Â鶹APP

A photo of Zatan Ibrahimović by Frankie Fouganthin –

10 of the Greatest Swedish Soccer (Football) Players of All Time

The Sweden national football team represents Sweden in men’s international football and it is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body of football in Sweden.

The team is coached by Janne Andersson. From 1945 to the late 1950s, they were considered one of the greatest teams in Europe. The legacy of the team is still upheld because of their great players.

To be exclusive, Sweeden has got numerous football talents apart from those who are included in the National team. In the article are ten of the greatest Swedish players of all time.

1. Zlatan Ibrahimović

A photo of Zatan Ibrahimović by Frankie Fouganthin –

Zlatan Ibrahimović born on 3 October 1981 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. Ibrahimović is renowned for his acrobatic strikes and volleys, powerful long-range shots, and excellent technique and ball control.

He is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and is one of the most decorated active footballers in the world, having won 34 trophies in his career. He has scored over 570 career goals, including more than 500 club goals, and has scored in each of the last four decades.

2. Alexander Isak

Alexander Isak photo by Rolandhino1 –

Alexander Isak born on 21 September 1999 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Sweden national team. Starting his professional career with AIK in 2016, Isak represented Borussia Dortmund and Willem II before signing with Real Sociedad in 2019.

A full Swedish international since 2017, he has won more than 30 caps for his country and represented the side at UEFA Euro 2020. He is the youngest ever goalscorer for both AIK and the Sweden national team.

3. Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski photo by Rolandhino1 –

Dejan Kulusevski born on 25 April 2000 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a winger or midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, on loan from Serie A club Juventus, and the Sweden national team.

Coming through from the youth system, Kulusevski made his senior debut for Atalanta in 2019, before joining Parma on loan at the beginning of the 2019–20 season.

He joined Juventus during the winter transfer window for €35 million and was sent back to Parma on loan for the rest of the season. In January 2022, Kulusevski was sent on loan to Tottenham Hotspur in England.

Kulusevski was born in Sweden to a Swedish Macedonian father and a Macedonian mother. He represented both Macedonia and Sweden internationally at the youth level, before opting to play for his birth country at the senior level, making his full debut in 2019.

4. Emil Forsberg

Emil Forsberg photo by Anders Henrikson –

Emil Peter Forsberg born 23 October 1991 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Sweden national team. Forsberg was awarded Guldbollen in 2021 as Sweden’s best footballer of the year.

He has also been voted the Swedish Midfielder of the Year four times; 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021. He was a member of the Sweden squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and also represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020, the latter of which he scored four goals in four games.

He is known for his quick, effective passing style, and is a creative playmaker renowned for his ability to create chances and assists.

5. Victor Lindelöf

Victor Lindelöf photo by Rolandhino1 –

Victor Jörgen Nilsson Lindelöf born 17 July 1994 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Sweden national team. Mainly a center-back, he can also play as a right-back.

Lindelöf began his career in Sweden at Västerås SK, making his debut in October 2009. In December 2011, he agreed to move to Benfica in Portugal, initially representing the club at youth and B levels.

After making his first-team debut in September 2013, he continued to appear for the club at the B level, while also winning three Primeira Liga titles. He joined Manchester United in July 2017.

Lindelöf has represented Sweden at under-17, under-19, under-21, and senior levels. He was inside the winning squad of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his senior international debut in March 2016 and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.

6. Viktor Gyökeres

Viktor Gyökeres photo by James Boyes –

Viktor Einar Gyökeres born 4 June 1998 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Championship side Coventry City and Sweden national team. He made his senior debut with Swedish side Brommapojkarna in 2015 with whom he made over 50 appearances before signing for Brighton three years later.

He has also represented Sweden at various youth levels and was the joint-top goalscorer at the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, before making his senior international debut in 2019.

7. Isak Hien

Isak Hien photo by Rolandhino1 –

Isak Malcolm Kwaku Hien born 13 January 1999 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Italian Serie A club Hellas Verona and the Sweden national team. Hien played youth football for AIK, where he played alongside future professional players Alexander Isak and Leopold Wahlstedt.

In 2016, he signed with Vasalunds IF with which he made his senior debut in Division 1 Norra in 2017. On 14 September 2022, Hien was selected for the Sweden national team for the first time ahead of their 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B games against Serbia and Slovenia.

On 24 September 2022, he made his full international debut in a 1–4 loss against Serbia, playing the full 90 minutes at center back alongside national team captain Victor Lindelöf.

8. Robin Olsen

Robin Olsen photo by Елена Рыбакова –

Robin Patrick Olsen born on 8 January 1990 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper, for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Sweden national team. Olsen was eligible for international play for both Denmark and Sweden.

When he came to Malmö FF he said that he would prefer to play for Denmark but in 2014 he opted to play for Sweden according to Danish international coach Morten Olsen. On 15 January 2015, he made his debut for Sweden in a friendly fixture against the Ivory Coast.

In May 2016, Olsen was called up for Sweden’s squad for UEFA Euro 2016, as backup keeper for Andreas Isaksson. After Sweden’s early exit from the tournament, Isaksson retired and Olsen became Sweden’s first-choice goalkeeper.

In May 2018 he was named to Sweden’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. At the 2018 World Cup, Olsen started in all five games for Sweden as they were eliminated by England in the quarter-final.

9. Viktor Claesson

Viktor Claesson photo by Rolandhino1 –

Viktor Johan Anton Claesson born 2 January 1992 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Danish Superliga club Copenhagen and the Sweden national team. He is known for his passing and set-piece abilities.

In May 2018, Claesson was named to Sweden’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was one of Sweden’s main men for the duration of the tournament, in which the BlÃ¥gult reached the quarterfinals.

In a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Spain on 10 June 2019, Claesson suffered a serious knee injury, rupturing the cruciate knee ligaments, after a clash with Jordi Alba.

10. Anthony Elanga

Anthony Elanga photo by Ardfern –

Anthony David Junior Elanga born 27 April 2002 is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Sweden national team. Elanga joined the Manchester United youth system aged 12 and won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020.

He made his senior debut for the club in a Premier League game against Leicester City in May 2021. He represented Sweden at under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels, before making his senior national team debut in 2022.