Zlatan Ibrahimovic has never been shy about the fact that he likes to keep himself in peak physical condition, but the AC Milan striker's latest reminder of the sheer level of conditioning it takes to still be playing in Serie A at the age of 40 has really made an impact.
One of Ibrahimovic's regular posts on social media showing his workout routines went viral this week when the Sweden international shared a video of himself undergoing a particularly gruelling workout.
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
The former Juventus, Barcelona, Manchester United and LA Galaxy forward's latest clip involved him doing ab crunches while hanging from a punchbag in his gym, held up only by his legs locked around it as it was suspended from the ceiling. The video was accompanied by a one-word caption: "Patience."
It wasn't long before fans around the world took note with Ibrahimovic's post garnering 11.8 million views within the first 24 hours after it was first posted on Instagram.
Milan signalled their approval via their verified club account by responding in the comments with three "flexed bicep" emojis, while fellow pros including teammate Samu Castillejo and Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo also applauded the forward's athletic efforts.
There were similar scenes on Twitter, where 6.2 million viewers witnessed Zlatan's punishing drill in the first day of it going live on his official account, while 4.6 million did likewise on Facebook. That's a total of more than 22m views across all three accounts.
While most viewers were content to simply sit back and watch, a few hardy souls decided to take up the challenge and post videos of their own attempts at the Zlatan crunch workout, including American jockey Ferrin Peterson.
Thanks for the challenge! #jockeyfit #challenge #HorseRacing 🏇💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/q0VdJgpvFA
— Ferrin Peterson (@FerrinPeterson) February 7, 2022
Patience 3.0 pic.twitter.com/FK8c3dbfra
— Richard M'Batna (@RichardBatna) February 7, 2022
Of course, we should all spare a thought for Zlatan's personal punchbag. That thing has taken one heck of a beating over the years.
Given Ibra's inspiring efforts, it's probably no surprise that he is considering staying on for another season even though his contract at Milan expires in the summer.
Milan technical director Paolo Maldini told DAZN at the weekend: "Zlatan knows what he wants, he doesn't fake anything, he knows what the possible agreement with Milan could be. If he doesn't feel like continuing he'll be the first to say so.
"His idea is to continue. Zlatan will never be a burden on this team, but only a resource."
With eight goals in 19 club appearances this season, Ibrahimovic is certainly making a good case for a new deal.