Zlatan Ibrahimovic assures he is the opposite of an egotistical centre-forward and only wants to ‘help’ his Milan teammates, but at the same time ‘a feeling for the goal’ cannot be taught.
The 41-year-old Sweden international sat down with Milan TV to discuss his career, which is set to resume next month when he is expected to complete the recovery from knee surgery.
It was noted that Ibra already has the record for providing the ‘oldest’ assist in the history of Milan.
“It’s a record for little old men, but I feel young! The important thing for me is to win the game, I do everything to help the team. If I do that as the oldest, that’s fine too.”
Ibrahimovic has always had the reputation for being egotistical, but he insists that is just his persona and not something his teammates will ever experience.
“I am someone who wants to help in every way, I don’t have the big ego of someone who wants to do everything himself. I am here at Milan to give everything, to help my teammates improve, to have success and understand what we’re doing.
“It is a sacrifice, hard work and we aren’t doing this just to pass the time. When you provide an assist, it’s just as important as scoring a goal. I do everything I can to help.”
Nobody can match Ibrahimovic in terms of experience, as he is not just 41 years old, but also moved around various different clubs, leagues and countries.
With all that in mind, what advice does he have for the younger elements in the Milan squad?
“I always ask them, if you are clear on goal with a teammate, do you score or provide an assist? If they say goal, I reply you’ll have trouble with me, because the right mentality is to believe an assist is just as important as a goal.
“There are some players who go more for the goal, but in my view that’s not as enjoyable, you are not a complete player that way. You are complete if you raise your teammates up to your level.”
There was a goal against Lazio where Ibrahimovic showed his instinct for a chance, meeting Ante Rebic’s assist with one boot loose.
“I was tying my laces and I stopped halfway because I saw a goal-scoring situation was developing. As a striker, I ran straight into the space towards the goal.
“I also know full well what Ante is capable of and he provided me with the perfect pass. It was a simple goal, but only because I started the run early and saw the chance developing, so I was in the right place for a simple finish.
“You need a feeling for the goal and that cannot be taught, you either have it or you don’t. This is why a team needs 11 players with many different elements and characteristics that slot together.”