Ronaldo, Messi, Zlatan: Best players over 34 years old XI

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a one-year contract extension with AC Milan, which will take his playing career past his 41st birthday.

Doubts over Ibrahimovic’s future emerged this summer with his contract expiring as he recovers from ACL reconstruction surgery, but per Fabrizio Romano, he will return to football with the Serie A winners.

The Swedish forward managed 27 appearances in all competitions last season but still chipped in with eight goals and three assists, as he helped Milan to return to the top of Italian football, while bogged down with a serious knee injury.

He still faces a significant recovery period before getting back onto the pitch for the Rossoneri and is expected to miss the remainder of the current year, but signing the new deal signals his intent to make an impact on Milan’s 2022/23 season.

Ibrahimovic has enjoyed a stellar career which has only become more iconic in the last few years as he continues to display his surreal longevity. And while the injuries are beginning to catch up, he remains effective as ever in front of goal and is still more than capable of finding the back of the net at the top level.

Many thought that career at the top would fizzle out when an ACL injury forced his Manchester United career to a premature end in 2018, but he bounced back with a spell in MLS and has since made a seamless return to Europe and Serie A.

With sports science and the importance of recovery only continuing to develop, top players are beginning to widen their peaks and continue into their later years, extending their careers further.

It takes a special breed of player to be able to maintain their peak levels into their mid-to-late thirties, though, which is highlighted by the small, elite group that