Zlatan Ibrahimovic had to improvise after getting stuck in traffic en route to an Italian music festival on Thursday.- The Swede abandoned his chaffeured car and convinced an AC Milan fan on a motorbike to take him instead.
- After his arrival, Ibrahimovic sang a duet on stage with Bologna manager Sinisa Mihajlovic.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is well known for improvizing when it comes to finding new methods of scoring goals.
However, on Thursday, the AC Milan striker had improvize in a different way when he found himself stuck in traffic en route to an Italian music festival.
All week Ibrahimovic has been a special guest at the Sanremo Music Festival, Italy's best-known and oldest song contest, which is believed to have been the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest
As he faced down being late, rather than panic, the Swedish striker instead hitched a ride with a civilian riding a motorcycle.
"After three hours in the car I told my driver to open the door to let me out," Ibrahimovic explained on stage.
"I stopped a motorcyclist and asked him: 'Can you take me to Sanremo?' Luckily he was a Milan fan. When we got here he told me: 'That was my first time on the motorway.' I've got the video!"
—Ufficio Stampa Rai (@Raiofficialnews) March 4, 2021
Sanremo is about 170 miles and three hours drive from Milan without traffic, but Italian broadcaster Rai said he Ibrahimovic was picked up with around 40 miles of his journey to go.
Ibrahimovic, who is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, missed Wednesday's proceedings in Sanremo to watch AC Milan draw 1-1 with Udinese at the San Siro.
After returning in style on Thursday, the Swede took part in a rendition of Italian classic "La Vagabondo" alongside close friend and current Bologna head coach Sinisa Mihajlovic.
Mihajlovic revealed the pair were set to sing the song together last month.
"The two things I do least well are singing and dancing," Mihajlovic told Sky Italia. "Ibra is also a terrible singer. At least we'll make people laugh."
He wasn't wrong.
—RaiPlay (@RaiPlay) March 4, 2021
This year's Sanremo Music Festival is being held behind-closed-doors thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy is currently operating under a tiered restrictions system, but spectators are banned from live events in all tiers until at least the beginning of April.