Over half a million Swedes live abroad. Their favorite Swedish in 2013 has now been announced and it is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Now the superstar Zlatan can call himself “This years Swede in the world”. Sven-Goran Eriksson, JO Waldner and Annika Sorenstam are three major sports profiles that have previously received the award.
At a brief ceremony at the team’s hotel at Humlegarden in Stockholm Zlatan Ibrahimovic received a diploma and a glass figurine of Chairman Michael Treschow and Secretary Karin Ehnbom-Palmquist.
zlatan Ibrahimovic
The award is not out until August, but since it is highly unlikely that Zlatan Ibrahimovic can attend the Grand Hotel in Stockholm in August the ceremony was held on Sunday evening. According to sources Zlatan Ibrahimovic was proud and happy to receive this award, which was not supposed to be published until Wednesday.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved abroad in summer 2001. Malmo FF had sold him in March to Ajax for a record sum 82,500,000 SEK. In his autobiography ‘I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ from 2011, Zlatan talks about the difficult time overseas and away from Sweden.
He was young, he was full of zeal but most of all he felt immediately alone in a small terraced house in Diemen near Amsterdam. He had no friends. He had spent his money. First, a few weeks later, the first salary was paid. The fridge was getting empty. Then he telephoned Maxwell, who was also new to the club. Zlatan could stay with him and sleeping on a mattress. There he gained a friend for life.
Twelve years later, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is by far the most talked about Swedish athlete, both in Sweden and internationally. Zlatan is worth several hundred million dollars and owns property in Sweden, Milan, Miami and New York among others,.
Zlatan has lived in Amsterdam, Turin, Milan, Barcelona and lives since last summer in Paris with his partner Helena Seger and their sons Maximilian (born 2006) and Vincent (born 2008). Zlatan has repeatedly said that he appreciated life in Italy and now persistent rumors puts him in various Italian clubs this summer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not given any clear hints about the future, not more than that, he pointed out that he is under contract with Paris SG.
