Zlatan Ibrahimovic turns 40 today and has celebrated it at Milanello with the staff, management and the rest of his teammates.
The player was also interviewed by Milan TV in light of his birthday. Here are the main words of the player:
They say 3 is your favourite number, is it a coincidence that it is your birthday?
"It's not something I chose. But, many champions were born in October, it seems to me. I feel like I am one of them too."
How would you describe yourself now?
"Today, there is a more complete Ibrahimovic. He is calmer. I'm more relaxed and very experienced. There is a different approach and behaviour now. I have a new role now on and off the pitch. I don't do everything with super speed now. I take my time instead."
On the quote 'You can take the boy out of a ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the boy'...
"How much of the ghetto remains in me today? A lot of it. I think the ghetto defines me. It's not because I go out and think I'm cool, I grew up in those areas. Sometimes you can notice that I behave and think like someone from those places."
You have a photo of your feet hung up in your house. Would you think of taking another photo, which would you choose?
"I'd stick with that photo of my feet. My family needs to understand what everything has come from. I'm not saying they have to kiss my feet (laughs). But, they need to do some thinking and thank those feet for the fact that we have a roof over our heads. Without those feet, we wouldn't have the things we have now."
On the severe injury with Manchester United:
"When I was injured, my mental strength improved. You have to be patient and you can't get ahead of yourself and let adrenaline get the better of you. Therefore, work must be done differently, in a static and slower fashion. You must be strong mentally."
On the MLS experience:
"I've been myself from the first day until now. At USA, I gave them more than they gave me. It's because I think they witnessed things with me that they never saw on a pitch before... I was my own and I went around being myself. I didn't have a specialised team around me taking care of my image."
On Fabio Capello:
"Fantastic Fabio! I see him and think 'He's the coach who massacred me more than anyone else.' He's the one who completely changed me in terms of my play style and mentality. He had a different philosophy and thinking. He used to put me up on pedestal then massacre me, it was repeated like that every day. But, I think it was his way of helping me grow. One day, he'd say to me that I'm number one, then the next day, he'd call me a disaster. When he criticises me like that, it gives me motivation to do more. Even when I played with Nedved, Trezeguet and Del Piero, it was a competition and I wanted to prove myself. That's how Fabio played with my mind. This helped me become who I am today and it gave me responsibility. With all respect to my former teams Malmo and Ajax, it all started with Capello. He made me understand what was required of me to stay at these top levels."
On the bond between Ibrahimovic and AC Milan club:
"I didn't expect this, I didn't expect anything more than the norm: coming and playing with champions, to try to win everything. Coming back to Italy after leaving the country for a few years, I knew I'd be getting to know the players and play with different guys and then there was this added element due to how the club was and how people here worked. It was a different way of working, a different way of doing things. It automatically resonated with me. I felt like home at Milan. Like I said before, when you arrive to Milanello, you are in no rush to go back home because Milanello is the home, you feel comfortable there. That's how this club is built: all players are made to feel equal. When you arrive to work and feel like you are at home, then you should give something back and try to give your all to the club."
Ibrahimovic's relationship with his young teammates now:
"They show availability and willingness. They have the hunger to do more. You can see that they are working differently on the pitch this season. There is more stability and more confidence now. I'm sorry that my play time is limited but I will strike fear into opponents when I return"
On relationship with the Milan directors, given that you faced Paolo Maldini on the pitch before...
"I have a beautiful relationship with all of them. I'm here to help and give as much as I can. When you get to this age and experience what I have, you don't have much to prove. Now, my philosophy is to give back as much as I can to the club. I'm happy to help the club directors and support in all areas. With Paolo, I have a great relationship because he was a player. Now, he is a director and he is developping in this world. It is a different thing for him and he has done a great job. He is not the type of person to do something then hides away. He does things and he shows his face. He has a relationship with all the players here. He arrives to training everyday and he talks with everyone. He makes you feel important and comfortable. I think this is a great approach with young players because when players from all over the world arrive to AC Milan, where they'll be playing at such a giant club, at a high level, there is a lot of pressure, then you need to feel important during positive and negative spells."
