David Beckham says Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still among footballs best as the Manchester United striker won Swedens Golden Ball for the 11th time. Ibrahimovic, who was Beckhams team-mate at Paris Saint-Germain before the former England captain retired, has been awarded Swedens best player accolade every year since 2005 - bar 2006 - and will be honoured with a statue outside the Friends Arena - the countrys national stadium. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price! Beckham paid tribute to his close friend Ibrahimovic in a video message at the awards ceremony on Monday, and revealed why he is delighted the 35-year-old Swede is now at his beloved United. His physique, his passion, his love for the game, hasnt changed, Beckham said, as reported by TV4Sport . Hes still one of the greatest players that has ever played the game - one of the reasons why Im happy he is now playing at Manchester United, my team. Thanks for that, Zlatan. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored six Premier League goals for United this season On accepting his award, Ibrahimovic said: 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 its being appreciated.You usually get this after you die, but I still feel alive. When I die, this (statue) will live on forever.Beckham also admitted his favourite Ibrahimovic goal was his 30-yard overhead kick for Sweden in their 4-2 win over England in 2012, insisting only the United forward is capable of scoring such a goal. Ibrahimovic has scored six Premier League goals for Jose Mourinhos side this season after signing for the club in the summer, but missed the 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday due to suspension. Beckham says Ibrahimovics overhead-kick against England in 2012 was the strikers best goal United are sixth in the table, nine points behind leaders Chelsea, but Beckham revealed Ibrahimovic will not tolerate losing. For me, Zlatan is a player who has class, always wants to win, and he proved that when I moved to PSG, said Beckham. He was one of those players that it doesnt matter whether we were playing an important match in the French league, or on the training field, he wanted to win. Highlights of Uniteds 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday If he wasnt 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. Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4! Also See: Carra on underrated Mata Carrick the answer for Utd Allen over Ozil on UEFA list Jose: Why I left Rooney out Gary Trent Jr. Blazers Jersey . TSN 1290s coverage begins with Hustler & Lawless at 3pm. Rick Ralph hosts the Official Jets Pre-game Show at 5pm. Bill Walton Jersey . Virtanen opened the scoring at 6:45 of the first period, then gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal 1:03 into the second. Sweden cut the lead in half when Daniel Muzito Bagenda scored a power-play goal at 10:57 of the second. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Clyde-D...Blazers-Jersey/ . A lawmaker is hoping the buzz from California Chromes run for the Triple Crown might build support for a bill that would place the U. C.J. McCollum Blazers Jersey . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys . Bayern winger Franck Ribery marked his league return after recovering from a cracked rib by scoring two goals and setting up two more as the league leaders inflicted the heaviest home defeat on Bremen in the Bundesliga.The Islanders’ top line is busting out, a Blue Jacket on a streak, improved goaltending in Vancouver, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Kyle Okposo – Scored four goals in Friday’s 6-3 win over Pittsburgh then added a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 6-4 loss at Montreal. In the past 13 games, he has 16 points (7 G, 9 A). Since the start of last season, Okposo has 112 points in 116 games, his 0.97 points per game ranks 13th in the league. Linemates Josh Bailey and John Tavares both accumulated three assists against the Penguins, with Bailey adding two more against Montreal and Tavares putting up a goal and an assist against the Habs. Bailey has seven points (1 G, 6 A) in his past five games, while Tavares has 17 points (8 G, 9 A) in the past 13 games. Ryan Johansen – The Blue Jackets centre pushed his point streak to 13 games with a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win at Boston Saturday. Johansen has 16 points (8 G, 8 A) during the streak. Ryan Miller – Had a 28-save shutout in a 3-0 win at Carolina Friday, his second consecutive shutout, and has a .955 save percentage in his past nine games. ZEROES Christian Ehrhoff – The Penguins’ blueliner started 100% of his shifts in the offensive zone against the Islanders Friday, and was on for three even-strength goals against, while posting subpar (13 shot attempts for, 26 against, 33.3%) possession