Related items

• Ibrahimovic needed three knee operations to save his career as 41-year-old Milan star reports for Sweden duty

  Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed it took three knee operations to rescue his career at the end of last season, as the Milan striker returned to centre stage on Tuesday with Sweden.

  The 41-year-old spoke at a national team press conference ahead of Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium, having been called up by coach Janne Andersson.

  Two years have passed since Andersson recalled Ibrahimovic after a long spell in the international wilderness, and he has endured cruel fortune in that subsequent time, with a knee injury ruling him out of the delayed Euro 2020 finals.

  That blow in 2021 was followed by Ibrahimovic requiring anterior cruciate knee ligament surgery at the end of last season, which was necessary to extend his playing days.

  Milan announced in late May that Ibrahimovic, who played through the pain barrier to help them win the Serie A title, had undergone an operation on the problematic left knee.

  Ibrahimovic said on Tuesday: "The truth is I had three surgeries, not one."

  He explained the process of getting the knee back in working order was then a struggle, and he had to stubbornly persist while initially seeing no improvement.

  "The problem was that the feedback was not positive," he said. "They tried to move forward, but it was then two steps backwards.

  "I never saw any light that gave me energy, that gave me answers that what I was doing was good. But then something happened and I came out of a dark room and everything became bright and positive. It was hard, but I had a lot of patience."

  He is set to be a substitute against Belgium and Azerbaijan during this international camp, and to score for his country again, for the first time since netting against Denmark in November 2015, would cap his comeback.

  "That would mean everything," Ibrahimovic said. "I want to be compared to everyone else. But it's always fun to score goals in the national team of course and here at home in front of the Swedish people. If the opportunity comes, I will score, 100 per cent."

  As the old man of the team, Ibrahimovic knows he is particularly conspicuous in the company of far younger colleagues.

  He scored a penalty in Milan's weekend defeat to Udinese, becoming the oldest scorer in Serie A history, and is determined to wring every last drop from his career.

  "I was sitting yesterday when we had dinner," he said, quoted in Aftonbladet. "I told [my team-mates]: 'You're probably wondering what I'm doing here. That you think I'm stupid in the head. That I am here, 41 years old and playing in the national team.'

  "But then I said: 'Wait until you're near the end. Then you will understand everything I am doing now, that it will be like a panic. You don't want to stop, you want to continue.'"

• Mbappe 'ticks all the boxes' as Deschamps explains why PSG star is new France captain

  Didier Deschamps backed Kylian Mbappe to bring a "unifying" influence to his new role as captain of France.

  The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the outstanding candidate to replace Hugo Lloris, who retired from international duty after the World Cup.

  Mbappe was reportedly told of his appointment by coach Deschamps after a dinner on Monday, and Antoine Griezmann has been confirmed as vice-captain.

  Reports said Griezmann, who turned 32 on Tuesday, was disappointed not to be handed the captaincy, having been a mainstay of the team for many years.

  However, Mbappe is himself richly experienced on the international stage after making his debut as an 18-year-old some six years ago. He has gone on to score 36 goals in 66 appearances.

  Twelve of those goals have come in World Cups, with Mbappe helping France win the 2018 tournament before their runner-up finish at Qatar 2022, where he won the Golden Boot.

  Deschamps told French broadcaster TF1: "Kylian Mbappe is the new captain of Les Blues. Antoine Griezmann is the vice-captain.

  "Kylian ticks all the boxes to have this responsibility. On the field as in group life, by being a unifying element."

  Mbappe will lead the team into their Euro 2024 qualifiers, which start against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland this fortnight.

  His first game as skipper will be against the Dutch on Friday at the Stade de France.

  France's squad gathered at their Clairefontaine training base on Monday. They trained on Tuesday with the crucial question of who might be captain having been resolved.

• Lazio condemn anti-Semitic crowd shame in Rome derby

  Lazio have condemned anti-Semitic behaviour by a number of their supporters during Sunday's Rome derby after Italy's sports minister expressed concerns.

  As well as chanting from fans that sparked a complaint from the Jewish Community of Rome, one fan was seen to be wearing a shirt with the name 'Hitlerson' on its back, along with the number 88, which is used by neo-Nazis as numerical code for 'Heil Hitler'.

  Efforts are under way to identify that Lazio fan, with the club recognising there is a problem. They indicated progress had already been made and said news of investigations would come within hours.

  In January, Lazio were moved to condemned "despicable, shameful and anachronistic" racist abuse aimed at Lecce players Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda in a Serie A match.

  Now they face more scrutiny over this episode.

  Ruth Dureghello, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, wrote on Twitter: "A whole curve singing anti-Semitic chants, a 'fan' in the stands with the Hitlerson shirt and the number 88 and we, as always, are the only ones to get indignant and protest. Is it possible that everyone continues to ignore it?"

  In response to that message, Italy's sports minister Andrea Abodi said: "Impossible to pretend nothing happened. I will do my part, as I feel I have to do. Respect is due and not negotiable!"

  Lazio's Curva Nord was ordered to be closed for a game against Empoli after the abuse dished out to the Lecce players.

  The club issued a statement on Tuesday in which they said Lazio were "at the forefront, especially under the current presidency, in publicly condemning, preventing and unreservedly repressing any discriminatory, racist or anti-Semitic demonstration or action".

  It said the club "dissociates itself from any illegal and anachronistic behaviour of this type, as it is above all an injured party by such behaviour".

  Lazio won the derby 1-0, with three players sent off, including one from each team at the end of the game.

  Lazio said the anti-Semitic conduct amounted to "a dangerous germ" in which many who take part "do not even know the meaning and scope" of their actions.

  The club said they had attempted to "avoid, isolate and contrast these phenomena", saying their commitment is to "inclusion, sportsmanship and respect for all".

  Lazio's actions will be judged along with their words, and the club said they had observers at the Roma match, led by former deputy chief of police Nicolo D'Angelo, looking to identify those responsible.

  The club said: "In the next few hours we will communicate the already positive results of our activity, trusting in the effective collaboration of the institutions responsible for safeguarding democratic rules."