Forward Zlatan Ibrahimović returned to the Swedish national team today, Tuesday, after recovering from a knee injury in preparation for the upcoming match against Belgium in the European Championship qualifiers, declaring that he is the past, present, and future for his team. When asked by a journalist if he was determined to lead the team to the finals of the tournament next year in Germany, Ibrahimović provided a strong response reminiscent of his past statements, saying with a sarcastic smile: "If I’m in good shape and the coach calls me, I will help him, the team, and the country by giving my best. At my age, I don't think about the future, I think about the present, even though I am the past, present, and future."
The all-time leading scorer for Sweden, with 62 goals in 121 matches, however, has not scored internationally since November 2015. He revealed that he had undergone three knee surgeries over 14 months. He explained that his knee had swollen for eight or nine months, but suddenly, a month ago, something changed and everything became positive, which was a source of energy. He added: "From that point, we were able to work more, so from a state of being stagnant for eight months, I suddenly could move normally and then I tried to play, and the situation became good."
The 41-year-old Milan player returned to the pitch after a 14-month absence from competition and scored from a penalty against Udinese, making him the oldest player to score in Serie A. He is now aiming for a return to international competitions when Sweden hosts Belgium on Friday.
