Zlatan Ibrahimovic left his mark at Milan, but his contribution to the Rossoneri’s return to greatness was particularly relevant off the pitch, where he inspired a talented but inexperienced group of players in an unparalleled way, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
When Zlatan returned to the Stadio Meazza in January 2020, Stefano Pioli’s men had just faced one of the most humiliating defeats in the club’s history, a 5-0 loss away at Atalanta. Milan had sacked Marco Giampaolo after just one month in charge, bringing in Pioli, but results were far from satisfying for the Diavoli.
Ibra was 38 back then and signed a six-month contract with an option for a further campaign. His purchase seemed a desperate move from club director Paolo Maldini who had signed Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao the previous summer.
However, the striker’s impact was immediate. Ibra scored 10 goals in 18 Serie A appearances and helped Pioli create a united and motivated group of players during the COVID lockdown. Milan only lost two Serie A games from 21 in the second part of the campaign and earned a Europa League spot, finishing sixth with 66 points.
Ibra surely left his mark on the pitch in the first year and a half at Milanello. In 2020-21 he scored 15 goals in 19 Serie A appearances, but what was going on behind the scenes was probably more important than what people got to see on the field.
Leao, Hernandez, Sandro Tonali and Pioli himself, among the others, have never hidden the importance Ibra has had in Millan’s development. And it wasn’t only about the goals. It was mostly about motivation, charisma and personality that the Swede was able to convey to a talented yet inexperienced group of players.
“He gave me so much. Energy is the word to resume everything. With his desire to win, he would go mad for losing a game in training. This will remain forever inside everyone. He was a special player,” Tonali said on Sunday, right after Ibrahimovic’s announcement at San Siro.
“Conversations were constant and they weren’t always easy, but I knew I was dealing with a person of a high level, who always says what he feels and what’s on his mind and who speaks for the good of the team,” added Pioli in his post-match press conference.
“Sometimes I spoke little and listened a lot, but Zlatan has a great personality.”
Zlatan has had to come to terms with his body in the final two years of his playing career. In 2021-22, he only scored eight times in 23 Serie A matches, the last in January 2022 in a 3-0 away win against strugglers Venezia. However, his most important goal contribution was an assist for Tonali’s winner against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico at the end of April, one of the many key victories in Milan’s first title-winning campaign in over a decade.
It’s probably no coincidence that the last time the Diavoli had lifted the Scudetto trophy was in 2010-11 with Ibra in the team. The 41-year-old also played for Juventus and Inter in Serie A, but his strongest bond in Italy’s top flight is with the Rossoneri. To put it in his own words: “I will be a Milanista forever.”
Ibra has the Milan DNA running through his veins. He knew the Rossoneri’s history and winning mentality when he returned to the club in 2020 and what he’d need to do to transmit it to his teammates.
Ibra really is one of a kind. Think of any other superstar close to his 40s coming back to one of Europe’s top leagues, not only to play at a high level but also to inspire the rest of the team. You won’t find any. Known for his immense ego, he accepted a secondary role on the pitch, looking at the big picture. Olivier Giroud and Rafael scored crucial goals in Milan’s title-winning campaign in 2021-22, while Fikayo Tomori, Mike Maignan and Milan’s defence only conceded nine goals in the last 19 games of the season.
Ibra’s influence in the dressing room was evident in his post-match speech at the Mapei Stadium after the Rossoneri had lifted the Scudetto trophy. Ibra spent the second part of 2021-22 dealing with knee problems, so he had to undergo surgery in May. He never really recovered and only played four games this season, scoring one goal against Udinese.
Nevertheless, his decision to retire was somehow surprising. On the eve of the game with Hellas Verona, Monza boss Raffaele Palladino opened the door to signing Ibra over the summer. Not even Zlatan’s family knew he would have retired until Saturday. The entire career of the Swede was surrounded by spectacular and unexpected twists and his latest evolution at Milan made no exception. A man referring to himself as ‘King’ or – at times – ‘God’ was smart enough to take a step back on the pitch and a leading role behind the scenes.
Many doubted Ibra could have helped the Rossoneri when he returned to the club after that infamous defeat to Atalanta, but first, he showed Milan’s rising stars what to do on the pitch and then inspired them inside the dressing room. He was not the brightest star in the team, especially over the last couple of seasons, but Ibra’s second spell at Milan has drastically changed the Rossoneri’s history, turning a team with no identity into a group of players starving for victories. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Swede return to Milanello, even driving a Ferrari, in 2023-24. As he told Milan fans on Sunday: “I say goodbye to football, but not to you.”
Read more – Clashes, trophies and tears: Ibrahimovic’s Serie A career in 12 iconic pictures
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