New Delhi, October 9: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now been immortalised with a statue of his in Sweden in an iconic pose, nearly three years after the LA Galaxy striker first dropped an unsubtle hint. The striking bronze monument has come up near Malmo's stadium, where he began his professional career in 1999. The 38-year-old on Tuesday tweeted a picture showing him alongside the work and surrounded by crowds of fans, with the caption: "We are Zweden!!!"

The bronze Zlatan, standing on a plinth and said to measure nearly nine feet in height and close to half a ton in weight, was commissioned by Sweden's football authorities to honour their record goalscorer, according to a report in goal.com. In December 2016, Ibrahimovic had hinted at the statue's creation when he was still a Manchester United player.

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We are Zweden!!!

A post shared by Zlatan Ibrahimović (@iamzlatanibrahimovic) on

"When you come to New York you have the Statue of Liberty, when you come to Sweden you have the Statue of Zlatan," he had posted a photo on Instagram of the plaster cast of the work. The star striker is on a break ahead of the MLS playoffs. He scored 30 goals in 29 regular-season games in 2019 to help his team finish fifth in the Western Conference.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 09, 2019 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).