Nearly-NSFW Zlatan Statue Raises Eyebrows in Sweden
Zlatan gets his very own and long-overdue statue in his hometown. | Source: Johan Nilsson/TT
It is not unusual to see a fan base recognize and honor the great ones of their chosen sport by erecting statues of the great players that mean the most to them. How great a player needs to be to be statue-worthy is up to the fan base, of course. But in the case of Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, there is no question about his greatness.
Why not? Because he will be the first to tell you how incredible he is.
Recently, his greatness was immortalized in his hometown of Malmo (in Sweden) when a larger-than-life and barely dressed statue of him was unveiled.
The Swedish Football Association commissioned the statue of their country’s all-time leading goal scorer four years ago. Swedish artist, Peter Linde created it. It stands about nine feet tall and weighs nearly half a ton.
In 2016 he posted a picture of himself standing next to an early edition of the statue with a quote that tells you all you need to know about Zlatan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7R-80hisX/?utm_source=ig_embed
Some would call that and him cocky. Others would call him arrogant, and almost everyone would agree that he is one of the most confident people alive. He would say, “I am none of those things.”
“I am Zlatan.”
About The Clothes…Or Lack Thereof
Zlatan declared school kids could have free access to the statue when it was unveiled Tuesday, but school officials pointed out that his authority does not reach into the classroom. But it was probably good that thousands of school-age kids were not on hand to see the nearly naked statue unveiled.
So—why the lack of clothes? Did the artist want to show off Zlatan’s chiseled abs or something? No one seems to know; if they do, they haven’t shared that nugget with the world at large.
