Johan Elmander


Johan Erik Calvin Elmander is a Swedish former professional footballer who last played as a striker for Swedish team Örgryte IS. Elmander scored 20 goals in 85 games for the Swedish national team, and was chosen to represent his country at the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, before retiring from international duty in 2015. His 2–0 goal away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 13 November 2010 was voted the greatest Premier League goal ever in a poll by The Guardian.

Club career

Elmander was born in Alingsås, Alingsås Municipality. He started his career as a striker for Swedish clubs but changed to a centre midfielder Holmalunds IF and Örgryte, before making the move to Dutch club Feyenoord at the age of 18, where he continued to be used as a midfielder. Although never a first team regular, he came on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Cup Final 3–2 win against Borussia Dortmund.
Elmander was subsequently put on loan back in Sweden with Djurgården, where he won the double of both Allsvenskan championship and Swedish Cup title in 2002 and Allsvenskan in 2003, however he wasn't awarded any medal since he played too few matches. He also debuted for the Swedish national team, in a February 2002 friendly match against Greece. In 2003, he was loaned out to Feyenoord's Dutch league rivals NAC Breda.

Brøndby IF

Before the 2004–05 season, he was bought by Danish Superliga outfit Brøndby. Despite not scoring as many goals for the club as was expected, he was the playmaker and creative spark of the Brøndby team in the 2004–05 Superliga season, playing mainly as the free-roaming forward behind the sole striker in manager Michael Laudrup's 4–3–3 formation. The team won the double of both the Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup title, and Elmander was voted Brøndby's Player of the Year.
In his two seasons at Brøndby, Elmander scored 22 goals in 58 Danish Superliga games, attracting the attention of several clubs throughout Europe. He was called up to represent Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, where he played two games. Elmander signed a four-year contract with French side Toulouse for an undisclosed fee of around €4,500,000 on 7 July 2006.

Toulouse

Elmander scored 11 goals in his first season with Toulouse and was nominated as player of the year by his fellow players; the award ultimately went to Lyon winger Florent Malouda. The season was very successful, with Elmander helping lead Toulouse to a third-place finish and a berth in the qualifying rounds of UEFA Champions League. The second season, much like that of his team, was much more irregular, and though he scored the same number of goals as he did the previous season, he was less decisive.

Bolton Wanderers

On 27 June 2008, Elmander completed a move to Premier League club Bolton Wanderers for an £8.2 million fee, the club's record signing, with the deal including Daniel Braaten moving to Toulouse. Elmander signed a three-year deal, wearing the number 9 shirt by manager Gary Megson.
Elmander's first Premier League goal, a header, came on his competitive debut, against Stoke City on 16 August 2008 in a 3–1 win. Elmander played 30 games in the 2008–09 season, scoring five goals and creating two assists.
From December 2008 to September 2009, Elmander went on a nine-month goal drought, which ended during the League Cup fixture against West Ham United as he scored in extra-time. His first league goal in 11 months came in a 5–1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Elmander finally found his goalscoring form in the 2010–11 season, scoring six goals in the opening 13 games, all away from the Reebok Stadium. His first home goals of the season came against Newcastle United, giving him a joint lead as top scorer in the Premier League. However, his goalscoring form dipped and he scored just three goals between December and a goal on 12 March against Birmingham City in an FA Cup Sixth round tie. This brought his goal tally for all competitions to eleven for the season.
Bolton manager Owen Coyle said in an interview on 20 May that he expected Elmander to join Galatasaray, and Elmander confirmed later in the month that he would be leaving the club.
In total, Elmander made 92 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 18 goals; 11 appearances in the FA Cup, scoring three goals; and five appearances in the League Cup, scoring once.

Galatasaray

On 27 May 2011, Elmander arrived in Turkey on his birthday, and on 30 May 2011, Elmander joined Galatasaray in a three-year deal on a free transfer after his contract expired at Bolton in the same month. He debuted on the second week of the Süper Lig season, coming on in the 61st minute and scored his first goal in a 3–1 home win over Samsunspor on 18 September. Due to his great performance, Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim changed the team's formation to a 4–4–2, allowing Elmander to play together with fellow striker Milan Baroš simultaneously. On 26 February 2012, he scored the opening and the winning goal of the game against Beşiktaş in a 3–2 win, and also scored goals in all derby matches, including against Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor. He scored 12 goals in 36 league matches in a season which saw Galatasaray crowned league champions.
Elmander began the 2012–13 season in a match against Kasımpaşa and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw with Beşiktaş the following week. In the league's fourth week, he scored the opener against Antalyaspor in a 4–0 away win for Galatasaray. and on 19 October 2012, he scored an amazing goal against Gençlerbirliği in a 3–3 away draw and maintained the lead of the Süper Lig. He left in August 2013 to join Premier League side Norwich City on a season-long loan.

Norwich City (loan)

Elmander returned to England, joining Norwich on a season-long loan. He made his debut for Norwich against Hull City and scored his first two goals for the club against Bury in the League Cup on 27 August 2013. His first league start came against Southampton on 31 August 2013. Elmander scored his first league goal against Southampton in a 4–2 away loss for the Canaries on 15 March 2014. Elmander failed to impress during his loan spell at Norwich, though he did win the hearts of many fans with his hard-working performances and eagerness to play.

Return to Brøndby

On 24 June 2014, Elmander returned to Brøndby in Denmark on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract after his contract with Galatasaray had expired. He was handed the number 11 shirt on his return to the club.

Örgryte

Elmander spent his last season as a professional footballer at Örgryte, scoring 5 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions.

International career

Elmander represented Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, and Euro 2012. He retired from the national team in November 2015, having won 85 caps and scored 20 goals.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.16 February 2003Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand1–03–22003 King's Cup
2.16 February 2003Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand2–03–22003 King's Cup
3.20 February 2003Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand2–04–12003 King's Cup
4.17 November 2004Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland3–04–1Friendly
5.4 June 2005Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden6–06–02006 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.8 June 2005Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden2–32–3Friendly
7.12 November 2005Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea1–12–2Friendly
8.7 October 2006Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden1–02–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
9.28 March 2007Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland1–01–2UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
10.2 June 2007Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark1–03–0 *UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
11.2 June 2007Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark3–03–0 *UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
12.12 August 2009Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden1–01–0Friendly
13.3 March 2010Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales1–01–0Friendly
14.9 February 2011GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus1–01–1Friendly
15.3 June 2011Zimbru Stadium, Chişinău, Moldova2–04–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
16.3 June 2011Zimbru Stadium, Chişinău, Moldova3–04–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
17.6 September 2012Olympia, Helsingborg, Sweden1–01–0Friendly
18.16 October 2012Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany3–44–42014 World Cup qualifier
19.7 June 2013Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria1–21–22014 World Cup qualifier
20.6 September 2013Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland1–12–12014 World Cup qualifier

* Match abandoned, see UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier fan attack.

Personal life

Elmander has two brothers Peter and Patrik who also play professional football in Sweden.
Elmander was married on 27 December 2007 to highschool sweetheart Amanda Calvin in a lavish ceremony in her home town of Hemsjö, Sweden. The couple had over 200 guests including fellow former teammates Kim Källström and Jon Jönsson. At their wedding, Swedish-idol Christoffer Hiding performed. In August 2008, the couple announced the birth of their first child. On 18 November 2010, it was announced Elmander's wife had given birth to a baby girl named Lily.

Honours

Feyenoord
Djurgården
Brøndby
Galatasaray
Individual