AC Zlatan: Return of the King
By schwartz
I was sitting in a Business Psychology class that I had absolutely no interest in. It felt like any other normal day in the mid-semester grind. I absentmindedly checked my phone under the desk and scrolled through the notifications until I saw one that immediately grabbed my attention: Bleacher Report: Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly in negotiations to return to AC Milan.
What? No. Absolutely not. I’m not going to let myself get excited over some stupid transfer rumor, especially not one about Zlatan, the most headline-grabbing and unpredictable superstar of his era. This kind of stuff flies around constantly ahead of the Winter transfer window, and about 6% of the rumors actually result in a player pulling on a new jersey. And why would Ibra go from playing in sunny LA to hike all the way back to Europe and join a mid-table club? So, while fairly intrigued, I scrolled past and went on with my day.
But something funny happened. The rumor didn’t fade away into the ethereal haze of rumors past, it actually did quite the opposite. Zlatan indicated that he was returning to a former club, and I realized that the likes of Barca and Paris had no use for an aging striker. I kept hearing the rumors, and with more and more conviction. “It’s Milan or nothing for Ibra’s return,” “Ibrahimovic and wife fly to Milan to negotiate,” “Ibrahimovic and agent have agreement in principle with AC Milan,” and finally…”Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a 6-month contract to finish the season with AC Milan.
Get out. Somebody pinch me. Somebody wake me up, there’s no way this can be real. At age 38, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is coming back to AC Milan to rescue the club from it’s sad state, and he’s wearing Andrea Pirlo’s #21 shirt. And so began the Return of the King
The rise began rather quietly, a true oddity for Zlatan. The first appearance of his second AC Milan tenure came as a substitute, in a 0-0 draw that saw Milan fall from 11th to 12th place in Serie A. For the rest of the season, they would never fall that low on the table again. The next game, however, Milan won, in part behind the first goal of Ibra’s return. Incidentally, since it was his first goal of the 2020s, this goal gave Zlatan the unique distinction of having scored in four separate decades. Then, after the first win, they won another, and another- the first three-game league win streak of Milan’s season, in the first three starts of Zlatan’s tenure. Coincidence? Extremely hard to say so. In fact, since Zlatan has arrived at the Italian club, Milan have not been shut out in a single Serie A game that he has started in, after it happened to them 5 times in the first half of the season, as well in Ibra’s debut during which he only logged 35 minutes as a substitute. In February, he even helped them secure a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Coppa Italia matchup with Juventus, a result that would have been laughable just a few weeks before. After that quick run of good form, Milan hit a rough stretch of schedule and dropped a few points. Then, came the COVID break. And it changed absolutely everything.
AC Milan’s first fixture after football resumed was the second half of that Coppa Italia clash with Juve. Zlatan was injured and couldn’t play so- you guessed it- 0-0 draw, Milan were eliminated. Even without Zlatan, AC came roaring out of the gates when Serie A returned, starting with a 4-1 romp against Lecce, and an eye-opening 2-0 triumph over Roma. Then, the King came back, and things took a turn for the better- much better.
After a 2-2 draw against SPAL, during which Zlatan only appeared as a sub, Milan sat at 7th on the table. Europa league, something that seemed impossible after such a lethargic start, became within reach, but no sort of guarantee. Especially since Milan were staring down matchups with Lazio, Juventus, and Napoli, the two top teams on the table, and a traditional Italian sleeping giant, much like Milan themselves. First was the Lazio game. One side fighting for their dignity, versus another who had serious hopes at bringing home the Serie A trophy. And what happened? Milan smashed in three goals, including a penalty from Zlatan to double their lead, and held a clean sheet to secure an enormous three points.
Three days later, against Juve, the league leaders, the Rossoneri netted 4 goals all in the second half- led off by another Zlatan penalty- to complete a shocking comeback from down 2-0, earning another key win. Less than a week later, they drew Napoli 2-2, and had suddenly escaped their death stretch with 7 miraculous points. Behind Ibra’s strong play, European football had gone from being on nobody’s radar, to a pipe dream, to the expectation. This club could hardly help themselves from rising up the table, and nobody knew when it would stop.
On Wednesday, AC Milan defeated Sampdoria by a score of 4-1, behind two more goals from Zlatan- he opened up the scoring just five minutes into the game with a signature header. These were his fifth and sixth since the restart, bringing his total to 9 goals (as well as 5 assists) in just half of a Serie A season. Despite his short tenure he is the second-leading scorer on the team, just two goals off of the team lead, and has vaulted the team up to sixth place, after they were in 12th place shortly after his arrival. Most importantly, the team secured their spot in the Europa league today, after falling six spots on the table below qualification. Since the COVID break, they have scored a fantastic 32 goals in 11 matches- the most in Serie A-, after scoring just 28 in the first 26 outings of their Serie A campaign.
This meteoric rise has coincided with Zlatan’s presence and health, as his veteran leadership and unique skill set have once again helped his team to achieve something special. One of Italy’s most historic clubs has hope for the first time in a long time, in the wake of their one-year European suspension for financial fair play violations. The Rossoneri have not finished in the top 4 in Serie A since the 2012-13 campaign, a long absence from the Champions League for one of the competition’s most successful clubs. Now, they have a talented young core, an inspired coach, and of course, a veteran striker to be the team’s leader on and off the pitch. Luckily, after he recently served as a model in Milan’s 2020-21 kit unveiling, it seems that he will be remaining at the San Siro for at least one more year to help Milan make their European return. The competition at the top of Serie A will be stiff next year, as this year’s top four is a talented bunch and aren’t going anywhere. But with Zlatan, football’s self-proclaimed Benjamin Button, on the squad, nothing is impossible.
Even the impossible.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and AC Milan will be in action on Saturday at 2:45 PM ET as they wrap up a Serie A campaign to remember against Brescia. Tune in for some fun teamwork, great goals, and of course, a healthy dose of Zlatan