At 39, Zlatan Ibrahimovic assured Monday that he had become more patient over time, on the eve of his return after more than four years of absence under the colors of Sweden.
“The older I get, the more patience I have.
Both on and off the field, ”said the almost forty-something during a press conference three days before a qualifying match against Georgia for the 2022 World Cup. More patience with age, therefore, but also a lot of emotion.
When one of the journalists present in the room asks him how his family reacted to the announcement of his return to the selection, Ibra bursts into tears ... because his son also cried when the dad left Milan to find his partners in Stockholm, Sweden.
"But now everything is ok", reassures Zlatan immediately.
The striker with 62 national goals, who had approached the coach in recent months for a return to the selection by confident that he missed the yellow and blue jersey, assured that it was not a question of shining only individually .
“I'm not here to have my own show,” said the man who last week described his comeback as “the return of God”.
“I'm just one puzzle piece among lots of puzzle pieces,” he said again, “but if you ask me, I'm the best in the world!
He joked.
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How Zlatan Ibrahimovic maneuvered to return to the Swedish selection
Had the star AC Milan striker imagined wearing Sweden's jersey again after Euro-2016, when he retired from international?
" Impossible ".
"I said I might not even be playing football in five years," he admitted.
However, time seems to have done its job perfectly on the Swedish giant (1.95 m), in great shape this season in Serie A, despite a few injuries.
Far from the Swedish selection, “Ibra” assures him: “I followed the national team all the time.
Playing for the national team is the greatest thing you can do as a football player.
While I was following them, deep inside I was like 'I think I can do something' ”.
“Ibra” will return with the Swedish jersey against Georgia on Thursday, led by ex-French international Willy Sagnol, for a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup.