Zlatan Ibrahimovic spoke at length about his new chapter as a consultant at AC Milan.
Here are his statements
“I’m here to help. The first time Milan gave me happiness, the second time love. Now I’m here to give back. And to build the conditions to win," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Ibra, what’s life like as an executive, now that you’re a RedBird partner and Milan consultant?
“I already have gray hair… I arrived with the ponytail, now I look like this, soon I’ll be bald…”
Jokes aside?
“It all started after 25 years of a fast football career. Then I had 3–4 months of freedom to do whatever I wanted, no schedule. I spent time with my kids and… after 25 years, I finally got to know my wife. And the news is, we’re still together! After three months, Giorgio Furlani told me, ‘I want you to meet Gerry Cardinale.’ I did. Twice in Milan, then in Los Angeles. But I didn’t want anything, I felt free. I didn’t want to start planning again. Gerry insisted, kept challenging me, and I kept saying no. Then I got curious. I asked him for three things before accepting: 1) I must be myself, no one puts me in a cage; 2) if I join, it has to be long term; 3) I’m coming back to win. He said, ‘That’s why we’re here.’”
Can you explain exactly what you do?
“My role hasn’t changed. I represent the ownership. Last year, I did more than what was required, no one asked me to, I just felt like doing it. But I didn’t enjoy it, because if I can’t be myself, I’m not comfortable. I don’t want to be caged, so I refused to have an office. I go to the people I need to talk to.”
It seems you ended up filling some gaps in the structure.
“Yes, the club added what was missing. Now there’s someone who stays in contact with players and the coach. That’s Igli Tare, and he’s doing it well. I come to Casa Milan, sometimes to Milanello. I talk daily with Furlani and with Gerry, who’s very involved. We study what’s needed to improve Milan, we make strategies. In the end Gerry decides, but he trusts those in the club. I’m also involved in the corporate and entertainment areas of RedBird. If I don’t know something, I stay quiet, watch, and learn. Of course, in some areas I have more experience, and then I talk a lot more.”
In Turin, did you speak in the locker room? You didn’t pin Leao to the wall, did you?
“There’s a coach. If I can help without getting in the way, I do it. But you don’t go above the coach, that only creates problems. I can be closer to him than the players are, but I’m still Ibra with Ibra’s experience. Before, I only had one mode, strong. Over time, I’ve learned that to reach players’ minds you sometimes need to be softer. And you must keep insisting.”
Back to Rafael Leao… Ibrahimovic commented:
“In Turin (vs Juventus), I was in the locker room. Everyone was angry, everyone. Allegri too, because we could have won. Leao was upset, he missed two chances. Let’s remember, during preseason he was the best. Then he was out for two months, now he needs to get back in shape. Of course, we expect magic, because Leao *is* magic. We’ll always talk about him, because he’s one of the best players in the world. I don’t say that for marketing reasons, but because I played football. I saw him as a kid, now he has two children, it’s a journey. People say he’s already 26, but I became mature at 28. And when we won the Scudetto, I can say he won it by himself.”
How’s that? You were there too... Ibrahimovic replied:
“I don’t take credit. I give it to others. That was my role that year. At the start of the season I asked: how many here have won something? One, maybe two raised their hands. How many have played in the Champions League? Again, one or two. It was a group of players who came from benches elsewhere, they needed an alpha, a leader to follow. It was always, ‘Ibra, should we go right or left?’ When we lost, I said, ‘Let only me speak,’ to protect the team. For me, that was breakfast. A strong group was born and started flying. When we won the Scudetto, I saw them cry. That was my biggest satisfaction. But I had said it the first day I returned, go check.”
And this year?
“The team is very competitive. It already was last year, but it was a strange season. Every time we recovered, we fell again. But we learned a lot. We still won a trophy and reached the Coppa Italia semifinal. But we are Milan, we know that. The club did a good job selling players outside the project or for other reasons. It chose an experienced coach who brings balance and stability. And it added what was missing, some experience.”
Are you hiding? That’s not like you.
“If you know me a little, you know my mindset is different. It’s a winning one.”
Aiming for fourth place is too little?
“Milan’s DNA is to win, especially in Europe. That’s where we must go back. No one wants to change Milan, its culture or tradition. Let me give you a rule: no one changes Milan, Milan changes you. At Milanello you smell victory. After being there, you’re not the same player. At Milanello, from the cook to the gardener, everyone works so Allegri and the team perform at their best.”
Can Luka Modric be for this Milan what you were in the Scudetto year?
“We’re different. He’s a leader on the pitch, not so much off it, but he brought the experience that was missing. Even if he hadn’t played a ‘wow’ season, his presence gives something. On the pitch, we told him, ‘Go on and do your thing.’ Am I surprised by his level? No. He’s played like this for twenty years. Many stay at the top for two years, then disappear. Others stay there for twenty, and they’re the real champions even without Ballon d’Ors. One of them is right in front of us.”
Adrien Rabiot’s been important too.
“He was supposed to come a year ago. We tried, but he wanted to play in France.”
Who could be the surprise?
“Pavlovic can still improve. Once Gimenez unblocks, he’ll score a lot. Jashari is top. Ricci will grow too. The squad is a good mix of present and future.”
Has Allegri changed since coaching you?
“I won him his first trophy. That Milan was full of champions. The hard part was putting them on the bench, on the field they ran on autopilot. He was very good at managing. Now it’s different. There are fewer superstar egos, the squad is more cooperative. Allegri too has evolved. He’s already won a lot, he knows how it’s done.”
What about your rivals? Napoli, Inter, Juve?
“I don’t look at others. Not out of arrogance, but because if I depend on others, it means I’m not strong enough. I must become strong myself so others look at me.”
Then at least tell me about Chivu.
“I’ve known him since Ajax. That team was full of talent, and he was the most mature. Ahead both mentally and as a person. He was a champion. As a coach, it’s early to judge. I wish him luck, but he must not win…”
Your two sons, Maximilian (19) and Vincent (17), both play for Milan — one with Milan Futuro, the other with the Under-18s. What kind of father are you? Protective? Do you follow them closely or from afar?
“Until they were 16, they used their mother’s surname. Then they came to me and said they wanted to be called Ibrahimovic. They were ready. I told them it wouldn’t be easy.”
No involvement with their coaches? Ibrahimovic answered:
“When they started, for two years I didn’t set foot at Vismara. I don’t know if that was a mistake because I want to enjoy their moments, but I didn’t want to create confusion. Now that they play, I help, give advice, follow them. But I judge them like anyone else. What angered me most were the stupid rumors. For example, that Camarda didn’t sign because of me. Even with my son, I didn’t intervene for his contract. That wouldn’t be right. If they make it, it must be on merit. Of course, if it were up to me, they’d be in the first team and the national team. But they’re as important as anyone else in our academy.”
Speaking of Milan Futuro, they were relegated after one year in Serie C.
“We didn’t build a team to ‘survive’ in Serie C. We built a platform to close the gap between the Primavera and the first team,” Ibra explained. “It’s a key step that had been missing for too long, meant to develop talent. It’s a long-term project involving the whole youth sector, from the Primavera to the first team. The ownership strongly believed in it, decided to invest with conviction, and is happy with the work Kirovski and Vergine are doing.”
So you won’t say the word “Scudetto”?
“Do I believe in it? Yes, we all must. But it’s a process, a team effort.”
Excuse me, we went from Ibra the God to ‘I’ and ‘we’?
“Hold on. Ibra is still God. When I was on the pitch, I had all the answers. In the stands, I suffer because I can’t help the team. I have no personal goals. Everything I do is for Milan. And to win again.”
