Zlatan Ibrahimović is retired, but the training switch never really flipped off. In a recent behind-the-scenes clip with Rio Ferdinand during World Cup 2026 coverage, the Swedish great said CrossFit is now the workout that pushes him hardest.
The line landed because it sounds exactly like Zlatan. He is 44 and turns 45 on October 3, but for a player who kept competing into his early 40s, the message was simple: he is not chasing mirror muscles; he is chasing discomfort.
A gym chat with a Zlatan edge
Ferdinand, the former Manchester United defender, asked Ibrahimović about the gym while the two crossed paths around the tournament coverage. Ibrahimović answered with a grin and a challenge. “I do squats. I mean, I do CrossFit. That’s the only thing that I suffer from.”
He also joked that lifting weights in front of a mirror was more Thierry Henry’s thing. The moment worked because all three men still look like they could walk into a training ground and embarrass someone–not exactly a lazy reunion.
Why CrossFit fits him
CrossFit is not just about lifting something heavy once and walking away. The company describes its workouts as high-intensity sessions built around functional movements, strength work, and cardio, which means the body is asked to push, pull, squat, jump, carry, and breathe hard in quick succession.
For a former striker, that mix makes sense. Soccer is not a straight-line sport. It asks for bursts, balance, body control, and the ability to recover when your legs are already burning.
Ibrahimović built his reputation on explosive finishes, acrobatic goals, and a body trained through soccer and martial arts from a young age. CrossFit, at least in theory, gives that competitive engine a new place to go.
Retirement did not slow the routine
Ibrahimović retired from professional soccer in June 2023, after a career that included AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Barcelona, Inter, Juventus, and Ajax.
He scored more than 570 goals, and later that year, RedBird Capital Partners announced that he would become an operating partner and senior adviser connected to the Italian club’s ownership.
That would be enough for most people to step away from brutal workouts. But in 2025, training clips of Ibrahimović lifting more than 220 lbs. drew attention online and reminded fans that retirement had not made him soft.
The point is not that every former athlete should copy him, it is that Ibrahimović still seems to need a test, the way some people miss the crowd and others miss the scoreboard. Zlatan, for the most part, appears to miss the edge.
Zlatan Ibrahimović trains with a loaded barbell during a CrossFit workout, highlighting the demanding fitness routine he still embraces after retiring from soccer.
The old stars still look ready
The same clip also turned into a small showcase for ex-players who clearly never gave up the gym. Ferdinand is 47, while Henry is 48, and both have continued to build public careers around soccer after leaving the field.
That is part of why fans reacted so quickly. Seeing old stars stay lean and strong is a bit like hearing boots click in a tunnel before kickoff. You know the game is over for them, but something in the body language says otherwise.
Online reaction had the usual Zlatan flavor. One fan joked that when Zlatan does push-ups, the Earth moves. Silly? Sure, but with Zlatan, that kind of myth-making has always been part of the show.
What young athletes should take from it
There is a useful lesson here, but it is not “train until you break.” CrossFit says its workouts can be scaled, meaning they can be adjusted to a person’s current fitness level, experience, or limitations.
That matters. Suffering in training should not mean ignoring pain, skipping technique, or turning every session into a personal final. Even elite athletes need structure, rest, and coaching.
Ibrahimović’s choice says something simpler: find the kind of training that keeps you engaged. For him, the usual gym mirror is not enough anymore.
Zlatan still chooses the hard way
There is a reason this short exchange traveled so easily. It gave fans the version of Ibrahimović they already know, confident, blunt, funny, and still allergic to doing things halfway.
At the end of the day, what he seems to be saying is that the workout has to fight back. For a player who made suffering look stylish for more than two decades, that sounds about right.
The main video has been published by Rio Ferdinand Presents.
