For Zlatan Age Is Just A Number
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known for his heroics and temperament in the football world. A brand of his own, Zlatan seems to have never decelerated from his prime form.During his glorious tenure with PSG, he scored 156 goals in 180 games and won 12 titles with the French side, becoming their highest goal scorer and being crowned as the best player in Ligue 1 history. Zlatan, 36 at the time, was ready for another great challenge which was Manchester United.
A struggling Manchester United was delighted with Zlatan's arrival. He contributed to their first major trophy after several years, the Europa League along with other English competitions.
He enjoyed his time at Manchester United and wished he had gotten there earlier for the Red's fans to see him at the peak of his powers.
He scored quite frequently since he joined the club and got his first hat-trick just one month after his debut for the Reds in the Premier League. He also holds the record for the oldest player to reach 15 goals in a single English season.
Career-Ending Knee Injury
This amazing run of form was disrupted with an agonising incident on April 20th when Zlatan sustained a ligament injury in his right knee. It was diagnosed that he could very well miss the current season with at least 1-1.5 years to recover.If he hadn't had such a strong will and body, we would have seen Zlatan end his career way before due to a knee injury.
Such an injury has proved disastrous for many skillful players, both young and old, with most of the cases ending up taking early retirements while some tried to test their will but their bodies were not able to keep up with their passion.
For a footballer, that is a disastrous situation and looked no different for Zlatan when it happened. Everyone was sure that this was the end of the road for Zlatan.
Miraculous Recovery
After going through several surgeries, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with his miraculously quick recovery left the doctors stunned and made his return in record time.His mental ability and resilience are commendable as he made it back in just 6 months whereas most of the players even if they recover from such injuries do not pursue their football career as risk of further injuries still lurks.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic not only made his return to the field but graced the people with more of what they loved about him, his tremendous goal-scoring ability and presence on the field.
The Swedish Superstar Graces MLS
He joined LA Galaxy in MLS to get back to his absolute best, although that challenge was far too weak in front of the mighty Zlatan.He won the heart of MLS fans from his very first game when he inspired his side's great comeback with a glorious hat-trick which included a shot from somewhere near the middle of the field and the winning goal against their city rivals LAFC in the El Trafico Derby.
He scored 52 goals and provided 17 assists in 54 games. He lost the MVP race to Carlos Vela who had scored 34 goals, a record in MLS, to Ibrahomovic's 30.
Considering Carlos Vela has been there for many years, Zlatan did a marvelous job settling quickly and giving everyone a run for their money.
The fated union of Zlatan and MLS was mutually beneficial for both the concerned parties, as Zlatan got the confidence he needed to push himself after his return from injury to reach his top form, while MLS witnessed Zlatan in the most Zlatan way possible.
40 on Horizon With No End In Sight - The Real Iron Man of Football
The fire in Zlatan still inspires many and closing in on his 40s is seemingly not a problem for him. He continues to stun fans and opponents with his sheer brilliance and dominating aura.His inspiring performances at this age where many players are enjoying their retired life with their family and friends shows his mental toughness.
He has scored 15 goals in 14 games. That's amazing for a 39-year old player who had a career ending knee injury just a couple of years ago. The real iron man in the world of football, Zlatan is inspiring the resurrection of AC Milan and helping one of the giants of Europe make a comeback in world football.
Father Time is undefeated, that's for sure. But for Zlatan, there is no Father Time.
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