Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made a return to AC Milan, not as a player but as an advisor to the club’s management.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Serie A club’s management, owners RedBird Capital Partners confirmed on Monday that the former Sweden striker will serve as a senior advisor to AC Milan’s ownership and senior management.
Additionally, 42-year-old Ibrahimovic will act as an Operating Partner for RedBird’s “sports and media and entertainment investment portfolio”.
His role at Milan will involve player development, high-performance training, global brand advancement, and support for strategic projects, including the club’s new stadium.
Ibrahimovic will also contribute to evaluating new investment opportunities and advising RedBird portfolio companies ” on commercial projects, digital content strategies and strategic brand building initiatives”.
The former Sweden international striker announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 41 in June this year at the end of last season, in which he was dogged by injury and scored just once for Milan.
The goal scored in a 3-1 win at Udinese in March, made him the oldest goal scorer in Serie A history.
Ibrahimovic was a key figure in Milan’s resurgence to the top of Italian football after his return as a veteran forward in 2019, and eventually winning the Serie A title in 2022.
He was also very important to the club’s previous Scudetto 11 years before, which was followed by a long period of stagnation and financial problems before revitalisation under current coach Stefano Pioli.
Over the course of his career Ibrahimovic won league titles in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France, although his only major European trophy was the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United.
He rejoins Milan with the team nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan and facing a group stage exit from the Champions League.
