Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 'If I was here from day one, AC Milan would have won the title'

Ibrahimovic scored from the penalty spot as Milan staged a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to beat Juventus 4-2

Adrien Rabiot celebrates scoring the first for Juventus. Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. Reuters

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of the game. AFP

AC Milan's Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic next to Cristiano Ronaldo after Zlatan's penalty. AFP

AC Milan's Franck Kessie celebrates after scoring his side's second goal. AP

AC Milan's Rafael Leao celebrates after scoring his side's third. AP

AC Milan's Ante Rebic after scoring his side's fourth goal. AP

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus shows his dejection. Getty

Ronaldo leaves the pitch at the end of the match. AFP

Juventus's Italian coach Maurizio Sarri. AFP

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said AC Milan would have won the Serie A title if he had joined the club at the start of the season.

Ibrahimovic, who returned to the San Siro club for a second time in January, scored from the penalty spot as Milan staged a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down against champions Juventus to win 4-2 on Tuesday.

Milan have been in fine form since the restart, claiming four wins and a draw in five games, including a 3-0 thrashing of second-placed Lazio.

The recent run of results took Milan up to fifth in the Serie A table, but with a 14-point deficit on fourth-placed Atalanta with seven games remaining, their Champions League hopes are all but over for another season.

It has left Ibrahimovic wondering what might have been.

"It's no secret that I'm old, but it's just a number," the 38-year-old Swede said. "I wanted to feel alive and I just want to play. I don't have the same physique before, but I can overcome that with intelligence."

Ibrahimovic's presence appeared to have galvanised Milan, who last won the title in 2011. They have lost only twice since his arrival and climbed to fifth, having at one point dropped to 14th.

"I'm sorry I came halfway through the season," he said. "If I was here from day one we'd have won the championship."

After being substituted on Tuesday, he was seen yelling encouragement to his teammates from the touch-line.

"I'm president, coach, and player. But I only get paid to be a player. That's the downside," he joked.

Serie A is being played without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Ibrahimovic regretted that there were no fans to witness Tuesday's win at San Siro, while hinting that he may not be staying beyond the end of the season.

"If it had been full, it would have been nice, the fans could have had fun with us," he said.

"I have a month to have fun, then things happen here that we can't control. I'm sorry for the fans, they may not see me in person anymore," he said. "They could have seen me live for the last time – read between the lines."