Junior Eldstål facts for kids
Eldstål with Johor Darul Ta'zim in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Junior Gunnar Putera Eldstål | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia | ||
| Height | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Johor Darul Ta'zim | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2007 | Aldershot | ||
| 2008–2011 | Reading | ||
| 2010–2013 | Hartpury College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | Slimbridge | 11 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Sarawak | 55 | (2) |
| 2015–2018 | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 40 | (3) |
| 2019 | Metropolitan Police | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | Chonburi | 36 | (3) |
| 2022– | Johor Darul Ta'zim | 2 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Johor Darul Ta'zim II | 10 | (0) |
| 2023 | → PT Prachuap (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Dewa United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014– | Malaysia | 23 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 March 2024 |
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Junior Gunnar Putera Eldstål, born on September 16, 1991, is a professional football player from Malaysia. He plays as a centre-back (a defender in the middle) for the club Johor Darul Ta'zim. He also plays for the Malaysia national team.
Contents
Early Life
Junior Eldstål was born in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. His mother is Malaysian, and his father is Swedish. When he was two years old, his family moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Later, in 1999, they moved to Guildford, England.
Club Career
Youth Football
Junior Eldstål played for two English youth clubs: Aldershot and Reading. Even though his father is Swedish, Junior chose to become a Malaysian citizen because of his mother's background.
When he was 19, he joined the UWE Hartpury College Football Academy. There, he studied Sports Coaching and was part of a special football program. During this time, he also played part-time for Slimbridge in 2012.
Playing for Sarawak
Joining the Crocs
In April 2013, Junior Eldstål signed with Sarawak, a Malaysian football club. He played his first league game on April 17, 2013. He came in as a substitute in an FA Cup Malaysia match against Kelantan.
After Junior joined, Sarawak had a great season. They won their first league trophy in almost 16 years, the 2013 Malaysia Premier League. Sarawak also set a league record by going unbeaten for a long time. Junior helped his team by providing two assists in a big 6–1 win against Perak. This win helped Sarawak reach the quarterfinals of the 2013 Malaysia Cup.
Moving to the Super League
In 2014, Sarawak moved up to the Malaysia Super League. Junior received a new contract to stay with Sarawak until the end of 2014. However, his start in the Super League was delayed because of a back injury in September 2013. He had surgery in November and then spent two months recovering.
He made his first full start of the season in March 2014. He helped set up several goals for his teammates. On April 15, he scored an important goal in a 3–2 home win against ATM FA. By the end of the 2013–14 season, Junior had played 55 games for Sarawak.
Playing for Johor Darul Ta'zim
On November 11, 2014, Junior Eldstål announced he had signed with Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT). JDT is one of the top teams in Southeast Asia. He joined them until 2015 and quickly became a starting player, often playing as a centre back.
Junior hoped to join the Malaysia national football team but was not chosen for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup. Despite this, he had a strong debut for JDT against Pahang FA in the MSL 2015 opener. He helped JDT win their first trophy of the season, the Charity Shield Malaysia.
On March 14, JDT was losing 0–1 to Sime Darby. Junior was moved to midfield and scored his first Super League goal of the season, making it 1–1. He scored his second goal for the club on April 24, 2015, in a game against Perak. On October 29, 2018, Junior announced that he was leaving JDT and returning to the UK.
Metropolitan Police
On March 5, 2019, Junior Eldstål played his first game for Metropolitan Police, an English non-league team. They won 2–1 against Kings Langley. His signing was announced a few days later, confirming he would play for the club until the end of the 2018/19 season.
Chonburi F.C.
On February 3, 2021, Junior Eldstål made his debut for Chonburi, a team in the Thai League 1. He came on as a substitute in a 3–0 win against Suphanburi in the 2021–22 Thai FA Cup.
After his quarantine in Thailand ended, he became a key player for the team. He started his first game on February 11, 2021, in a match against Muangthong United. During the 2021-2022 Thai League 1 season, he played 32 games for Chonburi and scored 2 goals.
Return to Johor Darul Ta'zim
On July 7, 2022, Junior Eldstål returned to Johor Darul Ta'zim for the rest of the 2022 Malaysia Super League season. For the 2022 season, he played for JDT's reserve team, Johor Darul Ta'zim II.
PT Prachuap
On January 5, 2023, Junior Eldstål joined PT Prachuap, another Thai League 1 team, on loan. He made his debut for them on April 2, 2023, in a 3–0 win against Khon Kaen United.
Dewa United
On July 20, 2023, Junior Eldstål moved to Indonesia and signed a contract with Liga 1 club Dewa United.
International Career
Playing for Malaysia XI
In July 2013, Junior Eldstål was asked to join the Harimau Muda A squad for the World University Games. However, he could not play due to some technical issues. On July 11, 2013, he was named in the senior squad for the first time. This was for a friendly match against Chonburi. He later also received calls to play against famous clubs like Chelsea and Barcelona.
Playing for Malaysia National Team
On September 7, 2013, Junior Eldstål played his first game for the Malaysia Under-23 team against Singapore U-23. He scored his first goal for the team on September 14, 2013, in the Merdeka Cup final against Myanmar U-23. Malaysia won the Merdeka Cup 2–0, with Junior scoring the final goal in the 90th minute.
In September 2014, Junior was chosen for the 2014 Asian Games squad. He played two games in the tournament. Malaysia finished third in their group and did not advance further.
Personal Life
Junior Eldstål has both Swedish and Malaysian heritage. In 2013, he received the FAM Most Promising Player Award, which recognizes young players with great potential.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chonburi | 2020–21 | Thai League 1 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | |
| 2021–22 | Thai League 1 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| Total | 32 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 32 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malaysia | 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 23 | 0 | |
Honours
Club Trophies
Johor Darul Ta'zim
- Malaysia Super League: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2024–25
- Piala Sumbangsih (Charity Shield): 2015, 2016, 2018, 2024
- Malaysia FA Cup: 2016, 2024
- Malaysia Cup: 2017, 2024–25
- AFC Cup: 2015
Sarawak FA
- Malaysia Premier League: 2013
Chonburi
- Thai FA Cup runner-up: 2020–21
Johor Darul Ta'zim II
- Malaysia Premier League: 2022
International Trophies
- Pestabola Merdeka: 2013 (Champion); 2023 (Runner-up)
See also
In Spanish: Junior Eldstål para niños