stats. A rough weekend for goalies: Carter Hutton – With Pekka Rinne out, Hutton stepped in and surrendered three goals on four shots against Detroit Saturday, getting pulled after 12:32. Cam Ward - Pulled after allowing three goals on 13 shots for Carolina against Vancouver Friday. Jaroslav Halak – Headed to the All-Star game, the Islanders’ tender surrendered six goals on 33 shots against Montreal Saturday. Marc-Andre Fleury – Another one headed to the All-Star game, Fleury allowed four goals on 17 shots against the Rangers Sunday before getting pulled. Justin Peters – Washington’s backup goaltender hasn’t played much, but has struggled all season. After allowing five goals on 26 shots at Dallas Saturday, leaving him with an .864 save percentage in eight games this season. Jhonas Enroth – Buffalo’s overworked goaltender surrendered six goals on 26 shots against Detroit Sunday, turning a 3-0 lead into a 6-4 loss. In his past three starts, Enroth has stopped 76 of 94 shots (.809 SV%) Petr Mrazek – Getting the bulk of the starts for Detroit while Jimmy Howard is hurt, Mrazek was pulled after allowing three goals on seven shots against Buffalo. LINEUP NEED TO KNOW Jake Gardiner – The Toronto blueliner played 17:03 against St. Louis Saturday. In six games under the new head coach, Gardiner has played under 18 minutes four times. Trevor Daley – Running neck-and-neck with Alex Goligoski for the top average ice time on the Dallas Stars, Daley missed both Saturday and Sunday games due to an undisclosed injury. Rookie Jyrki Jokipakka stepped into the Stars lineup, contributing a pair of assists against Washington Saturday. Mark Arcobello – The former Edmonton Oiler, who played four games for Nashville before getting waived, played his first two games for the Penguins, seeing a modest 9:44 of ice time per game. Philip Samuelsson – Acquired from Pittsburgh in exchange for Rob Klinkhammer earlier in the season, the 2009 second-round pick played his first three games for Arizona. He had seven points (1 G, 6 A) and was plus-3 in 38 AHL games before getting called up. Sam Gagner – Played a season-low 11:41 for the Coyotes Saturday and while his ice time bounced back Sunday (18:56 at Winnipeg), he has no goals and one assist in the past seven games. Martin Erat – The Coyotes winger was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s loss at Winnipeg. He has two assists, and three shots on goal, in his past eight games. He also happens to have the best possession numbers on the team. Tom McCollum – Was pressed into action when the Red Wings pulled Petr Mrazek during Sunday’s win over Buffalo. It was McCollum’s first NHL action since a 15-minute appearance in 2010-2011. Mathieu Perreault – The Jets sniper was injured by a cross-check from Blackhawks LW Daniel Carcillo, so Evander Kane took Perreault’s spot on a line with Mark Scheifele and Michael Frolik. SHORT SHIFTS Penguins C Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist in a 6-3 loss at the Islanders Friday, then added a goal in Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers; he has 13 points (4 G, 9 A) in the past seven games…Penguins D Kris Letang had a pair of assists against the Islanders and two more against the Rangers, giving him nine points (1 G, 8 A) in the past seven games…Rangers C Derek Stepan had a couple of assists in a 2-1 win at Columbus Friday and put up a pair of goals in the win at Pittsburgh; he has 12 points (5 G, 7 A) in his past 10 games …Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of goals, with 14 shot attempts (9 SOG) in Friday’s 4-3 loss at Nashville then had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Dallas; he has 13 points (9 G, 4 A) in the past 10 games…Predators RW James Neal scored a pair of goals in Friday’s 4-3 win vs. Washington, and has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) in his past 12 games…Jets D Zach Bogosian recorded a goal and an assist in a 4-2 win at Chicago Friday, and has five points (3 G, 2 A) in the past six games…Jets D Dustin Byfuglien had a pair of assists at Chicago Friday then added a goall against Arizona Sunday, and has 11 points (4 G, 7 A) in the past nine games…Jets LW Andrew Ladd had a goal and an assist at Chicago and another assist against Arizona, giving him 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in the past 13 games…Jets C Bryan Little also had a goal and an assist against Chicago and scored a goal (as well as the shootout winner) vs.dddddddddddd Arizona, giving him 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in the past 14 games. Canadiens D Andrei Markov recorded three assists against the Islanders Saturday, giving him six assists in the past four games…Canadiens LW Max Pacioretty had a pair of assists against the Islanders, giving him 10 points (7 G, 3 A) during a seven-game point streak…Canadiens C Tomas Plekanec had two