“I am like Benjamin Button.
I was born old and I will die young ”.
With these words, 39-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic sent a message to all the Serie A teams: he had not returned to Milan to retire or receive applause, but to compete for everything.
This Saturday, after recovering from the covid-19, the two goals of the Swedish forward decided the derby
della Madonnina
(1-2) against Inter de Conte, placing the
Rossoneri
at the top of the table.
Stefano Pioli's men have won all four matches in the Italian league and have only conceded one goal, the one scored by Lukaku on Saturday.
Think of the Scudetto?
We have three teams ahead of us (Juventus, Inter and Napoli) that have invested more ”, commented the coach after the game.
The great moment that Milan is going through is not limited only to the beginning of Serie A, but, since the competition resumed in June after the stoppage due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are the only undefeated team in the major European leagues.
Counting the match against Inter, there are already 15 victories in 20 games, conceding five draws and no losses.
Bayern Munich, who had 32 straight games without losing, none in all of 2020, fell sharply on the second day of the Bundesliga against Hoffenheim 4-1.
Before the break, Milan were eighth, out of European places, but the
final
sprint
after the restart allowed them to reach the sixth place that grants a ticket to the Europa League.
Ibrahimovic, who has missed several games during this streak, has scored 11 goals, some of them in games against important rivals such as Juventus or Lazio.
This season, he is the top scorer in the championship with four goals, despite having played only two games, the first match and the latter against Inter.
In between, the Swede had to isolate himself to overcome the coronavirus.
“Covid-19 has had the courage to challenge me.
Bad idea ”, commented the forward when announcing his positive.
The victory against Inter and the hesitant start by Juventus make
Rossoneri
fans dream of
a great season after so many disappointing years.
Pioli, who arrived last year looking to give stability to a club that had been adrift for some time, emphasizes that the objective is to return the team to the Champions League.
Despite being the second team with the most
apricots on
the continent (7), they have not participated in the top European competition for seven seasons.
Their debacle coincided with Ibrahimovic's departure to PSG in 2012, the last year that Milan won the
Scudetto
.
The following year they managed to qualify for the Champions League, but they could not compete with a Juventus that won its first title of the eight in a row it holds right now.
The mix of youth and experience may be the key for Milan this season.
With the exception of Ibrahimovic, the rest of the team that beat Inter had an average age of 23 years.
Theo Hernández has established himself as one of the best full-backs in Serie A and the arrivals of Brahim, on loan from Real Madrid, and Sandro Tonali, the last pearl of Italian football, bring freshness to the squad.
Under the sticks, a young veteran like Donarumma, who at 21 has played more than 200 games with Milan, called to inherit Buffon's position in the national team.
Along with them, several renowned players but who did not finish exploding like Calhanoglu, Rebic or Kessie.
On the next round of Serie A, Milan host Roma at the San Siro to try to prolong their great moment.
If they win, they will become the only team in the major European leagues to win their first five games, after Everton drew with Liverpool on Saturday.
Although Juventus is still the big favorite, Ibrahimovic wants to show that he still has a lot of football in his boots.
In his own words: "Milan never had a king, it has a God."