Fallen idol: Zlatan statue COLLAPSES COMPLETELY after fans saw through feet in latest act of vandalism (PHOTOS)
After being set on fire and having a toilet placed around its neck, the statue in honor of football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic outside the stadium of former club Malmo in Sweden has now been completely toppled.
Images in the local press and on social media showed the golden-colored statue lying horizontal on top of a collapsed metal fence, after vandals reportedly completely sawed through its ankles on Saturday night.
The statue – which had already been cordoned off after being badly damaged – also had a black T-shirt with a Sweden flag on it placed over its head.
Der røg den statue #zlatanpic.twitter.com/bySEdXOqGi
— Thomas Falkenhagen (@TFMPM) January 5, 2020
It's down... someone finally got it down! Skyll på Malmö stad, de hade chansen att flytta på den, men gjorde inte det. Svag säkerhet dessutom!@Ibra_official Du är nere min vän! #Zlatanstatuepic.twitter.com/eijoHPRp1f
— ViniJrMadrid (@ViniJrMadrid7) January 5, 2020
Later images showed the statue being removed by workers on Sunday, with only the feet remaining.
The damage is the latest inflicted on the statue by Malmo fans angry at their former player’s investment in rival club Hammarby – with supporters branding the 38-year-old forward a “piece of sh*t.”
The monument had a toilet seat hung from it before being set ablaze, while it had its nose chopped off toward the end of December.
According to local media, a committee will discuss the potential relocation of the statue in February, while Malmo official Malin Tykesson said the latest apparent act of vandalism was "a crime and we will be reported it to the police."
"The plan is to investigate the possibility of removing the statue so that it can be repaired," he added.
The life-sized golden statue had been erected in October in honor of Ibrahimovic, Sweden’s all-time top scorer, who started his career at Malmo as a teenager at the end of the 1990s before moving to Ajax and then a host of other top European teams.
However, it became the target of fans' fury after the Swedish forward announced he was becoming part-owner of Malmo's bittter rivals Hammarby at the end of November.
Ibrahimovic recently returned to Italian giants AC Milan after a two-season stint at LA Galaxy in MLS.
The giant forward, who won Serie A with Milan in the 2011-12 season, has vowed he is not at the San Siro simply to be a “mascot,” already using his arrival to troll the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays at rivals Juventus.
Also on rt.com Zlatan trolls Ronaldo: Ibrahimovic returns to Serie A with AC Milan and jabs at Juventus ace with Messi jibe
