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Johnny Ekström
Personal information
Full name	Johnny Douglas Ekström
Date of birth	(1965-03-05) 5 March 1965 (age 60)
Place of birth	Kallebäck, Sweden
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Striker, winger
Youth career
–1983	IFK Göteborg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–1986	IFK Göteborg	42	(18)
1986–1988	Empoli	53	(8)
1988–1989	Bayern Munich	23	(7)
1989–1991	Cannes	32	(4)
1991–1993	IFK Göteborg	22	(8)
1993–1994	Reggiana	9	(1)
1994	→ Real Betis (loan)	7	(2)
1994–1995	Dynamo Dresden	30	(7)
1995–1997	Eintracht Frankfurt	34	(7)
1997–1998	IFK Göteborg	19	(3)
Total		289	(78)
International career
1984–1986	Sweden U21	12	(2)
1986–1995	Sweden	47	(13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Johnny Douglas Ekström, born on March 5, 1965, is a former professional football player from Sweden. He was known for playing as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals, and sometimes as a winger, who plays on the sides of the field. Johnny played for teams in Italy, Germany, France, and Spain.

He is best remembered for his time playing in Sweden with IFK Göteborg. There, he was the top scorer in the 1986 Allsvenskan league and helped his team win three Swedish Championships. Johnny also played for the Swedish national team from 1986 to 1995. He played in 47 international games, called "caps," and represented Sweden in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1992.

Johnny's Club Career

Starting at IFK Göteborg

Johnny Ekström grew up playing football in the IFK Göteborg youth academy. He joined the main team in 1983 and played his first game in the Allsvenskan league in 1984. People quickly gave him nicknames like "Kallebäcks-Expressen" (the express train from Kallebäck) and "Johnny Bråttom" (Johnny-in-a-hurry). These names showed how fast he was on the field.

His best season with Göteborg was in 1986. He scored the most goals in the 1986 Allsvenskan league that year. He also helped the club reach the semi-finals of the 1985–86 European Cup. They were eventually knocked out by FC Barcelona. He also played in the first part of the 1986–87 UEFA Cup, which IFK Göteborg later won after he had left the team.

Playing in Italy with Empoli

In 1986, Johnny Ekström became the most expensive Swedish player ever when he joined Empoli in Italy's Serie A league. Fans and teammates at Empoli really liked him. They called him 'Il Ciclone' (the cyclone) because of his amazing speed when he ran with the ball. This speed was his most famous skill.

Moving to Bayern Munich

In 1988, Ekström signed with the German club FC Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He helped them win the 1988–89 Bundesliga title. They also made it to the semi-finals of the 1988–89 UEFA Cup, where they lost to Napoli.

Time with Cannes in France

In 1989, Johnny joined AS Cannes in France's Ligue 1. While there, he played alongside a young player who would become very famous: Zinedine Zidane. Johnny left the club in 1991.

Returning to IFK Göteborg

Ekström came back to Swedish football and IFK Göteborg in 1991. He helped the team win the Swedish Championships in 1991 and 1993. They also won the 1991 Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup). He played in the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League, where Göteborg finished third in their group.

Back to Italy with Reggiana

In 1993, Ekström returned to Italy and the Serie A league, joining Reggiana. He played in 9 Serie A games during the 1993–94 Serie A season. For the rest of that season, he played in Spain on loan.

Loan to Real Betis

In the spring of 1994, Johnny played for Real Betis in Spain. He was the second Swedish player to ever play for this club from Seville. He played in seven games in the Segunda División during the 1993–94 season and scored two goals.

Playing for Dynamo Dresden

In the summer of 1994, Ekström went back to Germany and the Bundesliga. He signed a two-year contract with Dynamo Dresden. He played one season for them, scoring seven goals in 30 Bundesliga games.

Joining Eintracht Frankfurt

Ekström signed with Eintracht Frankfurt in 1995. He scored two goals in 16 games, but the club was moved down to the 2. Bundesliga in 1996. He stayed with the team in the second division but they could not get back into the top German league.

Second Return to IFK Göteborg and Retirement

Johnny returned to IFK Göteborg for a third time in 1997. He played for the club during the 1997 and 1998 Allsvenskan seasons. He then retired from professional football at the end of 1998. Overall, Ekström played more than 200 games for IFK Göteborg during his three times with the club.

Johnny's International Career

Playing for Sweden's Youth Team

Johnny Ekström played 12 games for the Swedish Under-21 team. He was part of the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. They were eventually knocked out by Italy.

Playing for the Senior National Team

Ekström played his first game for the main Swedish national team on May 1, 1986. It was a friendly game against Greece, which ended in a 0–0 draw. He scored his first goal for Sweden on August 6, 1986, in a 3–1 friendly win against Finland.

UEFA Euro 1988 Qualifiers

Johnny played his first competitive international game for Sweden on September 24, 1986. It was a UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying match against Switzerland. Sweden won 2–0, and Ekström scored both goals. He scored four more goals in the same qualifying campaign, making him one of the top scorers. Even with his goals, Sweden did not qualify for Euro 1988.

1990 FIFA World Cup

Ekström scored two goals during the qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. This helped Sweden qualify for their first World Cup since 1978. At the 1990 World Cup, he played in the second group game against Scotland. He also started in the third group game against Costa Rica, where he scored Sweden's first goal. Sweden lost all three of their games 1–2 and were eliminated from the tournament.

UEFA Euro 1992

Ekström was part of the Swedish team at UEFA Euro 1992, which was held in Sweden. He came on as a substitute in all four games. Sweden reached the semi-finals of the tournament before being eliminated by Germany.

Later Years and Retirement from International Play

Ekström played in four qualifying games for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He announced his retirement from international football in October 1993. He made a short comeback on March 8, 1995, in a friendly 3–3 draw with Cyprus, where he scored one of the goals. In total, he played 47 games for the Swedish national team and scored 13 goals.

Career Statistics

International Games

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Sweden	1986	8	6
	1987	8	2
	1988	5	1
	1989	7	1
	1990	6	1
	1991	0	0
	1992	9	0
	1993	3	1
	1994	0	0
	1995	1	1
Total		47	13

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ekström goal.

List of international goals scored by Johnny Ekström
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 August 1986	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	2–0	3–1	Friendly
2	10 September 1986	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	England	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3	24 September 1986	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Switzerland	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
4	24 September 1986	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Switzerland	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
5	16 November 1986	Ta´Qali Stadion, Ta´Qali, Malta	Malta	4–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
6	16 November 1986	Ta´Qali Stadion, Ta´Qali, Malta	Malta	5–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
7	24 May 1987	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Malta	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
8	17 June 1987	Stade Olympique, Lausanne, Switzerland	Switzerland	1–1	1–1	UEFA Euro 1988 qualifier
9	5 November 1988	Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana, Albania	Albania	2–1	2–1	1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier
10	25 October 1989	Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland	Poland	2–0	2–0	1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier
11	20 June 1990	Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy	Costa Rica	1–0	1–2	1990 FIFA World Cup
12	15 April 1993	Nepstadion, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–0	2–0	Friendly
13	8 March 1995	Tsirion Athletic Centre, Limassol, Cyprus	Cyprus	2–1	3–3	Friendly