AC Milan: Maximilian Ibrahimovic, on behalf of the father

The Milan jersey on the back. The number 11 behind. A goal. And a victory in the derby against Inter Milan, which had been missing since January 2018. This is how Maximilian Ibrahimovic, son of Zlatan, decided to celebrate a goal to celebrate his eighteenth birthday on September 22. We’ve had worse celebrations to cross the threshold of majority… The eldest of the Ibrahimovic siblings – his little brother Vincent having been born two years later, in 2008 – is starting to make a (first) name for himself in Lombardy. 4 goals in 7 matches this season with the Primavera3 achievements in 29 matches during the last financial year in U18… He has even just received, in this sweet month of October in Lombardy, a first call-up from Sweden. Head to the U18s of the national selection.

“A deserved reward for a player who continues to grow“, we congratulate ourselves at the club. Where his father made history, both past and recent, by piling up goals (93 in 163 matches in total during his two stints, first in 2010-2012 then 2020 -2023) and the titles He even returned a little less than a year ago, in the role of special advisor to the owner Gerry Cardinale, head of the American fund RedBird Capital. the performances of his offspring And that he inevitably expects a lot from him.

“The most important thing is that he is happyexplained the former Inter Milan, Barça and PSG striker last September. He must continue like this. I am proud of him and I am as a father.” A bit as a manager, too, since Maximilian signed his professional contract last summer, initially to be part of “Milan Futuro”, the new Milanese team created this season and which plays in Serie C (Italian third division) in order to to reduce the gap in level between the first team and the Primavera Like what Juventus has done in recent years with its “Next Gen” project, which is now bearing fruit. , Iling Jr, Fagioli… The names are numerous But, for now, Zlatan’s first son continues his trajectory in Primavera, with whom he also played two Youth League matches this season.

“Playing for this club is really specialhe told the Swedish media this week Sportbladet. I have beautiful memories everywhere. They are one of the greatest clubs of all time, there are few teams that can match it. Training at Milanello is something. The infrastructure is the same as when some players were there, like Paolo Maldini and other legends. It’s the same style, and it helps to have that atmosphere from the ’80s.” Although he was born a good twenty years later, in 2006.

From childhood to adolescence, Maximilian and Vincent follow their father everywhere. From Milan to Barcelona. From Paris to Los Angeles. If Helena Seger, the mother, has always kept an eye on things, they have always been immersed in football. Seeing them delve into it once they were old enough seemed obvious. Vincent is also hoping to emerge, having made his debut for the Swedish U15 national team at the end of last year. He is now part of the U17 team of Rossoneri. But being the sons of is far from easy. Even more so when the dad is Zlatan.

“Until I was 11, I hated football. I thought it was the worst thing in the world. And then, around 11 or 12 years old, I started to like it. It was like that, I hated it. Nothing seemed right, everything was wrong. I have always been compared to my father. I didn’t like it, but then I discovered the love for this sport. One day I woke up and there was this click in my head, it happened.” Maximilian revealed to the Swedish daily The evening paper. And so much the better. Regularly aligned as a left winger by his coach Federico Guidi, he knows how to make the difference with his technique and his positional sense. His goals are rarely trivial, like his left-footed cannon shots against Empoli and Inter. But its palette remains to be broadened, obviously.

“My father always gave me good advicehe elaborated, when he happened to train alongside him at Milanello before the announcement of his retirement in 2023. The most difficult thing was really growing up in his shadow and think about all the great things accomplished in his career. I prefer to focus only on myself and what I do. Without comparing myself to him or anyone else.For him it is important to learn how we play in this national team and we will help him so that he can show what he is good at as a player, was developed by Sweden’s U18 coach, Andreas Pettersson. We just want it to smell as good as possible. I think he will.”

But as an Ibrahimovic remains an Ibrahimovic, and as Maximilian rhymes with Zlatan, it is impossible to lack ambition. It’s the trademark. “I want to win and become one of the strongest players. I aim high and I want to be among the best“, swung the Milanese number 11 to Sportbladet. Like father…