Published on 12:00 AM, January 10, 2017

'NEXT ZLATAN' MAKES HISTORY

Teenage forward Alexander Isak -- dubbed the heir to Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- became the youngest Swedish international in more than a century when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Ivory Coast on Sunday. Aged 17 years and 109 days, Isak -- who plays in Sweden for AIK but has been linked with a move to numerous top European clubs -- entered the fray in the 62nd minute of the friendly in Abu Dhabi. "It's huge!" Isak told Swedish television. "It was quite a tricky situation (with Sweden on the backfoot for much of the game), it was a defensive game, but it's good, it was still cool," he told the daily newspaper Aftonbladet. Real Madrid are reportedly leading the chase to snap up starlet Isak. Gunnar Pleijel is still the youngest Swedish international in history, playing against Finland in 1911 at the tender age of 17 years and 72 days.