8: 00 AM ET
Chris WrightToe Poke writer
AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no stranger to the rough and tumble of martial arts, and he has once again been demonstrating his fighting prowess by sharing an action-packed video on Instagram.
The 41-year-old posted a behind-the-scenes clip on social media of himself working his way through a choreographed combat sequence. With sword and shield in hand, he strode across the “battlefield” (a marquee with the floor covered in crashmats) while laying waste to a series of attackers with an array of controlled kicks and throws before ending with a little freestyle football flourish.
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 13, 2023
At first glance, the clip looks like an audition tape for makers of action movies like the “John Wick” series to consider when casting for henchmen in their next production.
But one of the hashtags accompanying the Sweden international’s post offers a clue as to why he is seen making mincemeat out of a series of stuntmen; “#antivirus” is a reference to the character he plays in his latest movie appearance.
Joining Guillaume Canet, Vincent Cassel and Marion Cotillard in the ensemble cast, Ibrahimovic plays the role of a gladiator named Caius Antivirus in “Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom,” which was released earlier this year.
Ibra, a black belt in taekwondo, impressed his followers with the clip, and many responding in the comment in the style of the man himself.
“Zlatan doesn’t use sword, sword use Zlatan,” quipped one fan, while another said: “Zlatan doesn’t fight. Zlatan is the fight.” There are plenty more, but you get the idea.
Ibrahimovic seems to be preparing to follow the likes of Neymar, Eric Cantona and even Zinedine Zidane into a post-football acting career. However, with a 4.9/10 rating on IMDB and an audience score of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, this may not be the movie to propel him into Hollywood’s A-list but his sharing of the rehearsal footage certainly won’t do his prospects any harm.
This isn’t the first time that Ibrahimovic has scored a major viral hit by showing off his physical prowess, with the former Paris Saint-Germain target man earning millions of views last year by sharing a clip of one of his truly punishing workout routines.
Aged 40 at the time, the video of Zlatan performing abdominal crunches while suspended upside down from a punch bag clasped between his thighs garnered 22 million views within the first 24 hours and has since amassed 3.6m likes from stunned onlookers around the world.
Unfortunately for us mere mortals, it turns out there isn’t any secret or shortcut when it comes to Ibrahimovic’s outstanding longevity — just lots and lots (and lots) of insanely hard work.