Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave an interview to SportMediaset after the Milan - Atalanta game, which saw his return to the field after his surgery last May. Here are the words of the Swede forward:
"It's a great feeling because it's been a year and two months since I've been playing football the way I want to play, feeling good and being able to be on the field and do what I love, which is helping the team. Before, I was suffering physically, and off the field, what happened with Mino and other people wasn't easy. Then we won the Scudetto, which gave me a bit of strength, motivation, and energy. Today, for the first time, I was a little nervous, usually I'm not, but I think I reacted well on the pitch."
He continued:
"I have this confidence and self-assurance. Since I returned to the team, I've been confident that I can make a difference, pass on my confidence and self-assurance to others. I saw the team training well with a lot of hunger, determination, and aggression. Then it wasn't a great moment, but in the last four games, we've done well. We have to continue and not be satisfied because losing the next game is enough to change the situation. We have to think about the next game already."
Ibrahimovic on Napoli:
"I think they're doing very well collectively. They have a great coach who has won trophies, but not yet the Scudetto. I have to be honest and say that he deserves this Scudetto. He has done so much for Italian football, and winning the Scudetto for an Italian is the ultimate goal. Even though I play for Milan and want to win it, this year it seems to belong to him and Napoli."
On his late former agent and close friend Mino Raiola:
"For me, he was everything, I've already explained our relationship. He was the person who attacked me but at the same time helped me and lifted me up. He made me hungry because when I did well, he told me I did badly. He did it with love. He was everything to me. Now I'm going through a part of my professional career without him, which seems a bit strange, but it also gives me the strength to continue. I know that if he were here today, he would be proud of me. He would be a little angry because I didn't score, but he would be proud to see me back on the field because he knew how much passion I have for football."
Ibrahimovic on his condition:
"Until three weeks ago, I didn't have a positive feeling. Then something happened, and in the last few weeks, I've done more than I did in the previous months. I had a swollen knee and was limited. I have experience from the other knee when I had surgery, which takes time and patience. That's why I wanted to do the recovery away from the team because if you're with your teammates all the time, you get angry and can't be patient."
On his future, Ibrahimovic said:
"If I feel the way I do today, I'll be here for a few more years, not just next year."
On a separate interview, he spoke to DAZN about Rafael Leao's potential renewal with AC Milan and said the following jokingly:
"I have already forfeited my salary to give it to him. I am already playing for free (laughs)."
