Ibrahimovic states Milan are ‘central’ in RedBird’s plans: “I can be the target” | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been a polarising figure for AC Milan since returning in 2023, and this has been shown heavily in 2025 so far.

It has been a strange start to 2025 for Milan for a multitude of reasons. Despite a good January mercato, the club bowed out of the Champions League twice, failing to win any of their last three games in Europe.

Unfortunately, with another loss at the weekend, the Rossoneri are in a difficult position, and if frustrations were not there before, they certainly are now. It is not just a case of one target though, and everyone has been on the receiving end of criticism.

One of the top cases though has been Ibrahimovic’s – who has been a regular target for criticism.

Today, the Swede spoke at length to the Italian GQ magazine about his return, his role, Milan and RedBird, and his comments have been relayed by Milan News.

On wearing a suit…

“As a footballer, you are always in a tracksuit, in sportswear, whatever you want. I promised the team at the beginning: you will never see me in a jacket and tie. Instead, everything changed quickly. Do I like wearing a suit? No. I admit it. I don’t feel comfortable.

“I am an athlete, a sportsman. But every time I want to dress the way I want, Helena looks at me and says: ‘Today you have to wear a suit’. I answer: ‘Why?’. And she says: ‘Because you have a press conference. So put on a tie and shut up. Let’s go’.

“But I understand it too: today I don’t dress to represent who I am. I dress for the role I have: today I represent Milan, I represent RedBird.”

On teamwork…

“Just like on the pitch, teamwork is the most important thing here. That’s what I told Gerry Cardinale when I agreed to work with him. I told him clearly: ‘It’s not a one-man show anymore. I’m not here to save anyone.

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“If you think that’s the case, let’s drop it right now. I’m not here to save the situation. I’m here to learn from others and help them do their best. Learn. Help. Teamwork.'”

On his new role…

“I told Gerry, I’m probably the only person on that site who didn’t go to Harvard. In fact, I come from the streets. He laughed. He says he wants me for that too. It was all thanks to Gerry. When I stopped playing I was 42.

“I said to myself: ‘Listen, you have to be realistic. You have to accept that you are not the same as before.’ The biggest problem, the real problem that every footballer has, is precisely this: accepting reality and putting the ego aside. Understanding that you are past your expiration date. I did it. I accepted it. And that’s how I found my peace.

“Since then I’ve been calm. And that was the hardest part.”

On life after retiring from playing football…

“I started enjoying life in a different way, without training every day. I spent a lot of time with my family, as I always do. I’m not someone who goes out at night.

“If you look at my Instagram, you’ll never find a photo of my wife or my children. Because for me they are sacred, private. And so, after I stopped playing, I spent a lot of time with them. And I relived my life through them.

“It was like a flashback, but with them but not with me on the pitch. Because when I played, I had little time for them. Now I wanted to recover. It was truly fantastic.”

On returning to Milan as a manager…

“I wasn’t even looking for something to do. No challenge, nothing. I said to myself: ‘Take your time. Watch what happens. Slow down. Get used to the new life’. And after three months I came to visit the guys here at Milan.

“I spoke to Furlani, the CEO. He liked our chat and said to me: ‘You should meet Gerry Cardinale’. So I met him. We talked. He wanted to know more about me, what I wanted, and who I am. Get to know me better.

“Then he said to me: ‘I want you to be in RedBird. Not in Milan. In RedBird. I want you to work with Milan. Bring your experience. Learn the other side of football, the one you don’t see on the pitch. The finances, the numbers, how everything works’”.

On the new challenge…

“I’m someone who loves big challenges. When I do something, it has to be something huge. Otherwise, I don’t feel the adrenaline, the pressure. And I need pressure. I don’t like normal things.

“At first I said no, I’m not interested. Also because when my agent Mino Raiola passed away, a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to join his company, and become an agent. I thought about it. And I was clear with Gerry: I said, listen, I have this opportunity, and I also have the one you’re offering me, but in reality… I don’t want either of them. Because my life at that time was beautiful like this.

