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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confessed that he feels a panic when he thinks about retiring from football.
The 40-year-old is not expected to hang up his boots this summer as he is in talks to sign a new contract at AC Milan.
However, he is aware the day to call time on his career will come and he expects life after football to have a “strange feeling”.
What has been said?
“I do feel a slight sense of panic at the prospect of retirement,” Ibrahimovic told reporters.
“I will certainly keep playing for as long as possible, as long as I can get results and am not suffering. I want to end my career without regrets, so I have to maximise my time.”
He added: “I know the adrenaline I feel at the moment will never be the same. We are programmed to wake up, go to training, return home and rest.
“This goes on for 20-25 years, but one day I will wake up and have nothing planned, and that will be a strange feeling.”
But the Sweden star says football fans will feel his absence more than he will miss the game, adding: “I think the greatest sadness will be yours, as you won’t get to watch me play anymore. You should enjoy it now, because you’ll never see the likes of me again.”
How has Ibrahimovic performed this season?
The AC Milan star is currently on international duty with Sweden ahead of their World Cup qualifying play-off against Czech Republic on Thursday.
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The attacker has featured 18 times in Serie A this season and scored eight goals for the San Siro outfit.
However, Ibrahimovic has not started any of his last four appearances for the club.
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