Nils-Eric Johansson


Nils-Eric "Nisse" Johansson is a Swedish former professional footballer who last played as a defender for AIK, which he captained.

Career

Initially on the books at Bayern Munich, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg in August 2000, before several clubs across Europe, including Blackburn Rovers, claimed special interest in the player. He moved to Blackburn in October 2001 for a fee of £2,700,000, signing a four-year contract.
He made his debut in a 4–1 loss against Liverpool. His next match was a 7–1 victory against West Ham United. He was handed his Sweden debut in August 2002 against Russia. He made his 75th appearance for Blackburn during the 2003–04 season. However, following Mark Hughes' arrival as Blackburn manager, he found first team chances few and far between. In his time at Blackburn he started in the 2002 Football League Cup Final in which they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1. He scored twice during his spell at Blackburn: once against Manchester City in the League Cup and once against Barnsley in the FA Cup.
He was released by Blackburn at the end of the 2004–05 season and joined Leicester City on a free transfer at the start of the 2005–06 season. His first goal for Leicester came in a 1–0 win against Cardiff in the League Cup. Johansson's only league goal was a last minute winner against Preston in the 2006–07 season, which all but guaranteed Leicester's survival in the Championship. He was released by Leicester in May 2007 and shortly afterwards he signed for Swedish outfit AIK, where he was eligible from 1 July.
On 18 February 2018, it was announced that he would retire, effective immediately, due to a heart condition.

Career statistics

Honours

Player

Club

Bayern Munich
1. FC Nürnberg
Blackburn Rovers
AIK