'I'm just warming up!' - Ibrahimovic dismisses retirement talk amid Milan exit rumours

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has dismissed any suggestion that he is on the verge of retirement, and says he is "just warming up" despite entering the last month of his Milan contract.

The Swede has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning 21 years, with successful spells taken in at Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

The 38-year-old returned to San Siro in January after calling time on an adventure in MLS with the LA Galaxy, and has since proven he can still mix it at the highest level.

Ibrahimovic has hit eight goals in 18 appearances for Milan in the second half of the season, helping them climb to sixth in the Serie A standings after a remarkable turnaround in form.

Stefano Pioli's side have won seven of their last 10 matches, and have yet to suffer a league defeat since returning from lockdown in June.

Ibrahimovic has played a key role during Milan's revival, but, as it stands, he will become a free agent at the end of their current campaign.

The veteran centre-forward was asked to address his future after scoring two goals in a 2-1 win over Sassuolo on Tuesday, and admitted that he has yet to be offered the chance to extend his stay at San Siro.

"I still have three games, still 10 days, nobody said anything to me and I don't expect anything else," Ibrahimovic told reporters.

It has been suggested that the former Sweden international will hang up his boots once he leaves Milan, but he has now sent a message to his followers via social media insisting that he plans to continue playing for some time yet.

 

 

 

 

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and i'm just warming up

A post shared by Zlatan Ibrahimović (@iamzlatanibrahimovic) on Jul 25, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

"So you think I'm done, that my career will end soon. You don't know me." Ibrahimovic said during a short video posted on his official Instagram account.

"All my life I had to fight. Nobody believed in me, so I had to believe in myself. Some people wanted to break me, but they only made me stronger.

"Others wanted to exploit me, but they made me smarter. And now you think that I'm done. 

"To all of you, I only have one thing to say: I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and I'm just warming up."

The Milan striker played the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw against high-flying Atalanta at San Siro on Friday, and will be back in contention for a place in Pioli's starting XI when they take on Sampdoria on Wednesday.