Veteran Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has likened himself to the cinematic character of Benjamin Button, after he scored two goals to lead his team Milan to a 4-1 victory over Sampdoria in Serie A on Wednesday night.
"People tell me that I am old and exhausted, but I am only in the warm-up phase," Ibrahimovic, 38, told his team's TV channel after raising his score to 9 goals in the league since he returned to the club last January.
"I am like Benjamin Button, but I have always been young and never advanced."
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The Swedish player points to the main character in the 2008 Oscar-winning movie in which the life of an old-born hero unfolds as he becomes younger and stronger as he gets older.
After suffering in the first half of the season, Milan have lost only twice since Ibrahimovic joined his ranks.
"Certainly Ibrahimovic has played a very important role in improving our performance. But this is not the only reason, but also thanks to what we did during the past months," said Milan coach Stefano Pioli, whose team ranks sixth among the 20 Italian Serie A teams.
Ibrahimovic's contract with Milan expires at the end of the season, and coach Pioli said the extension of the contract was up to the club's managers.
The coach also said, "I can't do much about the financial aspects ... Ibrahimovic tells me that he is in good shape and happy and he is proving it through what he does every day."