Swedish FA plans Zlatan statue as he wins 11th Golden Ball

A statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be erected outside the Friends Arena in Stockholm, the Swedish FA (SvFF) announced on Monday as the giant striker won the Golden Ball award for the country’s best male player for the 10th year in a row.
The 36-year-old Manchester United forward, who retired from international football after Euro 2016, played 114 games and scored 62 goals for Sweden, including a spectacular four-goal salvo against England in the first game at the arena in 2012.
Ibra 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 a 2.7 metre statue outside the Friends stadium.
“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,” Ibrahimovic said as he accepted his award. “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.

May ‘conquer’ US
Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic said yesterday he was eyeing the possibility of a move to the the United States.
“I can see myself conquering the US, just as I have (conquered) Europe,” the 35-year-old Swede told daily newspaper Aftonbladet in an interview.
“People stay in one place throughout their entire career, but I have travelled around like Napoleon in Europe and conquered every country I’ve arrived in,” Ibrahimovic said.
“So maybe I could cross the Atlantic and conquer the US as well,” he said after winning the Swedish Golden Ball award for the 11th time on Monday.
Acknowledging that United is not in as strong a position as his former team Paris Saint-Germain, Ibrahimovic said he’s trying to deliver the same results.
“I had it good at PSG; it’s no secret. We had a strong and good team that got better and better every year,” he said.
“But that’s passed now... This is a new chapter now and I’m trying to create the same feeling here,” Ibrahimovic said, referring to United.
Noting that United coach Jose Mourinho was one of the reasons he decided to join the Premier League team, Ibrahimovic said: “I checked the team (United) a little bit before I came and it wasn’t like the team I came from.”
“This is something I was prepared for... the team is not the same as (PSG),” the superstar said.
“But after speaking with Mourinho, it wasn’t a difficult decision. If he calls then I have no problems showing up,” Ibrahimovic added.
After a dismal showing at Euro-2016, Sweden’s all-time high scorer in June put an end to his 116-cap international career, in which he scored 62 goals.