Stats show Zlatan Ibrahimovic is getting better with age – as he scores his 300th goal since turning 30
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC will be the first to confirm he is getting better with age – and the stats back him up.
The LA Galaxy striker, now 37, has scored 300 goals since turning 30 on October 3, 2011.
And they come in just 371 matches, meaning his goals-per-game ratio since hitting the big 30 is an impressive 0.81.
His stats have been boosted by another brilliant season in the MLS this term.
In just 26 appearances for the Californian side, his 27 goals include a hat-trick in the 7-2 win against Kansas City last week and then another finish last night to help see off Montreal Impact to bring up the treble ton.
Ibrahimovic turned 30 during his only permanent season at AC Milan in 2011/12.
He hit 35 goals that season before moving to Paris Saint-Germain – a few before October 3 – where he banged in 156 goals across a four-year spell in Ligue 1.
Two campaigns with Manchester United followed but Zlatan struggled with a knee injury for the majority of the second, limiting his total to 29 goals.
He then headed Stateside but has proved he still has plenty left to give – as he would be quick to remind anyone who doubted him.
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In the last eight years, Ibrahimovic has won 11 major trophies including four Ligue 1 crowns on the bounce, six domestic cups and the Europa League.
Up until his 30th birthday, Ibra scored a very respectable 232 goals in 528 matches at a ratio of 0.44 strikes for every appearance made.
He started out at Swedish outfit Malmo then enjoyed four years with Ajax, two at Juventus, three at Inter Milan, one at Barcelona and then one on loan with AC Milan.
In that time, the Swedish great managed two Eredivisie titles, five Serie As in a row – although both at Juventus were revoked – and then La Liga and another Serie A as well as the KNVB Cup and Fifa Club World Cup.
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Zlatan scored a national-record 62 goals for Sweden in his 116 caps up until 2016, 28 of those coming before his 30th birthday and 34 after.
But as he continues to smash in the goals, no wonder Manchester United fans are desperate for the Swede to return to Old Trafford.
They are getting especially now as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no recognised currently available – with Jesse Lingard spending the final 30 minutes up front in the drab defeat at West Ham.