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Maximilian Ibrahimovic is moving from one club his father used to play for, and going to another. The 19-year-old winger, the son of soccer great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, joined Ajax on loan from AC Milan on Wednesday.
“It’s cool that he also played for Ajax. I am happy that I have the opportunity to play here also and to develop,” Maximilian Ibrahimović said.
“I want to write my own story. I am my own person, my own player, I am here to do my own thing. And I am really looking forward to that.”
Zlatan Ibrahimović currently serves as senior adviser to Milan’s American owners — acting as the key link between them and the club’s sporting operations, including player development — and would have had a significant part in his son’s move.
Italian media reports said Ajax has paid Milan 3.5 million euros ($4 million) for the loan until the end of the season, when the Dutch club will have the option to make the deal permanent.
Like father, like son
“We are very pleased with the arrival of Maximilian,” said Marijn Beuker, Ajax’s director of football. “He is a talented forward with a good sense of positioning in and around the penalty area, and he has strong goal-oriented finishing.
“He is skillful with his dribbling and, above all, has a great winner’s mentality and training attitude.”
The Swede has progressed through the youth teams at Milan but has never played for the senior team, although he was part of the squad that traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Italian Super Cup last month.
He has scored five goals in 16 matches for Milan Futuro this season.
“He will initially mainly get his playing minutes with Ajax U23 and will regularly move between Ajax U23 and the first team during the season, so that he can get used to the higher level and the intensity of Ajax 1,” Beuker said.
“Maximilian is a player with a lot of potential, and we hope that in time he can become a permanent part of Ajax 1’s attack.”
‘I am just Maximilian’
Zlatan Ibrahimović played for Ajax from 2001-2005, netting 48 goals in 110 appearances and winning the Dutch league twice as well as the KNVB Cup.
The talismanic forward scored 93 goals in 163 appearances over two spells at Milan, winning two Serie A titles and the Italian Super Cup.
“Ibrahimović is just a name. I am just Maximilian,” the younger Ibrahimović said. “If I cared about my name then it would be all wrong, it wouldn’t even be fun to play if I would always compare myself. I don’t even think I look like him.”
Zlatan’s other son, the 17-year-old Vincent Ibrahimović, recently signed his first professional contract with Milan.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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