On December 22, AC Milan were beaten 5-0 by Atalanta in Bergamo.
The gulf in class between the seven-time champions of Europe and the side with the 13th-biggest budget in Italy was staggering, an embarrassing reminder for Milan fans of just how far their club has fallen since their last Serie A title triumph in 2011.
On Friday, Milan unveiled Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a key member of that Scudetto-winning squad, as their latest signing.
It was no less indicative of the club's fall from grace, a damning indictment of their current level of desperation.
Milan had contacted Ibrahimovic long before the Atalanta defeat. However, as the forward himself revealed on Thursday, his talks with chief football officer Zvonimir Boban and technical director Paolo Maldini intensified after the Bergamo debacle.
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"In the last two-to-three weeks, I’ve talked more with them than I have my own wife!" Ibrahimovic quipped in an interview with the club's in-house TV channel.
Boban and Maldini are both under pressure in light of Milan's dire form – they currently sit 11th in Serie A – and the fact that they had to sack Marco Giampaolo, the coach they hired to much fanfare last summer, after just seven rounds.
It's easy, then, to understand why they felt compelled to seek a quick fix. Ibrahimovic spent just two years at AC Milan, between 2010 and 2012, but remains an immensely popular figure with the fans, as underlined by the hysteria that greeted his return to the city on Thursday.
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Getty
He scored 42 times in just 61 appearances, claiming the Capocannoniere in his second season, and the argument could certainly be made that the Swede still has something to offer at this level.
He is, after all, a serial winner in Serie A, having won six previous titles (though his two with Juventus were later revoked after Calciopoli). Indeed, it wasn't so long ago that in Italy they used to say, "If you buy Zlatan, you buy the Scudetto."
Milan, of course, aren't targeting the title, or even Champions League football, given they are 14 points off fourth place. They would settle for a Europa League finish, or even just a morale-raising upturn in form. "I have come here to improve things," Ibrahimovic said.
Obviously, even at 38, he has the ability to do so. His game is based upon his impressive physical strength and outrageous technical ability. He has never relied on pace.
However, while Ibrahimovic understandably takes great pride from the way in which he recovered from the knee ligament injury he suffered at Manchester United in 2017, going on to score 52 goals in 56 MLS games for LA Galaxy, even he, for all his hyperbole, concedes he is no longer the player he once was.
"It’s impossible for me to play like I did 10 years ago, but I know what I can do," he insisted on Friday. "Instead of running, I can shoot from 40 yards out!"
One could also claim that even if Ibra is merely half the player he was, he would still be twice as good as Krzysztof Piatek.
The previously prolific Pole has netted just four goals this season, only one of which came from open play, and Milan's decision to bring in a 38-year-old forward reflects horribly on the former Genoa forward.
But then, Piatek can hardly be held solely accountable for the Rossoneri's struggles this season. As the table illustrates, this is a mediocre team, one that has lost more games (eight) than it has won (six), and managed just 16 goals in 17 outings.
This is a collective failure, and one that extends beyond the pitch.
Milan brought in seven players during the summer, at a cost of approximately €101 million (£86m/€112m). Only former Real Madrid full-back Theo Hernandez has shone so far.
Hardly surprising, then, that the club's owners, Elliot Advisors Ltd. – who are still dealing with the financial mess left behind by their Chinese predecessors, Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux – were reluctant to give Boban and Maldini a lot of money to spend in January.
As a result, they were forced to shop in the bargain basement and take a low risk-punt on Ibrahimovic, knowing full that he would immediately lift the spirits of the club's bewildered supporters.
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In fairness to Boban, he was at pains to point out at Friday's press conference that Ibrahimovic's arrival was no diversion tactic.
"We're very proud to welcome back a unique player and we're optimistic about the effect he can have on the team and the whole environment, but there's a need to get results," the former Milan midfielder acknowledged.
"We must not forget Bergamo, that ugly and horrendous defeat.
"Nobody, and especially us, should hide behind the wide shoulders of Ibrahimovic."
For now, though, there is a buzz about Milan again thanks to the striker, who has joined for nothing on a six-month contract, with the option of a further year.
He may well earn his extension. In Friday's press conference, he declared himself available for selection for Monday's meeting with Sampdoria at the Giuseppe Meazza and undeniably came across as a man on a mission, as determined as ever to silence his doubters.
“I prefer that people jeer me, so more adrenaline comes out," he insisted. “We can’t always be the same. Your physique and level of experience changes, but your confidence doesn’t.
"I'm not here to dance on the sidelines next to the mascot. I'm not here because I'm Zlatan. I start from zero. What I've done in the past doesn't count. I've much to prove to myself.
"I also feel the expectations from the fans."
His message to them was simple, "Wait for me at San Siro. I'm coming back to get it jumping as before."
He may well do so. Zlatan has exhilarated supporters and silenced critics wherever he has gone.
But that's somewhat irrelevant. The bigger issue here is that Milan have had to turn from one of the stars from their past to give their fans hope of a brighter future.
Ibrahimovic claimed he had more offers at 38 than he had at 28. But back then, he was being courted by Barcelona. This time around, it was Bologna.
As he said himself, "I haven't seen many players sign for Milan at 38." And he's right. But that says far more about Milan's dismal desperation than Ibrahimovic's enduring excellence.