Ibrahimovic uses brains, not brawn to combat ageing

The 35-year-old Swede has been in fine form in his first year at Old Trafford, scoring his 28th goal in all competitions this season in Sunday's 3-0 away win over Sunderland in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic uses brains, not brawn to combat ageing

(Reuters)





"I know what I am able to do," Ibrahimovic told Sky Sports. "I am not worried, I just play my game, I try to enjoy and it seems that the older I get, the more intelligent I get."

"You do not waste so much energy on things you do not really need."

Ibrahimovic's statistics suggest he may indeed now be using more brains than brawn on the pitch. Before turning 30 in 2011, the former Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona and AC Milan player scored 232 goals in 528 appearances, British media reported.

Since that landmark birthday, he has scored 250 goals in 308 appearances playing for Milan, PSG and United.

United lie fifth in the table, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who hold the final Champions League qualification spot, but with a game in hand.

"We have to keep focussing, working and believing we will reach the top four," Ibrahimovic added. "We believe in it and we will do everything to get into the top four."

Even if they finish outside the top four, United could qualify for next season's Champions League by winning this year's Europa League. They travel to Belgian side Anderlecht for the quarter-final of Europe's second-tier club competition on Thursday.





(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Lough)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world