Zlatan Ibrahimovic to be honoured with a STATUE in Stockholm as he wins Sweden's best player award for the tenth year in a row - A 2.7metre monument will be erected in honour of Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Announcement made after he won Sweden's Golden Ball award once again
- Ibrahimovic scored 62 goals in 114 games for Swedish national team
A statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be erected in Stockholm, the Swedish FA (SvFF) have announced.The monument, which will be built outside the Friends Arena in Sweden's capital city, comes as the giant striker won the Golden Ball award for the country's best male player for the tenth year in a row.The 36-year-old Manchester United forward played 114 games and scored 62 goals for Sweden before retiring after Euro 2016. His national team highlights included a spectacular four-goal salvo in 2012 against England in the first game at the stadium where he will now be immortalised.
Ibrahimovic has now won the Golden Ball a record 11 times - since its inception in 1946 no other player has won the award more than twice - and his contribution to the game will be honoured with the 2.7 metre statue.Accepting the award, Ibrahimovic said: 'It feels unreal. Many are thinking "Why him?" and so on, but after all the hard work over 15 years in the national team and 20 years in my club career, it feels like it's being appreciated.
'You usually get this after you die, but I still feel alive. When I die, this statue will live on forever.'
The Diamond Ball for the best female player went to 33-year-old Chelsea goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who won the award for the second year running thanks to her key role in Sweden's silver medal-winning team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
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