Zlatan Ibrahimovic enjoys being the center of attention, insists Hakan Calhanoglu

Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to AC Milan in January 2020 for his second spell at the club on a free transfer after leaving the Italian side in 2012. The Swedish striker's departure from the San Siro had coincided with Milan's decline in standards and quality over a decade and Ibrahimovic outlined his desire of restoring the club to its glory days upon joining the club.

The talismanic Swede has suffered various injuries throughout his second stint at the club but he delivered on his promise the past season as Milan won the Scudetto on the final day of the season beating out cross-town rivals Inter. 

Although the 40-year-old didn’t contribute significantly to the Italian side’s title charge he had his moments as his decisive goals against Udinese, Roma were crucial for Milan. Ibrahimovic was also the Rossoneri’s third-highest top scorer across all competitions as they catapulted themselves to the top of Italian football.

Former Milan attacker Calhanoglu who joined Inter in the summer on a free transfer had proclaimed that he had joined the club to win the Serie A only to see his former side secure domestic glory. The Turkish midfielder blasted Ibrahimovic for not contributing on the pitch and being the centre of attention off it.

“Ibrahimovic is a 40-year-old man, not 18, so I wouldn’t do that sort of thing at his age. He just likes being the centre of attention. He didn’t contribute to the Scudetto this season, he barely played, but will do everything to be the focus anyway,” Calhanoglu told Tivibu Spor.

“Besides, he is the one who always calls me up, asks me to go out to dinner. He wrote about me in his book too. He had to write something, or it would’ve been blank pages. It’s best not to bother, honestly,” he added.