Competitor? Ibrahimovic: I don’t pay attention to others. This is not arrogance. I must strengthen myself to let others pay attention to me.

Ibrahimovic accepted an exclusive interview with "Gazzetta dello Sport" and talked about his role in Milan, the club's season goals, his son and youth training and other topics.

Ibrahimovic, as a partner of Red Bird and consultant of Milan, how is the life of the management?

"I already have gray hair...I came with a ponytail, and now I am like this, and I will be bald soon..."

Ibrahimovic, will you hide it? This isn't like you.

"If you know me a little bit, you know that my mentality is different. It's a winner's mentality."

Is aiming for fourth too low?

"Milan's DNA is winning, especially in Europe, and we have to get back to that. No one wants to change Milan, its culture or traditions. And because I'm going to give you a rule: no one can change Milan, it's Milan that changes you. In Milanello you can smell winning The atmosphere of Leigh, after you have been there, you are no longer the same player. At Milanello, everyone from the chef to the gardener ensures that Allegri and the team can perform at their best."

Can Modric be the same role in this Milan as when you won the championship?

"We are different. He is a leader on the court and relatively low-key off the court, but he brings the experience that we are missing. Even if he does not play a "amazing" performance, you can learn things just by being around him. On the court, we said to him, "Go on, it's up to you." I respect him now. Are you surprised by his performance? No, he has been playing like this for twenty years. Many people stay at the top for two years and then disappear. Others can maintain a high level for twenty years, and they are real champions, even if they don't win the Ballon d'Or: "Rabiot has also contributed a lot.

"He should have come a year ago, we tried, but he wanted to play in France."

Who could be the surprise?

"Pavlovich can still improve. Jimenez will score a lot of goals once he breaks his goal drought. Yasari is a first-class player. Ricci will also grow: the team is the right combination of the present and the future."

What do you say about your opponents? Napoli, Inter Milan, Juventus?

"I don't pay attention to others, not out of arrogance, because if I rely on others, it means that I am not strong enough. I have to make myself strong and let others pay attention to me."

Your two sons, Maximilian (19 years old) and Vincent (17 years old), both play for Milan: What kind of father are you? Follow them? Close or far?

"Until the age of 16, they took their mother's surname. Then they came to me and told me they wanted to be called Ibrahimovic. They were ready, mentally prepared, and I made them understand that it was not going to be easy."

Have you not interfered with the sons' coaches?

“When they first started training, I didn’t set foot in the training ground for two years. I don’t know if it was wrong because I also wanted to enjoy their growing moments, but I didn’t want to cause chaos. Now that they are playing, I help, give advice, follow them. But I judge them like I judge everyone else. What really pisses me off is a lot of the stupid stuff that gets circulated. For example, some players are not signed because of me. Even for my son, it is unfair: if they can come in, it must be through their own efforts, if it is my wish, they will play in the first team and the national team. "

Speaking of this. Milan Futures were relegated to the amateur league after one Serie C season.

"We formed this team not to 'survive' in Serie C, but to build a platform designed to fill the gap between the youth team and the first team - a key link that has been missing for too long - and to develop talent. This is a project that involves the entire youth team. The long-term project of the training system: from the youth team to the first team. The management is convinced of this and has decided to invest firmly. They are satisfied with the work that Kirovsky and Vergini are advancing."

In short, you just don't say the word "champion" to me?

"Do I believe it? Yes, we all have to believe it. But it's a process, a team job."

Sorry: We went from 'Ibrahimovic God' to 'me' and 'us'?

"Wait a minute: Ibrahimovic is still God. If I am on the field, I have all the answers; in the stands, I still suffer from not being able to help the team. I have no personal goals, everything I do is for Milan. And to win again."