AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic attributes his mindset for the reason he has been able to perform well at the age of 39 but he would like to have a younger body as it takes longer for him to recuperate from games.
The Swedish veteran also revealed that he is sleeping more because he takes longer to recover at his age.
“I would like to have the brain of Zlatan in a 25-year-old’s body,” Zlatan told UEFA.
“I get tired faster now, compared to when I was younger. I’m sleeping a lot because I need to recover more. Now I need between two and three days, which is normal for the age that I am.
“I am 39. I am in shape. The secret is not how much you spend, the secret is in your head – how much you want it, how much you’re willing to sacrifice.
“It’s the mentality and mentality doesn’t cost anything.”
Ibrahimovic was also asked if he would play up to the age of 50 or if Gianluigi Buffon would be more likely to do so, with Zlatan saying that it would be much easier for the Juventus goalkeeper.
“Buffon,” Ibrahimovic said. “For him, it’s easy: he just needs to stand still and block balls.
“I need to move around, I need to create, I need to be able to shoot, I need to be able to battle with the defenders.
“So, he can probably go longer without really staying in shape, but I would give him a hard game.”
