Veteran AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic jokingly said that he is ageing in reverse after scoring a brace against Sampdoria in Rossoneri’s 4-1 win in Serie A on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old, who is on a spell at Milan till the end of this season, further said that he is just “warming up”. After rejoining Milan in January this year, the Swedish striker has already scored 10 goals.
“I’m like Benjamin Button, I’ve always been young, never old,” Ibrahimovic was seen saying in a video uploaded on the official website of AC Milan, referring to a 2008 movie characterp by Brad Pitt who aged in reverse.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic scored his and Milan’s first goal against Sampdoria when he headed in a cross by Ante Rebic from the left flank in just the fourth minute of the game. It was Ibrahimovic’s fastest goal in senior career.
“It is always great to score, it helps the team but I did not know it was my fastest goal. Hopefully, I can keep going like this with the strength to score because at the end of the game I get tired, right? Because they say I am old but I am just getting warmed up,” Ibrahimovic said.
The former PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy scored his second goal of the night when Hakan Calhanoglu set him up in the 58th minute of the contest.
“Everyone has a different mentality in front of goal, you need to be more clinical and aggressive, hungrier to score and when you get the chance you have to put it away. That’s what I said when I first arrived when you get the chance because you do not get many,” Ibrahimovic said.
“I have played in Italy for seven or eight years and as a striker, I know, you do not get many chances to score. So, when you do, you have to make the most of them and score,” the former Sweden captain added.
Other than Ibrahimovic, Calhanoglu and Rafael Leao scored the other two goals to ensure Milan remain unbeaten since resumption of football following the COVID-19 hiatus.
The victory helped Rossoneri take their tally to 63 points and remain at the sixth spot in the table. With a gap of over four points over seventh-placed Napoli and only one match remaining, Milan are all set to play in Europa League second qualifying round next season next season. The automatic qualification spot has been taken by fifth-placed AS Roma.