Published 13:11 IST, October 9th 2019
Zlatan Ibrahimovic unveils his larger than life statue in Sweden
Former Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been honoured with a statue in his hometown of Malmo, Sweden on Tuesday. Have a look
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was honoured with a statue of himself in his hometown, Malmo. Ibrahimovic unveiled his larger than life bronze statue in front of thousands of fans on Tuesday at Malmo's stadium. The Swedish FA commissioned the statute to pay tribute to their all-time record goalscorer. The 8.9 feet tall statue is craved by Swedish artist Peter Linde and took around four years to get constructed.
Sweden pays gratitude to Zlatan Ibrahimovic
"No matter where you come from, where you are, no matter what you look like, the statue is the symbol that anything is possible," said an emotional Zlatan, who was moved to see him get permanently placed where it all started for him. The veteran striker, who also played for Paris Saint-Germain, already has a statue at the Grevin wax museum in the French capital. "He is one of us. He comes from Rosengard and has become the king of football," said one of the locals who came to see his idol’s statue.
Ibrahimovic's parents emigrated from Yugoslavia and he was raised in Rosengard, near Malmo. He started his career in football with Malmo and further went on to represent many clubs including Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United. He is currently playing for the MLS side LA galaxy. Ibrahimovic has won 13 league titles in the 16 seasons he played all around Europe. Ibrahimovic played for the Swedish national team from 2001 to 2016, featuring in 116 games and scoring 62 goals.
Updated 17:59 IST, October 9th 2019