Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has written himself into Serie A history by becoming just the fourth player to net in their first six league games of the season.
The veteran Swede continues to confound critics with his performances for the Serie A leaders.
At 39, there were those who believed he was too old to be a force in one of Europe’s leading leagues, yet he has started the season in utterly prolific form.
On Sunday, he continued his six-game domestic scoring streak by opening the scoring away from home against Napoli, elevating him into a select club of stars.
The Swede wasn’t done after his 20th-minute opener however, as he also netted in the 54th minute to seal a brace in a 3-1 win.
The two goals gave Ibrahimovic another record: He is now the oldest player to score at least 10 goals in the first eight Serie A matchdays.
Previously, there were only three other players to score in their opening six Serie A matches of the season.
Gabriel Batistuta of Fiorentina was the first to complete the feat in 1994-95, before Christian Vieri matched it in the 2002-03 season with Inter. Krzysztof Piatek then did it in 2018-19 under Genoa’s colours.
It wasn’t a perfect night for Ibrahimovic, however, as he had to be taken off early due to a muscle injury, leaving Milan sweating over the fitness of their star forward.
Ibrahimovic’s current run started on September 21 when he struck both goals in a 2-0 win over Bologna. His season was then interrupted as he missed a couple of fixtures after being infected by Covid-19.
When he returned to the field, he did so in spectacular fashion. Again, he was on target with a double, this time in the derby against Inter, then versus Roma he bagged another pair in a 3-3 draw.
The run continued into November when he both scored and assisted in a 2-1 victory over Udinese and prior to the international break he scored versus Hellas Verona.
While he has been deadly in Serie A, he has not been quite so effective in European football. He has featured in all three of Milan’s Europa League group-stage matches but has just a single assist against Sparta Prague to his credit on the continent thus far.
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