Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to wear No9 at Milan next season and remember, Filippo Inzaghi believes ‘the curse will end’ with the Sweden international.
The 38-year-old has reached an agreement with the Rossoneri and remains at San Siro for 2020-21, expected to change from No21 to No9 during the summer.
But the No9 at San Siro is not just an ordinary shirt, the responsibility of wearing the legendary jersey has been too heavy a burden for a host of players who have tried.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to wear No9 at Milan next season and remember, Filippo Inzaghi believes ‘the curse will end’ with the Sweden international.
The 38-year-old has reached an agreement with the Rossoneri and remains at San Siro for 2020-21, expected to change from No21 to No9 during the summer.
But the No9 at San Siro is not just an ordinary shirt, the responsibility of wearing the legendary jersey has been too heavy a burden for a host of players who have tried.
Even proven strikers like Fernando Torres and Gonzalo Higuain have tried but only added to the long list of failed attempts including Alex Pato, Alessandro Matri, Mattia Destro, Luiz Adriano, Gianluca Lapadula, André Silva and Krzysztof Piatek.
The nine mentioned centre-forwards have tried, and all have disappointed, fallen victims to what fans argue is a ‘curse’ that has hovered over the shirt since Filippo Inzaghi left the club in July 2012.
Next season, Zlatan steps up, and the current Benevento coach Inzaghi has already supported the veteran to break the spell.
“It makes me smile,” Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia in March.
“Wearing Milan’s No9 is tough for anyone, but the curse doesn’t exist. If Ibrahimovic puts on the No 9 shirt, the curse is already over.
“It’s like when I should’ve had the curse of [Marco] van Basten and [George] Weah. It’s not fair to retire my shirt and it wasn’t retired after Van Basten.
“It’s an important shirt that will score goals again.”