Speaking to Milan TV, Zlatan Ibrahimovic said the following words as he discusses his return to the field:
"My football is everything, passion, adrenaline, fighting, winning, atmosphere. It's a package of everything, where I feel at the top, where I feel the best comes out of me, I transform and become another person. When I come back the music changes."
On the fans and their passion:
"If we go back to two years ago, we played in the empty stadium, it was something else. The fans give you adrenaline, they charge you, they give you passion. 50% of what we do comes from the fans, it's much better to play in front of them. There is something that always comes back to you, both positive and negative. When you see the younger generations in my situation it fills me even more, they are the future and they have this dream of seeing the players on the pitch, we do everything to make them enjoy the game. We Milan players are happy and proud of our fans, because they are always there and always with the team for better or for worse, so we must always give our best. I'm one of many in this team, I haven't been available for a long time and I'm sorry because when you're an active footballer you always want to be close to the team, inside the team, to help on and off the pitch. Unfortunately in these first 6-7 months I couldn't stay on the pitch because I had this operation. I suffer, I suffer a lot because in good times and in bad times you want to be there, because I'm one of them. When I arrived three years ago there was talk of even worse than the situation today, which in reality is not as serious as people talk about. But in one or two years we have done enormous things, and we are still doing many things. I call these situations moments, because it's a moment in which you get into trouble, but you have to get back up as quickly as possible. We haven't done it yet, but there are many games left and we will do it."
Ibrahimovic on the next opponent:
“It is a match that gives the possibility to reverse this negative trend that exists. The only way to change things is in official matches, you can train, you can do everything during the week but it's always the match that changes everything. The championship is long. It was a different championship because the World Cup was in the middle, I haven't seen so many teams restarting at the top. The first six months we were second, now we are a little further down, but we are still the same team as in the first six months."
On the atmosphere in the locker room:
"It's like six months ago, a year ago, two years ago: all together and the atmosphere is top. Of course, when you're at the top level you know how it goes: if the match goes well during the week you're well, if it doesn't go well, it's not that you feel good during the week, it's not that someone is happy in the locker room, the opposite. We're all working to change something to get back into the rhythm that was before the World Cup. Then this championship is different, it's not like in other leagues. But it's not an excuse. If we talk about chance, then are 19 Serie A trophies a coincidence? Are seven Champions Leagues a coincidence? Is it a coincidence that great players have passed in this club? Those who have won the Ballon d'Or here a coincidence? This is Milan, in Milan you have to win, it's not the case. We are in Milan to win, if we have won it is because we are Milan, there is no chance", said Ibrahimovic. "You have difficult moments and good moments , you have to always stay at the maximum level to keep up this pace. It doesn't exist by chance. Every time you win something goes down in history. Last year's Scudetto is in history, but not by coincidence, because we are Milan."
