Zlatan Ibrahimovic becomes co-owner of Swedish top-flight side Hammarby - rivals of his old club Malmo - after Jose Mourinho rules out Tottenham swoop
* Zlatan Ibrahimovic left LA Galaxy earlier this month after two years in the MLS
* The Swede had a fruitful stay in the United States but was keen to move on
* He has now joined Swedish top-flight side Hammarby as a co-owner of the club
* Ibrahimovic has not confirmed whether this means his playing days are at an end
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed his next move in football, as a co-owner for Swedish top-flight side Hammarby.
The 38-year-old departed LA Galaxy earlier this month after two successful years at in the MLS where his goal-tally stood at an outstanding 53 goals in 58 appearances.
Now, after Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho dismissed rumours linking the Swede with a return to the Premier League, Ibrahimovic has joined Hammarby in an ownership position, saying he feels the move is both 'fun and exciting'.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined Hammarby as a co-owner following his release from LA Galaxy
Zlatan had previously posted this photo on his Instagram about his move back to Sweden. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho dismissed speculation linking Ibrahimovic with Spurs
'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 the fans, since then 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 into the club's board is somewhat surprising given Ibrahimovic's previous affiliation with Hammarby's rivals Malmo from 1999-2001 - his first professional club.
Ibrahimovic has previously been linked with a move to Serie A club Bologna and has also hinted at a move back to Spain. where he played for Barcelona in 2009-10.
Despite his move into the boardroom, Sweden's all-time record goalscorer hasn't confirmed whether this signals the end of his playing career, or where his next move on the pitch will be.
A Hammarby club statement read: 'This week, representatives of Hammarby Football met with AEG and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Los Angeles.
'AEG has informed Hammarby that it has sold half of its ownership in AEG Sweden to Ibrahimovic, which in turn means that Ibrahimovic becomes part owner of Hammarby Fotboll AB.'
Hammarby chairman Richard von Yxkull was also thrilled with Zlatan's involvement.
'Spontaneously the timing feels good, we have had a strong development in recent years and next year we play in Europe,' he said.
'To then get a person like Zlatan Ibrahimović into the club, with the passion and winning mentality he stands for feels right.
'It is too early to say anything in detail about how Zlatan can contribute to Hammarby Football, but there is clearly very great potential in the collaboration.'
Hammarby finished third in the Swedish top-flight Allsvenskan league which finished at the beginning of November, one point behind champions Djurgardens IF.
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