dedicate the scudetto he had won to him.

“It's for Mino Raiola. He was one of those who wanted to see me again at Milan, he told me that he could save him. It's the first trophy I've won without him”, the 40-year-old striker told Sky Sport, before reflecting on the advice he would give him about his future, as his contract ends on June 30. “Mino would recommend that I keep playing ten more years and steal more money. What I am going to do? I must be fine."

Ibrahimovic assessed that the last stretch of the season was complicated by a series of injuries that prevented him from playing regularly, something that casts doubt on the continuity of his professional career. “In these six months I have suffered too much, even physically, and also for other personal reasons. [...] I am afraid to leave it, but I will have to do it as I want, ”he argued.

The striker also recalled Milan's past glory and the promise he made upon returning to Lombardy: “I was there eleven years ago. Today we won and I'm here. When I came back two and a half years ago, I made a promise. I have fulfilled it. He wanted to win the scudetto and take Milan where he should be. Many laughed, many did not believe me, but we made the team understand what sacrifices are. I also made it clear to the coach that we could win the scudetto, and we won it”, he commented.

"There are big differences, everything was different," explained the Swede when comparing this title to the one he won a decade ago. “In 2011, there were champions who had won it all. If you went on the field and you didn't do well, there was another champion ready to do it. In this team, there are a lot of young people. There are players who were not doing well in other teams and we made them understand what Milan is”, he concluded.


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