The 38-year-old is now the oldest man ever to score 10 or more in the Italian top flight, breaking a mark set by Silvio Piola more than 60 years ago
The records just keep on tumbling for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who reached double figures for the Serie A season with his latest strike for AC Milan on Saturday.
The ex-Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and Barcelona ace went into the final match of the 2019-20 campaign in vintage form, having scored seven in nine games since the Italian top flight resumed in June following the coronavirus pandemic.
In the process Ibrahimovic passed 50 league goals for Milan with his double against Sampdoria in July, making him the only man to reach a half-century for both the Rossoneri and Inter.
Editors’ Picks
- ‘Sign da ting!’ Cup final hero Aubameyang has Arsenal dreaming of a brighter future
- Man City close in on £40m deal for Bournemouth defender Ake
- Peerless Pulisic proving he truly is America’s first soccer superstar
- Karamoko Dembele: Celtic wonderkid ready to make first-team impact
And after netting for his club against Cagliari at the weekend the Sweden legend can now boast another little piece of Serie A history.
His 55th-minute strike was his 10th league goal since rejoining Milan in January, making him the oldest player to reach double figures in a single campaign in history at 38 years and 302 days.
Ibrahimovic takes the record from Lazio, Torino, Juventus and Italy idol Silvio Piola, who was 38 years and 127 days old when he achieved the feat for Novara in the early 1950s.
38 & 302 – Zlatan #Ibrahimovic is the oldest player to score 10+ in a single Serie A campaign (38 years and 302 days). Bionic.#MilanCagliari #Milan pic.twitter.com/H0ScFW1U92
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) August 1, 2020
Milan went on to win 3-0 at San Siro, with Ibrahimovic adding to former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan’s first-half own goal and Samu Castillejo subsequently rounding off a routine victory.
The Rossoneri thereby finished the 2019-20 season in sixth place, having taken 66 points from their 38 fixtures over the course of the interrupted campaign.
The veteran has had a huge impact on Milan since arriving in the new year, leading the club from mid-table to the Europa League.
His future, however, remains uncertain, with his short-term deal due to expire after the Cagliari clash.
“I hope that tomorrow will not be Ibrahimovic’s last game for Milan,” coach Stefano Pioli told reporters when questioned over Ibrahimovic prior to the clash.
As for the player himself, he is in no doubt that he can continue to shine, be it at Milan or elsewhere.
“I’m like Benjamin Button,” he told Milan TV, before adding: “I’ve always been young, never old.”
