A statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his homeland of Sweden has been vandalized.
After Zlatan became an investor in Swedish side Hammarby by buying a 25 percent stake, fans of their rivals Malmo -- Zlatan’s boyhood club which also gave him his breakthrough in the professional game -- damaged the statue at their stadium.
The statue of Zlatan outside Malmo’s stadium was only unveiled last month, but the 38-year-old has decided to invest in Stockholm based Hammarby and called them a “one of the most interesting and influential clubs in Sweden.”
A toilet seat was place on the arm of the statue, plus a plastic bag was put over its head, a fire was lit underneath it and vandals spray-painted derogatory messages across it. Security staff have been placed surrounding the statue, while reports state that one of Zlatan’s properties in Stockholm has also been damaged after his investment in Hammarby was announced.
His stake in Hammarby comes alongside AEG’s investment in the club, as AEG also own his most recent club, the LA Galaxy.
The former Galaxy, Manchester United, PSG, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Ajax forward is now looking for a new club and has said he will not be returning to the Swedish top-flight to play.
Safe to say, he won’t be playing for Malmo anytime soon. Actually, tile that one under never.