Malmö (Sweden) (AFP)
Sweden's biggest football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Tuesday inaugurated a bronze statue of his own, near the stadium where he launched his professional career in his home town of Malmö, Sweden.
"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 the footballer visibly moved to be represented "where it all began ".
The former PSG star, now a Los Angeles Galaxy attacker, already had a double wax at the Musée Grévin in Paris, but nothing on his home soil in southern Sweden.
With 116 caps, the giant - he measures 1m95 - dominated the national team from 2001 to 2016, scoring 62 goals. Considered one of the best attackers of his generation, he had been waiting for his statue for five years.
The work, made by the Swedish sculptor Peter Linde, is as imposing - 500kg for 2.7 meters - as the legend that was built the athlete, who after growing up in difficult conditions climbed to the firmament of football world.
Child of Rosengård, a popular district of Malmö known for his violent clashes between rival gangs, he repeats to the envi to have used his first crampons.
Now a prosperous entrepreneur and one of the best paid athletes on the planet, he is always dreaming of the kids of this city undermined by unemployment, amused by his spreads and his confidence.
"Lions do not compare to humans," reads the description of his Instagram account.
"He is one of us, he comes from Rosengård and he became the king of football," says Jaafar, who grew up in the neighborhood and came to approach his idol.
Since his debut with Malmö in 1999, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored more than 450 professional goals: for the Swedish club, Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus Turin, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG, Manchester United and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
© 2019 AFP