David Beckham has hailed Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as one of the game’s greatest players despite the Swede’s advancing age.
At 35, Ibrahimovic, who played with Beckham for a short spell at Paris Saint-Germain, leads United with six goals in 11 Premier League matches this season.
And the former United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy man praised Ibrahimovic on the occasion of his 11th Swedish Player of the Year award on Monday.
“His physique, his passion, his love for the game, hasn’t changed,” Beckham said in a video recording.
“He’s still one of the greatest players that has ever played the game — one of the reasons why I’m happy he is now playing at Manchester United, my team. Thanks for that, Zlatan.
“For me, Zlatan is a player who has class, always wants to win, and he proved that when I moved to PSG.
“He was one of those players that it doesn’t matter whether we were playing an important match in the French league, or on the training field, he wanted to win.
“If he wasn’t winning, he was like one of my children. He would get upset, he would get angry, he would lose it. Not that my kids lose it, but Zlatan does. For me he is a winner.”
Upon receiving his award, Ibrahimovic was pleased his hard work is being recognised.
“It feels unreal. Many are thinking ‘Why him?’ and so on, but after all the hard work over 15 years in the national team and 20 years in my club career, it feels like it’s being appreciated,” Ibrahimovic said.
“You usually get this after you die, but I still feel alive. When I die, this [statue] will live on forever.”
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