If becoming a professional soccer player is difficult, imagine how hard it must be to remain at the elite level for years. As time goes by, the human body wears out and does not respond in the same way as it did in previous years, especially if it is a high-performance sport, which is why few players can remain in the elite for more than two decades.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the few players who after two decades continues to play at the highest level of soccer. The 40-year-old made his debut in 1999 playing for Malmö Fotbollförening and currently plays for AC Milan, where he won the 2021-2022 Serie A title.
One of the things the striker has been known for throughout his career is his arrogance. Ibrahimovic often acts or makes comments that the public finds amusing. But apparently, his attitude in the professional soccer environment is not well received by some players, and Hakan Calhanoglu, the Swede’s former teammate at AC Milan, made it known.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s harsh words about Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Calhanoglu, 28, and Ibra shared the San Siro pitch together for 18 months until 2021. But the Turkish stunned AC Milan fans when he departed on a free transfer for rivals Inter, who had just won the 2020-2021 Serie A title.
Calhanoglu signed for the Nerazzurri, and the Rossoneri were the champions ofthe 2021-2022 season. It means Calhanoglu has missed the Serie A title in the last two seasons.
The fact is that Ibrahimovic did not play much last season. The Swede played 28 games out of a possible 38. In total, he played 1006 minutes, and only in seven matches did he play the full 90 minutes. After the end of the season, the 40-year-old acknowledged that it was all due to a problem in one of his knees.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Hakan Calhanoglu / Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images
In an interview with Tivibu Spor, Çalhanoglu lashed out at his former teammate. On Ibrahimovic, he said: “He is a 40-year-old man, not 18, so I wouldn’t do that sort of thing at his age. He just likes being the center of attention. He didn’t contribute to the Scudetto this season. He barely played, but will do everything to be the focus anyway”.
He also referred to the historic rivalry between AC Milan and Inter and stated: “I am very happy at Inter, though, and the support of the fans is very helpful. I played at Milan for four years, but nobody ever chanted my name in the stands, whereas it happens every time I just warm up for Inter. Inter are a much stronger squad than Milan”.
