Johan Mjällby facts for kids
Johan Mjällby, 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karl Johan Siward Mjällby | ||
| Date of birth | 9 February 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Järfälla, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1976–1984 | IK Bele | ||
| 1984–1989 | AIK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1998 | AIK | 135 | (8) |
| 1998–2004 | Celtic | 144 | (13) |
| 2004–2005 | Levante | 3 | (0) |
| 2006 | AIK | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 292 | (21) | |
| International career | |||
| 1990–1991 | Sweden U21 | 7 | (0) |
| 1997–2004 | Sweden | 49 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2010–2014 | Celtic (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Bolton (assistant) | ||
| 2016–2017 | Västerås SK | ||
| 2018 | Gefle IF | ||
| 2019–2020 | FC Stockholm Internazionale | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Karl Johan Siward Mjällby (born on February 9, 1971) is a Swedish football manager and former player. He played as a centre back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field.
Johan Mjällby played for teams like AIK in Sweden, Celtic in Scotland, and Levante in Spain. His playing career lasted from 1989 to 2006. He also played for the Swedish national team from 1997 to 2004. He played in 49 international games, called "caps", and scored 4 goals. Mjällby was the captain for Sweden during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the UEFA Euro 2000 and 2004 tournaments. After retiring as a player, he became an assistant manager for clubs like Bolton Wanderers and Celtic.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
When Johan Mjällby was young, he was good at both football and tennis. He had to choose which sport to play professionally. He decided to focus on football. In 1984, he joined AIK from his first club, IK Bele.
Time at AIK
Mjällby played for AIK for 14 years. He became a strong and tough midfield player. His good play helped him get noticed by the Swedish national team. In 1992, AIK won the league, but Mjällby did not accept his gold medal. He felt he had not played enough to earn it. It was a special moment for him in 1998 when he helped AIK win the league again. This time, he proudly accepted his medal.
Playing for Celtic FC
In November 1998, Mjällby joined Celtic in Scotland. He cost about £1.2 million. He joined his Swedish teammate Henrik Larsson at the club. They both left Celtic in 2004. Mjällby first played for Celtic as a central defender in a famous 5-1 win against their rivals, Rangers. He became well-known for his strong play in defense.
In the 1999-2000 season, Mjällby won his first trophy with Celtic. They won the League Cup against Aberdeen. The 2000-01 season was very successful. Celtic won the "Domestic Treble," which means they won three major trophies in one season: the Scottish Premier League, the League Cup, and the Scottish Cup.
Mjällby also played in the Champions League in 2001-02. He helped Celtic win another Scottish Premier League title. In 2002-03, Celtic reached the final of the UEFA Cup, a big European competition. They played against FC Porto but lost 3-2 after extra time.
The 2003-04 season was Mjällby's last at Celtic Park. He had many injuries that year. He decided not to sign a new contract with Celtic. During his six years at Celtic, he won many medals. He was often called "Dolph" or "Big Dolph" by fans. This was because some people thought he looked like the Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren.
Time in Spain and Return to AIK
After leaving Celtic, Mjällby joined Levante, a team in Spain's top league, La Liga. However, he had more knee problems and had to have two operations. He was forced to retire from football because of his injuries.
After almost a year, Mjällby tried to play again. He rejoined his old club, AIK. But on May 16, 2006, he had to retire from professional football for good due to his ongoing injury.
International Career
Early International Games
Before playing for the main Swedish team, Mjällby played 7 games for the Sweden U21 team. He played his first game for the senior Swedish national team on March 12, 1997, in a friendly match against Israel. He scored his first international goal in a game against England in 1998.
Euro 2000 Tournament
At UEFA Euro 2000, Mjällby scored a goal for Sweden in their first match against Belgium. Sweden lost that game 2-1.
2002 FIFA World Cup
Mjällby was the captain for Sweden at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He became captain because another defender, Patrik Andersson, was injured. Mjällby played very well with Andreas Jakobsson in defense. Sweden won their group, which included strong teams like England and Argentina. They were later knocked out of the tournament by Senegal in the second round.
Euro 2004 and Retirement
Mjällby was part of the squad for Euro 2004, but he did not play in any games. His last international game was on October 9, 2004, against Hungary. In total, he played 49 games for Sweden and scored 4 goals.
Coaching Career
On March 25, 2010, Johan Mjällby became the assistant manager at Celtic Football Club. He worked with his former teammate, Neil Lennon, who was the temporary manager. They took over after the previous manager was fired.
Mjällby said that he and Neil Lennon wanted to bring a "will-to-win" spirit to the Celtic team. He wanted the players to be proud to wear the Celtic jersey. On July 1, 2010, he was officially confirmed as Neil Lennon's assistant manager.
On April 22, 2014, Mjällby announced he would leave Celtic. He wanted to find new challenges in football. On October 12, 2014, he became the assistant manager at Bolton Wanderers, working again with Neil Lennon. In September 2015, he left Bolton for personal reasons.
In February 2016, Mjällby became the head coach of a Swedish team called Västerås SK.
Honours and Achievements
Johan Mjällby won many awards during his football career:
AIK
- Allsvenskan (Swedish League): 1992, 1998
- Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup): 1995–96, 1996–97
Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04
- Scottish League Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01
- Scottish Cup: 2000–01, 2003–04
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 2002–03 (meaning his team reached the final but did not win)
See also
In Spanish: Johan Mjällby para niños