“I didn’t depend on anyone. No schedule to follow. No seven o’clock alarm clock. The only plan I had were my two ninjas, my two boys, and Helena. And then obviously life at home, training. And then, what happened?

“It was Gerry, like I told you. He pushes. He pushes hard. Now I understand why he’s successful: he never gives up. He’s the real Wolf of Wall Street. He always gets what he wants.

“In the end, he gave me an opportunity that I couldn’t say no to. And then my wife also said to me: ‘If I know you well, I know that after a while you’ll get bored. You need a challenge. Go, do what you have to do and be yourself.’ And she knows me well. And no, it’s not about money. Because I’m not paid by Milan, you understand?

“I’m not an employee of Milan. I work for RedBird. But my responsibility is clear: to take AC Milan where it belongs. To win.”

On the famous phrase that he is the boss…

“I made a joke, one of those classic ones, from Ibra, right? But it always depends on who you joke with. Talking to you, maybe I wouldn’t say it. But there were former players there, so I said: ‘I am the boss, and everyone works for me’. The first time I said it in an interview in English, but adding that it was a joke.

“Because then I also clarified my role as advisor, representative of the ownership, and all the rest. But obviously, when I was a player, a joke like that was taken in a certain way. Now? Everyone interprets it as they want.”

On his character…

“Some people say: ‘Zlatan is arrogant’. And then everything is elaborated and amplified. Paying attention to what I say is part of the change of role. Before I was a player, I represented myself. Now I represent something much bigger.

“I represent RedBird. And I talk to Gerry every day. Because a lot of people say: ‘Cardinale is the owner, but he’s not always here’. Gerry has a lot of other things to think about, right? He often says: ‘This is not my everyday job’. But he cares, and a lot.

“He is very attached to Milan, he wants to be successful, Milan is absolutely central to RedBird’s plans. He wants to bring Milan back to where it deserves to be. In his own way, with his vision, his ambition. And we are following that path.

“He has put the right people in charge of Milan. And he gives you the responsibility, but in exchange, he wants one simple thing: results”.

On stress…

“In this job, at Casa Milan, you don’t realise you’re stressed… until you hit a wall. And when that happens, it might be too late. That’s why I try to balance everything. For example, I don’t have an office. They wanted to give me one, but I chose not to.

“A desk is not proof of effectiveness. For me, it’s putting all my effort into doing what’s needed. Stop. Whether it’s here at Casa Milan or at Milanello. How did I manage stress as a player? If I was stressed, angry, or there was something I didn’t like, I went to the gym for two hours. Even today I try to train every day, when I can.

“To vent my anger, to get out my energy. If something doesn’t work, if something doesn’t close, I let it all out like this: I train, I suffer in training. Because I like to suffer. In my head it’s clear: if you want to get to the top, you have to suffer.”

On the new work environment…

“New situations always happen here. I’m not used to everything yet, so I observe, learn, and gain experience. I have my say when it’s necessary, but if I don’t feel confident, I don’t tell others what to do in their field.

“If it’s not my area, I trust the person in front of me. He has to make the right decision. But one thing is clear: I expect results. Everything we do must bring results. We are not a charity foundation. We are a football club. And in football, results count. Because I always say: ‘Milan doesn’t play to win a match. They don’t play to win trophies. Milan writes history’.”

On the winning mentality…

“Do you know how we won the last Scudetto when I was playing? With the mentality. Because with the right motivation, and with the right mentality, an athlete is capable of anything. We weren’t the strongest team, but we won because we were mentally stronger. That’s what I try to bring, always.

“It’s different, obviously, at Milanello and at Casa Milan, because when I see a player, I know what to do to motivate him, I know who I have to hug, I know who I have to smile at, I know who I have to look askance at, I know who I have to raise my voice with. I know that dressing room very well.

“With the business part, it’s more subtle. The thing I care about most is the idea of ​​uniting these two worlds, because there isn’t the team over there, at Milanello, and the club, here, at Casa Milan. There’s only one thing, there’s only Milan. And I want to unite these worlds. That’s how we work.

