Lindelof named Swedish footballer of year
UNITED defender Victor Lindelof thanked his team-mates after he was named Swedish Footballer of the Year.
The 24-year-old won the Golden Ball (Guldbollen), an award handed out by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet alongside the Swedish Football Association, for the first time.
Lindelof follows in the footsteps of former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who won the award 10 times in a row from 2007 to 2016.
Andreas Granqvist picked up the trophy last season but an impressive World Cup campaign and recent performances for United saw Lindelof collect the award and he thanked his wife Maja in his acceptance speech.
“Thank you very much. It means very much for me to stand here and receive this prize,” Lindelof said.
“I am very proud and extremely grateful. I want to thank all my teammates, at Manchester United and the national team.
“I would also like to thank my family for always being there for me. You really mean everything to me.
“To my beautiful wife: Thank you very much for being there and taking care of me and helping me and always supporting me. You mean everything to me.”
Lindelof has become a regular for Jose Mourinho’s side this season having struggled to hold down a place in the starting XI in his first campaign with the club and that’s one of the reasons he won the award.
In a statement on their website, organisers Aftonbladet explained why he had been given the award.
“He has taken challenges at the top level, in a World Cup finals and in one of the world’s hardest leagues,” the statement reads.