Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed the extent of the knee injury he played through during the final six months of the season, insisting he could barely sleep due to the pain.
The 40-year-old underwent surgery on Wednesday to fix an anterior cruciate ligament problem, just days after he helped AC Milan win Serie A for the first time in 11 years.
Ibrahimovic endured fitness issues all season but still managed to score eight times to win the Italian top-flight title for the seventh time in his illustrious career.
He has now opened up fully on his injury woes. The Swede said he trained just 10 times over the past six months and had 20 injections, with doctors draining his knee once a week.
He is now expected to be sidelined for around eight months, casting doubt over his footballing future.
“For the past six months I played without an ACL in my left knee,” Ibrahimovic wrote on Instagram. “Swollen knee for six months. I was only able to train with the team 10 times in the last six months.
“Took more than 20 injections in six months. Emptied the knee once a week for six months. Painkillers every day for six months. Barely slept for six months because of the pain.
“Never suffered so much on and off the pitch. I made something impossible to something possible.
“In my mind I had only one objective, to make my team-mates and coach champions of Italy because I made them a promise. Today I have a new ACL and another trophy.”
