kids encyclopedia robot

Albin Ekdal facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Albin Ekdal
Albin Ekdal 2018.jpg
Ekdal playing for Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Albin Ekdal
Date of birth (1989-07-28) 28 July 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.86 m
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club Spezia
Number 8
Youth career
1996–2006 IF Brommapojkarna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2008 IF Brommapojkarna 24 (0)
2008–2010 Juventus 3 (0)
2009–2010 Siena (loan) 26 (1)
2010–2011 Bologna 22 (1)
2011–2015 Cagliari 116 (8)
2015–2018 Hamburger SV 54 (1)
2018–2022 Sampdoria 122 (3)
2022– Spezia 38 (0)
National team
2004–2006 Sweden U17 18 (5)
2007–2008 Sweden U19 8 (2)
2008–2010 Sweden U21 12 (2)
2011–2023 Sweden 70 (0)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:32, 19 November 2023 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Albin Ekdal (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈǎlːbɪn ˈêːkdɑːl]; born 28 July 1989) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie B club Spezia.

Formed at IF Brommapojkarna, Ekdal has spent most of his career in Italy, where he has made over 300 Serie A appearances. He has represented Cagliari, Juventus, Siena, Bologna, Sampdoria and Spezia in the competition. He also spent three years in Germany's Bundesliga with Hamburger SV.

A full international between 2011 and 2023, Ekdal won 70 caps for the Sweden national team. He represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.

Club career

Brommapojkarna

Albin Ekdal started his professional playing career with Brommapojkarna at the beginning of the 2007 Allsvenskan season. He played mainly as a central midfielder but also as an attacking midfielder or right midfielder.

Juventus

On 23 May 2008, Ekdal signed a four-year contract with Juventus of Italy's Serie A. He made his Serie A and club debut on 18 October in a 2–1 away defeat to Napoli, coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute for Christian Poulsen.

Loan to Siena

On 15 July 2009, fellow Italian top-flight club Siena signed Ekdal on loan for a season. He made 27 appearances for the Tuscans, who were ultimately relegated at the end of the season, and scored once, in a 4–3 loss away to eventual treble winners Inter Milan on 9 January 2010.

Bologna

On 28 June 2010, Juventus sold 50% of their ownership rights of Ekdal to Bologna. As per the deal, the two clubs would agree at the start of each season who would have him as a player. He played 23 total games for the Rossoblu and scored on the anniversary of his last goal, to open a 2–0 win at Bari.

Cagliari

Albin Ekdal 2012
Ekdal with Cagliari in 2012

On 23 August 2011, Ekdal was sold to fellow Serie A team Cagliari on a three-year deal for €3 million.

On 28 September 2014, Ekdal scored a hat-trick as Cagliari won 4–1 at Inter Milan.

Hamburger SV

On 18 July 2015, German club Hamburger SV signed Ekdal from Cagliari on a four-year deal for €4.5 million with wages of €600,000 per season. He was given the number 20 shirt.

He played 57 games for the side in total, who struggled against relegation in each of his three years with the team, ending with their ultimate descent into the 2. Bundesliga in 2018. He scored once for the team from Hamburg, the only goal of a home win against Hertha BSC on 5 March 2017.

On 21 January 2017, Ekdal received the first red card of his career, after 33 minutes of a 1–0 loss at VfL Wolfsburg.

Sampdoria

On 14 August 2018, following Hamburg's relegation from the Bundesliga, Ekdal returned to Serie A by signing for Sampdoria.

Spezia

On 13 July 2022, Ekdal signed a two-year contract with Spezia.

International career

UEFA EURO qualifiers Sweden vs Spain 20191015 Albin Ekdal and Pierre Bengtsson
Ekdal (left) and Pierre Bengtsson playing against Spain in October 2019

Ekdal made his debut for Sweden on 10 August 2011 in a friendly game away to Ukraine in Kharkiv. He came on as a 60th-minute substitute for Sebastian Larsson in a 1–0 win.

Ekdal was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, despite a deep cut in his back from celebrating Hamburg's recent Bundesliga survival putting his involvement at risk. He played each match as the Swedes came bottom of their group.

In June 2018 Ekdal was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played all five games of a run to the quarter-finals.

Ekdal was included in Sweden's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020.

After Sweden failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, Ekdal announced his retirement from international football. On 20 November 2023, he made his final appearance in Sweden's qualifier against Estonia in Stockholm, captaining the team and playing 72 minutes before being substituted to a standing ovation from the Friends Arena crowd.

Personal life

Ekdal grew up in Höglandet, an affluent suburb in Västerort, Stockholm. He is the son of Lennart Ekdal, an award-winning Swedish journalist, TV personality and newscaster known for his work for the newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the financial magazine Veckans Affärer, as well as hosting TV shows such as Kalla fakta, Halvtid för Reinfeldt (with Fredrik Reinfeldt), Kvällsöppet med Ekdal & Hakelius and Hetluft.

Ekdal's younger brother, Hjalmar Ekdal, is also a professional footballer who plays for Burnley FC.

Career statistics

Club

Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brommapojkarna 2007 Allsvenskan 15 0 15 0
2008 Superettan 9 0 9 0
Total 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 0
Juventus 2008–09 Serie A 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2009–10 Serie A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2010–11 Serie A 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
Siena (loan) 2009–10 Serie A 26 1 1 0 27 1
Bologna 2010–11 Serie A 22 1 1 0 23 1
Cagliari 2011–12 Serie A 30 1 1 0 31 1
2012–13 Serie A 31 1 3 0 34 1
2013–14 Serie A 22 1 1 0 23 1
2014–15 Serie A 33 5 1 0 34 5
Total 116 8 6 0 0 0 0 0 122 9
Hamburger SV 2015–16 Bundesliga 14 0 1 0 15 0
2016–17 Bundesliga 21 1 2 0 23 1
2017–18 Bundesliga 19 0 0 0 19 0
Total 54 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 57 1
Sampdoria 2018–19 Serie A 32 0 1 0 33 0
2019–20 Serie A 32 0 1 0 33 0
2020–21 Serie A 32 2 1 0 33 2
2021–22 Serie A 26 1 1 0 27 1
Total 122 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 126 3
Spezia 2022–23 Serie A 31 0 2 1 0 0 33 1
Career total 376 14 17 1 1 0 0 0 394 15

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 2011 1 0
2012 1 0
2013 5 0
2014 6 0
2015 7 0
2016 8 0
2017 4 0
2018 10 0
2019 8 0
2020 5 0
2021 10 0
2022 1 0
2023 4 0
Total 70 0

Honours

Individual

  • Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015
  • Stor Grabb: 2016

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Albin Ekdal para niños

kids search engine
Albin Ekdal Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.