"As for Gazidis", continued Ibrahimovic, "I'm sorry that he is not feeling at 100% but he will be back. He was there and available for us. He spoke with the group and he is one of us now. Because, when we play, we are one. We remain one whether we lose or win. Everyone has an important role here, and not just the players."
Is there a chance of seeing you continue your stay at Milan with another role?
"I need to play first. Then we can think of the next step. I want to play as much as I can. I don't want any regrets when I look back and think about what could have been if I played more. Instead, I give everything I can until I have no more energy. Then, I will say goodbye. However, I don't feel like I arrived there yet. I truly feel like I can bring home results and help my teammates on the pitch and bring joy to the fans. As for the second step, whether there is an opportunity will depend on the club because I am not someone who barges in and says: 'This is what I'm going to do.' If the club is open to certain things, then we can talk, there's no difficult matter. When you make things simple, they become simple. Obviously, who doesn't want to play or work for AC Milan? It's a different project here compared to 10 years ago. But, it's a great challenge. I've been here for around 1 year and a half. We created something important here. It is something different to what AC Milan is used to. However, there is excitement from the fans and everyone else involved. It's a great but beautiful challenge because when you reach your goal, there is satisfaction."
On music:
"For me, music is a mix. All music is good. When we put on music in the locker room, there is a real mix. It's international, from all over the world. Everyone accepts this and likes it. If you ask me if I can dance, then my answer would probably be yes. However, I prefer dancing on the pitch with a different mood. I think music is important because it puts you in a cerain mood in your head.
On the birthday message from DJ Khaled (ending with his usual signature 'another one', does it also apply to Ibrahimovic, since you always have the desire to go on?
"Yes. You should never be satisfied. This is a lesson that I'm trying to teach my children. Never be completely satisfied and keep pushing forward. I tell them to always want more and do more. If you set this as an objective for yourself, it takes you as far as you can go, you can achieve the maximum possible. I think that is what pushes one on. For example, when I win a trophy, I want another one. The more I win, the more I feel like I am doing my job. There is always room for 'another one' (smiles). I hope to win with this team because it would mean that we'd have done the maximum."
To what extent are you satisfied with what you have done in your life?
"I want more, which means I am not satisfied. The day I become satisfied, I'd say my goodbye to football. When you don't have desire, and if you are satisfied, then you can't keep going forward. A footballer needs to have hunger in order to do more. If you are satisfied, you don't have the motivation to wake up which is why I'm not 100% satisfied. Not at all. I expect the same from others. I don't differentiate. I ask the same things from them. Those who are satisfied need to sit on a sofa and relax. I don't want that. I want to be on the pitch walking on fire. It makes me alive."
What are you proud about the most?
"There are many different things", said Ibrahimovic, "When you have the expectations that I have, and put pressure on yourself to never be fully satisfied in the way I do, it becomes difficult at the moment. When I am done, I will be able to sit down and be proud of what I had achieved then. I don't want to think about that right now. If I go to that mood, then it will be easier to relax. But no, I want to do more. In the future, however, I'll be able to say that I am proud of what I have done."
What are your wishes for the future?
"I want to continue playing football as long as possible. I want to feel alive in my world, which is the football world. I want to continue to be happy. Everytime I touch the ball and everytime I step foot on the pitch and feel the grass, every time I shoot or make a pass, with every energy I pass on to my teammates, I want all of it to continue for as long as possible without limits."
What is a promise you can make?
"I'd like to thank everyone, because whenever I enter the stadium, or even when I am outside of it, the people make me feel important. They make me feel happy and at home. I want to give back to them as much as possible on and off the pitch. When I return, I'll stir up fear and make 80 thousand people jump from their seats every match."
Can you reveal one secret?
"(Smiles) Secrets don't exist. For me, the secret is to work hard. Hard work pays off (said in English). If you want to go where you aim, then you must work hard. If not, then you won't get there. That's the secret. In our world, you need to train to get there, right? Then again my strength lies in my hair. You can't tell anyone. If I cut my hair, I lose my strength. Just like Sansone, right? (laughs)." Thus Ibrahimovic concludes his interview and says, "Thank you so much."