“A new player arrives? He comes with me. They tell me: ‘Ibra, it would be nice if Walker visited Casa Milan’. I say, ‘Don’t worry, he’ll visit every floor, and he’ll say hello to everyone. He will.’ And he did. It was incredible. So he sees the whole system: the business, the commercial, the team, the staff. All together.”

On the youth sector and Milan Futuro…

“We bring a new culture, in our own way. Like the idea of ​​creating Milan Futuro, which is very important to us. For me, the Academy is fundamental. Without the base, there is no summit. The summit, the first team, is incredible because it is the heart. But it is the base that holds the heart.

“It is the blood. The blood that circulates and makes the heart work. Milan must have a great Academy. And that is how ideas bounce, we discuss, and we try new things. We are also much younger managers than the average in Italy, and I assure you that when you see us next to other teams, you notice it.

“Our approach is to do things our way. And it’s not that I command and the others follow, no. We talk, we discuss. We are here to build something new. Without fear. This is the real answer, if you ask me what my role is.

“I’ll give you another example. For the first time, I brought the whole team to San Siro. They had to say hello to the whole Academy, everyone. Because I want the youth team to see the first team. And I want the first team to see who they are representing. Who they play for, and who they are an example to.

“It’s a question of mentality. And for the kids? Wow. People went crazy. Before, one, a maximum of two players would go to say hello. Now? Everyone.”

On the Milan family…

“When we won the Super Cup in Riyadh when we were on the pitch celebrating, the first thing I said to my parents was: ‘When we get back, let’s bring the trophy to Casa Milan. Let’s take a photo with everyone. Because everyone has the right to see this trophy, not just the players.’ And when I say everyone, I mean everyone.

“Not just the masseurs or physiotherapists, but all of Milan, all of the salespeople, absolutely everyone. This is the most important thing. That’s why our motto is ‘Winning Together’.”

On Milan…

“In the end, my role doesn’t matter. What matters is Milan. We want Milan to be successful. Everything we do here, we do for Milan.

“There is no ego, at least for me. I said it’s not a one-man show. I prefer to stay in the shadows, I don’t even want to take any credit. Believe me, I told the guys: ‘I don’t even want to be in the photos or videos’. Then I understood that they have to exploit certain dynamics, and I respect that.

“Trust me: if it were up to me, you wouldn’t see me. I would just work. Work, work, work. Milan is the star. Not me. I’m here today, and I’m here tomorrow, okay? But the day after tomorrow? Maybe I’m no longer here. Milan, on the other hand, continues to exist. And I do it for Milan, not for myself.

“Milan gave me happiness the first time. And it gave me happiness the second time too. But I don’t do it for personal interest. I don’t need this. I’m famous, I don’t need money, and I don’t even need followers.

“I do it for Milan, and because I want to learn new things. When I played, everything revolved around me. Today I’m the bodyguard: if they have to shoot someone, let them shoot me. I want to protect the team and the club. I’m not afraid of it, because I shoot back twice. So I can be the target.

“I spent ten years at war. And if you live through a war in the Balkans, it’s not that they call you to tell you how it’s going. You’re the one waiting for the call, to know what’s happening. To know if your family is okay. Every day someone calls you crying, and you don’t know if they’ll still be alive tomorrow. And you can’t do anything.

“If someone has spent ten years like this, they’re not afraid of anyone. Because that’s something else. That’s the real fear. And when the media talk about me? It doesn’t affect me. For 25 years as a footballer, they attacked me every day. Why? Because I was the best.

“Whether they talk well or badly, if they talk about you it means you’re on top of the world. And here it’s the same: everyone always talks about Milan. Why? Because we are the greatest.”

On RedBird’s Milan…

“Milan is the most famous club in Italy. We represent Italian football in the world. DNA, mentality, pedigree. The numbers speak for themselves. Everyone talks about us. And if they talk about us, it means we are doing something great. A new mentality.

“Our management is young, international. People with different visions, and different ambitions: there is hunger. And this is incredible. We are not afraid. This is our strength. We do what we believe in, without fear, without limits, we do things our own way.

“We do not look at others. We move forward, always. Whatever wall we find in front of us? We break it down. And trust me: we are rock and roll. Always aiming for results. We are the new school.”