Ibrahimovic to have statue in his honour in Sweden
Man United Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic honoured with bronze statue in Stockholm.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic last night recieved his 10th consecutive ''Guldenbollen'' award in a ceremony held in Stockholm, cementing his place as one of the all time greats of Swedish football. The striker will be honoured further after the Swedish FA (SvFF) announced a bronze statue will be put in place outside of their national stadium Friends Park.
The 35 year old has won the highest honour in Sweden 11 times in total, winning his first award in 2005 at the age of 24 with 116 international caps to his name and 62 goals he tops his nation's all time scorers list before retiring after this summer's European Championship.
Before receiving the award a short video message was played of David Beckham who congratulated his friend on the achievement. 'You're an amazing person, an amazing player of course, but I have also had the pleasure of playing with you." The former United legend was a team mate of Zlatan's during his final playing stint for PSG in 2013.
United's number 9 then accepted his award in front of his peers and thanked his supporters.
"It's huge for me most people don't get a statue untill they have passed away. After all the hard work for 15 years in the national team - and 20 in my club career - it feels like it is appreciated, the guy from Rosengard will get his own statue in the capital. A big thank you to everyone."
However, fans of the red devils may not be to happy to hear the rumours circulating in the Swedish press about a possible move to America next summer "I can see myself conquering the US as I have with Europe. Lots of people stay in one place throughout their career, but I’ve traveled around like Napoleon, and conquered every new country where I’ve set foot in!"
Speaking to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet before Staurday's draw against Aresnal, he also voiced conerns over United's team but remained confident of success.
"The team I signed for this summer is not as strong as the one I left," Zlatan stated. "I know the capacity of this team, but it’s still a long way to go. With a bit of luck we should be able to do it."
Ibrahimovic will be available for selection in United's Europa League tie against Feynoord at Old Trafford on Thursday night. They are currently in third place in Group A with 2 wins and 2 losses, Mourninho's men will be looking to better their performance since the last time they played the Dutch side after a disappointing 1 - 0 defeat in September.
Andrew Watson