Ibrahimovic reveals three demands he issued to Cardinale before agreeing Milan return

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed the three demands he put to Gerry Cardinale in order for him to return to AC Milan as an advisor.

Ibrahimovic finished his playing career at Milan following the 2023-24 season but after just a few months he was back at the club. Officially he is a Senior Advisor to the ownership group RedBird Capital, and this has caused quite a bit of mystery about his day-to-day role.

What does appear clear is that the Swede has taken a step back from being so public-facing, especially after a disastrous season in which the Rossoneri finished eighth in the league. He has however given a bit more insight in the past couple of days, returning to speaking to the papers and at a FIFA event.

Ibrahimovic: Why I returned to Milan

Ibrahimovic gave a long interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport this morning which we have translated in full, but there were a couple of interesting excerpts about how his Milan return materialised.

“It all started after a 25-year career in football, at full speed. Then I had 3-4 months of freedom to do what I wanted, without a schedule, I spent a lot of time with my children and… after 25 years, I met my wife. And the good news is that we’re still together!

“After three months, I saw Giorgio Furlani and he said, ‘I want you to meet Gerry Cardinale.’ I did: twice in Milan, the third in Los Angeles. But I didn’t want anything, I felt like a free man, I didn’t want to start making plans again. He insisted, he challenged me, and I always said no.

“Then I got curious. I asked him three things to agree: 1) I have to be myself, no one can cage me in; 2) if I come in, it has to be long-term; 3) I’m coming back to win. He said, ‘that’s why we’re here’.

“My role hasn’t changed, it’s still the same: I represent the owners. Last year, I did more than I had to. No one asked me to, I just felt like doing it, but I didn’t like it, because if I can’t be myself, I don’t feel good. I don’t want to be caged in, and in fact, I didn’t want an office. I go to the people I need to talk to.”