Zlatan Ibrahimović is a medical phenomenon. What does its longevity come from?

Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the biggest absent Euro. The footballer was a certainty to play for the Swedish national team, but his participation was ruled out by a knee injury. What makes Ibrahimović, despite four decades on his neck, still impresses with his form? Of course, a proper diet and regular training, but there is something else that the footballer himself talks about. – I hear US athletes say they spent over a million dollars keeping their bodies in shape. I don’t spend anything. The secret is not how much you spend, the secret is in your head, he once said.

1. Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the best players in the history of football. He will be 40 in a few months, but the thought of the end of his career seems very distant
2. – The older I get, the better as red wine! Do you like red wine? I am a perfect example of this. The older I get, the better I play. I think I can play until I am 50 – said Ibrahimović a few years ago
3. While such words do not sound too modest, they are supported by facts. Despite the passage of time, Zlatan still impresses with its silhouette, form and sports efficiency
4. What does the Swede’s longevity come from? One of his secrets is … almonds
5. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

What diet is Zlatan Ibrahimović following?

A balanced and well-balanced diet – this is the dietary rule that the footballer is faithful to. According to Italian media reports, the athlete scrupulously weighs each product he eats. Or rather, it is done by his own chef-nutritionist, with whom Ibrahimović has not parted since playing in France. The specialist makes sure that the weight of a 195 cm tall football player is always 92-94 kg.

What dominates the Swede’s menu? First of all, white meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and bresaola, a typical Italian long-maturing beef sausage. Apparently, at the time when he played for Paris Saint-Germain (2012-2016), he made a fuss about the fact that fresh vegetables and fruit were not present on the club premises all the time. Now Zlatan lives in Italy again, but unlike the locals he keeps pasta to a minimum, the source of carbohydrates in cereals. No ice cream, sweeteners, and frozen foods. Pizza – very rare.

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One of the permanent elements of Zlatan’s diet is … eight almonds a day. It was recommended by Italian nutritionists at the beginning of the game for Juventus (2004), due to the rich source of magnesium and good fats.

What is the footballer’s training like?

40-year-old Zlatam Ibrahimović still impresses with a slim and muscular figure. It is not the result of working in the gym. A footballer, apart from training purely football, of course, has been practicing taekwondo since teenage years (he won the black belt at the age of 17), it provides him with strength and conditioning training.

The Swede can also boast of incredible flexibility and flexibility – there is probably no other player who would score so many goals in such a spectacular, acrobatic way. Anyway, see for yourself:

Ibrahimović: great form (genes?) Despite numerous injuries

The footballer has been playing football professionally for over 20 years. He has played in the best clubs in Europe, won a lot of individual and team trophies, but also has many injuries to his credit. These were primarily injuries to the knee, but also to the ankle, adductor, heel and Achilles tendon. In 2017, he tore his cruciate ligaments, resulting in a game hiatus of seven months.

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Every time he got up, he got back in shape, and a great game for AC Milan at the age of 39 made the club extend his contract with him until 2022. He will be 41 then!

When a few years ago, after one of the injuries, American doctors opened Ibrahimovic’s knee, they could not believe that he was in such good condition. “They said it was impossible for a footballer to have such knees after 20 years of play,” his agent said at the time. The phenomenal organism of the Swede intrigued the medics so much that they made an appointment with him that, after the end of his career, it can be examined again. “They will open the knee again and examine the ligaments,” added the footballer’s agent.

Awareness of the passing years

The footballer has a personal physiotherapist, he regularly goes to the clinic in his native Malmö. He once stated that he treats club and representative doctors as friends, because they care about his health. He is aware of the passing years and changes in physiology, he treats his body differently than in young years.

«I get tired faster now than when I was younger. I sleep a lot because I need more regeneration. It used to be one day after a game to recover and feel good. Now I need two to three days, which is normal at my age »- he said.

His approach to training has also changed. Once he could afford to do half-hearted exercises, now he knows what is important to him.

“When you’re 15 or 20, it’s easy to skip a warm-up, but as you get older you have to work more to feel better,” he revealed in an interview.

“I know what I can do,” he said in an interview with Sky Sports. “I’m not worried, I just play my game, I try to enjoy, and it seems to me that the older I get, the more intelligent I am.”

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Mentality: I always want more

Ibrahimovic’s longevity, as he himself admitted, largely comes from his head. Despite the passing years, his passion for football did not diminish even a bit. A professional approach to the profession could embarrass many young people.

“I am 39 years old and thanks to what I have done, I don’t have to work anymore, but I still have a passion for what I do,” he revealed last year.

«I am never satisfied and I always want more. I don’t see many players my age playing or playing like me. Many footballers after the age of 30 give up and play worse and worse. After I turned 30, I started to get even better »

Confidence on the verge of pride and arrogance has been his trademark for two decades. From Zlatan’s famous quotes, more than one book could be created, here it is worth mentioning, for example, about bidding with Romelu Lukaku, a great Belgian striker playing in another Milan club – Inter. “There is a new king in the city,” wrote the Belgian after winning the match against AC Milan in February 2020. Eight months later, AC Milan with Zlatan in the squad (of course he scored both goals) repaid Inter 2-1. What did Ibrahimović write? «Milan has never had a king, he has God ».

In September last year, Zlatan had to face another rival – he was infected with the coronavirus. How did he comment on this on Twitter? «COVID had the courage to challenge me. Bad idea ».

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