Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby as part owner.
The club announced the news on Wednesday, following reports of the former L.A. Galaxy striker joining earlier this week. Ibrahimovic, 38, has purchased 50% of AEG Sweden from Anschultz Entertainment Group.
“Hammarby is a fantastic club with passionate supporters and has great respect in both Stockholm and Sweden,” Ibrahimovic said. “I have always liked the club and fans. I am impressed with what the club has done in recent years, both on and off the pitch. Being able to join and develop Hammarby forward feels both fun and exciting.”
The move has not sat well with Ibrahimovic’s former club Malmo, the club where the striker began his professional career with. A statute of the Swedish legend has been vandalized outside of Malmo’s stadium, Svedbank Stadium. Ibrahimovic scored 16 goals in 40 appearances with Malmo from 1999-2001.
Zlatan's decision to buy into @Hammarbyfotboll has not gone down well with @Malmo_FF fans (his first professional club).
The statue of Ibrahimovic outside Malmö Stadium was defaced with a toilet seat by angry Malmo fans after he becomes co-owner of Malmö rivals Hammarby. pic.twitter.com/dlH4DhA7hc
— Groundhopper (@gogroundhop) November 27, 2019
@ZStaty Varmt? pic.twitter.com/hzJ332C8RZ
— Max Åkerberg (@AkerbergMax) November 27, 2019
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“To get a person like Zlatan into the club, with the passion and winning mentality he stands for, feels right,” Hammarby chairman Richard von Yxkull said. “It is too early to say anything in detail about how Zlatan can contribute to Hammarby, but there is clearly very great potential in the collaboration.”
A veteran of 20 years of professional soccer, Ibrahimovic recently left the L.A. Galaxy after two seasons with the MLS club. He scored 52 goals in 56 appearances for the Galaxy, helping the team make the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
It is undetermined where Ibrahimovic will play next, should he continue his career into 2020.