goals and two assists in the win against the Islanders and has nine points (3 G, 6 A) in the past seven games…Blues C David Backes had a pair of assists in a 3-0 win over Toronto, and has 13 points (7 G, 6 A) during a six-game point streak…Blues LW Alex Steen ran his point streak to nine games, during which he has 16 points (7 G, 9 A)…Red Wings RW Gustav Nyquist had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Nashville, then another one and one in Sunday’s 6-4 win over Buffalo, giving him 15 points (4 G, 11 A) in the past 12 games…Red Wings LW Tomas Tatar picked up a pair of goals and an assist in Saturday’s win then added a goal and an assist Sunday, and has 12 points (9 G, 3 A) in the past 12 games…Lightning D Anton Stralman had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over Colorado; he has eight points (1 G, 7 A) in the past nine games…Stars LW Erik Cole had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 5-4 win over Washington, and has nine points (5 G, 4 A) in the past seven games…Sharks D Justin Braun had a pair of assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to Calgary Saturday, and has five assists in the past three games…Ducks LW Patrick Maroon had a pair of assists in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win at Los Angeles; he has five points (1 G, 4 A) in the past four games. Rangers LW Chris Kreider recorded a pair of assists in Sunday’s 5-2 win at Pittsburgh and has five points (2 G, 3 A) in the past five games…Penguins LW David Perron had a goal and an assist in the loss to the Rangers, and has seven points (5 G, 2 A), with 29 shots on goal, in six games with Pittsburgh…Stars rookie D John Klingberg had a pair of assists in Sunday’s 6-3 win at Chicago, giving him five points (2 G, 3 A) in the past four games…Blackhawks LW Brandon Saad had a pair of goals in Sunday’s loss; he has six points (5 G, 1 A) in the past four games…Coyotes RW Shane Doan picked up two assists in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss at Winnipeg, giving him six points (2 G, 4 A) in his past four games…Red Wings C Henrik Zetterberg tallied three goals and an assist in Sunday’s 6-4 win vs. Buffalo. Bruins LW Daniel Paille had strong possession (21 shot attempts for, 5 against. 80.8%) in Saturday’s loss to Columbus…Flyers D Carlo Colaiacovo he an impressive possession game (18 shot attempts for, 4 against, 81.8%) against Buffalo Saturday; he can hardly get into the Flyers’ lineup, but Colaiacovo has better than 58% possession in the eight games that he’s played this season…Red Wings LW Justin Abdelkader had positive possession (16 shot attempts for, 4 against, 80.0%) in Sunday’s win over Buffalo. Blues G Brian Elliott stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over Toronto Saturday…Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist stopped 35 of 36 shots in a 2-1 win at Columbus Friday…Blue Jackets G Curtis McElhinney stopped 34 of 35 shots in a 3-1 win at Boston Saturday…Wild G Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of 26 shots in Saturday’s 3-1 win against Arizona. FIRSTS Josh Anderson – Blue Jackets winger played his first NHL game against the Rangers Friday, then played 14:52 at Boston Saturday. A fourth-round pick in 2012, the first-year pro had 11 points (4 G, 7 A) and was plus-1 in 37 AHL games. Anthony Bitetto – The 24-year-old defenceman, a sixth-round pick in 2010, made his NHL debut Saturday against Detroit. He had 19 points (2 G, 17 A) and was plus-11 in 38 AHL games before getting called up. FANTASY FOCUS Even with one game going today at 1:00pm ET, there are still six more on the Monday schedule, so here are some players to consider for your lineup: Justin Faulk – The Hurricanes defenceman, on his way to the All-Star game, has five points (2 G, 3 A) in the past six games. With the ‘Canes playing better, he’s a solid option. Aleksander Barkov – The second-year Panthers centre scored five points in his first 25 games this season, but has six points (2 G, 4 A) in the past seven, starting to reap the rewards of positive possession numbers (54.3% Corsi). Jason Zucker – For all the high-priced talent in Minnesota, Zucker (who makes just over $900,000) is tied for the team lead with 16 goals. Melker Karlsson – The Sharks rookie winger, who doesn’t come with any kind of outstanding scorer’s pedigree, has six goals in the past eight games and, playing with Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski, he’s getting a good opportunity. Mikael Backlund – In five games since returning from injury, the Flames’ centre has put up seven points (4 G, 3 A) and may have found a nice fit with Johnny Gaudreau and Jiri Hudler on his wings. Much of the data included comes from www.war-on-ice.com, www.puckalytics.com, www.hockeystats.ca and www.naturalstattrick.com Scott Cullen can be reached at scott.cullen@bellmedia.ca ' ' '