Zlatan Ibrahimovic claims he "played without an ACL" to win AC Milan title

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has opened up on his remarkable injury problems this season by claiming he played "without an ACL" in his left knee for six months.

The legendary Swedish striker, 40, came off the bench as AC Milan won their first Serie A title in 11 years with victory over Sassuolo on Sunday. He went under the knife in Lyon just three days later to rectify his ACL issue.

That was a revelation that means that Milan striker is set to sit out of action for the next seven or eight months, which inevitably brings fresh questions over his future in the game and possible retirement.

A statement on the Italian champion's website read: "The arthroscopy had been planned for a while to definitively resolve the joint's instability through the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament, with lateral reinforcement and meniscus reparation. The operation was a complete success and the prognosis is estimated between seven and eight months."

Yet that did not tell half the story, with Ibrahimovic now opening up on his remarkable commitment to play through the injury trauma which required "more than 20 injections" and taking painkillers every day.

In an eye-opening Instagram post, Ibrahimovic wrote: "For the past six months I played without an ACL in my left knee. Swollen knee for six months. I was only able to train with the team 10 times in the last six months.

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"Took more than 20 injections in six months. Emptied the knee once a week for six months. Painkillers every day for six months. Barely slept for six months because of the pain. Never suffered so much on and off the pitch.

"I made something impossible to something possible. In my mind I had only one objective, to make my teammates and coach champions of Italy because I made them a promise. Today I have a new ACL and another trophy."

According to Milan-based outlet Corriere della Sera, Ibrahimovic's decision on his future will rest on how his left knee responds to the major surgery it has undergone. The report adds he remains desperate to win the Champions League, which, surprisingly, has evaded him throughout a career which has spanned 24 glittering seasons playing for the likes of Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.

Speaking after Milan claimed the Scudetto, Ibrahimovic certainly seemed to be intent on staying with Milan as he declared "I'm not about to say goodbye." The veteran frontman added: "From day one when I arrived and then others arrived afterwards, very few believed in us.

"But when we understood that we needed to make sacrifices, suffer, believe and work - when this happened we became a group. And when you are a group you can achieve the things we've achieved. Now, we're champions of Italy."

Ibrahimovic returned to Milan in January 2020 and has netted 36 goals in 74 appearances for the club - including eight in 27 outings this term despite his injury hell.