Kim Källström facts for kids
Källström in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kim Mikael Källström | ||
| Date of birth | 24 August 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Sandviken, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1980–1989 | Sandvikens IF | ||
| 1990–1996 | Partille IF | ||
| 1997–1998 | BK Häcken | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2001 | BK Häcken | 69 | (14) |
| 2002–2003 | Djurgårdens IF | 48 | (26) |
| 2004–2006 | Rennes | 83 | (20) |
| 2006–2012 | Lyon | 199 | (17) |
| 2012–2015 | Spartak Moscow | 58 | (5) |
| 2014 | → Arsenal (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Grasshoppers | 49 | (1) |
| 2017 | Djurgårdens IF | 28 | (3) |
| Total | 537 | (86) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1999 | Sweden U16 | 32 | (12) |
| 1999 | Sweden U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2000–2003 | Sweden U21 | 21 | (5) |
| 2001–2016 | Sweden | 131 | (16) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kim Mikael Källström is a Swedish former professional footballer. He was born on August 24, 1982. Kim played as a midfielder and was known for his great passing and powerful free-kicks.
He started his career in Sweden, winning two league titles with Djurgården. Later, he moved to France to play for Rennes and Lyon. With Lyon, Kim won many important trophies. In 2012, he joined Spartak Moscow. He also had a short loan spell at Arsenal in 2014, where he helped them win the 2013–14 FA Cup. After leaving Spartak, he played for Grasshoppers in Switzerland. He finished his career back at Djurgården in 2017.
Kim Källström played 131 games for the Swedish national team between 2001 and 2016. This makes him one of Sweden's most capped players ever. He played in four European Championships and one World Cup.
Contents
Early Life and Youth Football
Kim Källström was born in Sandviken, Sweden, on August 24, 1982. His father, Mikael Källström, was also a footballer. Kim started playing football at a young age. In 1986, he joined his local team, Sandvikens IF.
In 1989, his family moved to Partille, near Gothenburg. Kim then started playing for Partille IF. When he was 17, he even had a try-out with the Dutch club PSV.
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Sweden
Kim Källström began his professional career with BK Häcken in Gothenburg. In his first season in 1999, his team won their league, Division 1 Södra, and moved up to the top league, Allsvenskan. Even though Häcken was relegated in 2001, Kim's eight goals that season helped him get a transfer to Djurgårdens IF.
Success with Djurgården
At Djurgården, Kim quickly became a key player. In his first year (2002), his team won both the Allsvenskan league title and the national cup, Svenska Cupen. Kim was the team's top scorer with twelve league goals. The team won the Allsvenskan title again in 2003. Kim scored 14 goals, making him the team's top scorer and the second-highest scorer in Sweden.
Moving to France: Rennes
In January 2004, Kim moved to France to play for Rennes in Ligue 1. He scored his first goal in France during a 4–0 win against Sochaux. He finished his first half-season with seven goals in 18 games.
During the 2004–05 season, Kim scored five goals in 31 league matches. This helped Rennes finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Cup. In the 2005–06 season, he scored a career-high eight goals in Ligue 1. In June 2006, Rennes agreed to sell him to the league champions, Lyon.
Winning Trophies with Lyon
After a successful time at Rennes, Kim Källström joined Lyon in June 2006. He went on to win many trophies with this club. In his first game for Lyon, he scored a goal in the Trophée des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain, which Lyon won on penalties.
On October 17, 2006, Kim scored his first goal for Lyon in the Champions League. Lyon won the French championship for the sixth season in a row that year.
In the 2007–08 season, Kim scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win against Lens. He also scored in a Champions League game against VfB Stuttgart. On December 2, 2007, Kim scored two goals and set up another in a big 5–0 win against Strasbourg. On the last day of the league season, he scored in a 3–1 win that secured Lyon's seventh league title in a row. In May 2008, he played in the 2008 Coupe de France Final, where Lyon won 1–0 against Paris Saint-Germain. This completed Lyon's first league and cup double.
Kim scored four goals in the 2009–10 season. Lyon had their most successful Champions League season, reaching the semi-finals. Kim scored in a 4–0 win against Debreceni and played in eleven matches.
The 2011–12 season was Kim's last at Lyon. He played 32 league games. In the Coupe de France, he scored a goal and assisted another in a 3–1 win against Paris Saint-Germain. Lyon reached the final and won the cup with a 1–0 victory over Quevilly.
Kim left Lyon in August 2012 after six seasons. He played 283 games for the club. He won two Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups, and two French Super Cups.
Time in Russia and Loan to Arsenal
On July 28, 2012, Kim Källström signed with Spartak Moscow in Russia. He made his debut in September and scored his first goal for the club later that month.
In January 2014, Kim joined Arsenal in England on loan for the rest of the season. He had a back injury when he joined, but Arsenal decided to sign him anyway and help him recover. Kim made his debut for Arsenal in March against Swansea City. Two weeks later, he played in the FA Cup semi-finals against Wigan Athletic. He came on as a substitute and scored a penalty in the shootout, which Arsenal won. He later called this moment "the greatest 15 minutes of my life." Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup that season. Kim played four games for Arsenal in total.
Later Career and Retirement
After three years in Russia, Kim left Spartak and joined Swiss Super League club Grasshoppers in Switzerland in June 2015. He scored his only goal for the club in November 2015 in a 5–0 win against city rivals FC Zürich. He was also named the team's captain. He left Grasshoppers in January 2017.
On February 10, 2017, Kim Källström returned to Djurgårdens IF in Sweden. The news of his return caused Djurgården's official website to crash because so many people visited it! After playing 28 league games and scoring three goals, Kim announced his retirement from football on December 15, 2017.
International Career
Kim Källström played his first game for the Swedish national team in 2001 against Finland. He was part of the Swedish squad for the UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, and UEFA Euro 2012 tournaments. He scored Sweden's first goal in a 3–2 win over the Netherlands, which helped Sweden qualify for Euro 2012.
In a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Germany in October 2012, Sweden was losing 3–0 at half-time. Kim came on as a substitute and helped Sweden make an amazing comeback to draw 4–4, providing three assists.
In the return match against Germany, Kim showed a kind gesture. He comforted Max, a team mascot who has Williams Syndrome. A photo of this moment became very popular online. Max's father later thanked Kim, saying that because of his actions, his son felt proud and special.
Kim Källström retired from the national team after Euro 2016. He played 131 games for Sweden and scored 16 goals. He is the fourth most capped player for Sweden.
Playing Style
Kim Källström was a central midfielder. He could also play on the left side of the midfield. He was known for being a deep-lying playmaker, meaning he could control the game from a deeper position. He was also famous for his powerful left-footed free kicks.
Honours and Awards
Kim Källström won many awards and trophies during his career:
- BK Häcken
- Division 1 Södra: 1999
- Djurgården
- Allsvenskan: 2002, 2003
- Svenska Cupen: 2002
- Lyon
- Ligue 1: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Coupe de France: 2007–08, 2011–12
- Trophée Des Champions: 2006, 2007
- Arsenal
- FA Cup: 2013–14
- Individual Awards
- Årets komet (Swedish Rising Star): 2000
- Swedish Newcomer of the Year: 2000
- Årets Järnkamin (Djurgården Player of the Year): 2002
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 2009, 2011, 2012
- Swedish Goal of the Year: 2011
- UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying top assist provider
- Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2015–16
- Allsvenskan Player of the Month: September 2017
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See also
In Spanish: Kim Källström para niños
