Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still turning on the style for the LA Galay at 36 years of age, with the former Manchester United and Juventus striker making it clear that injury was never going to stop him.
Back in April 2017, during a productive debut campaign at Old Trafford, the enigmatic Swede suffered a serious knee injury while in Europa League action.
He would be forced under the knife as a result, with a long rehabilitation programme required in order to return to full health. Ibrahimovic had already enjoyed an illustrious career that spanned across some of Europe’s real powerhouses, but retirement wasn’t an option. The fire in his belly was still flickering.
After seven months of intense rehabilitation, Ibrahimovic defied the odds and finally made his return for United, coming on as a substitute against Newcastle last October.
Ibrahimovic was, however, able to rejoin United on a short-term deal during the 2017-18 campaign before later agreeing to head for America.
Now back at the peak of his powers, a modern day icon has been a revelation in MLS, netting 15 times in 17 appearances to date.
The most recent of those efforts came in a clash with Orlando City, with a 24-minute hat-trick allowing the Galaxy to hit back from 2-1 down to claim a stunning 4-3 win.
Ibrahimovic has been revelling in those heroics, with there never any doubt in his mind that he would get back to his talismanic best.
He posted in a message on his personal Instagram account which was accompanied by a picture of his surgically scared knee: “They said it was over. I said NO.”
Ibrahimovic boldly declared during his recovery that he would return to action an even better player.
He said: “I will go through this like everything else and come back even stronger.
“So far I played with one leg so it shouldn’t be any problem. One thing is for sure, I decide when it’s time to stop and nothing else. Giving up is not an option. See you soon.”
On the strength of a hat trick in a wild seven-goal match and a crucial assist to add drama to one of the league’s best new rivalries, LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was voted the Alcatel MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 22 of the 2018 MLS season.
In the first of two Week 22 matches for the Galaxy, a 2-2 draw against LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on Thursday, Ibrahimovic’s assist in the 82nd minute put his team up 2-1 and allowed them to secure a road result.
On Sunday, at home in the StubHub Center, Ibrahimovic recorded his first MLS hat trick, adding an assist for good measure, to lead the Galaxy to a wild 4-3 win over Orlando City SC in which the Galaxy overcame three deficits over the course of the match before persevering, extending the team’s unbeaten streak to nine.
Ibrahimovic is currently the league’s second top goal scorer, with 15 goals in 17 games played. Heading into this weekend’s slate of games, the Galaxy are third in the Western Conference with 35 points (10-7-5 overall record).
Though he was a late scratch for this past Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, and won’t be available for the team’s return to action on Saturday, August 4 to face Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+), he could see the field again as soon as August 11, when the Galaxy host Minnesota United FC.
The Alcatel MLS Player of the Week is chosen each week of the regular season by members of the North American Soccer Reporters. The organization includes print, television, radio and online journalists who cover domestic men’s soccer in the United States and Canada.