Marcus Berg facts for kids
Berg with Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 August 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Torsby, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.84 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | IFK Göteborg (assistant coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1998 | IFK Velen | ||
| 1998–2000 | Torsby IF | ||
| 2003–2004 | IFK Göteborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2003 | Torsby IF | 24 | |
| 2005–2007 | IFK Göteborg | 53 | (21) |
| 2007–2009 | Groningen | 56 | (32) |
| 2009–2013 | Hamburger SV | 54 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | → PSV (loan) | 25 | (8) |
| 2013–2017 | Panathinaikos | 115 | (73) |
| 2017–2019 | Al Ain | 41 | (35) |
| 2019–2021 | Krasnodar | 44 | (18) |
| 2021–2023 | IFK Göteborg | 65 | (30) |
| Total | 477 | (222) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Sweden U19 | 8 | (3) |
| 2006–2009 | Sweden U21 | 19 | (8) |
| 2008–2021 | Sweden | 90 | (24) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2025– | IFK Göteborg (assistant) | ||
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Marcus Berg (born 17 August 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player who focused on scoring goals. Marcus is currently an assistant coach for the Swedish club IFK Göteborg.
He started his football journey in Sweden with IFK Göteborg in the early 2000s. Later, he played for teams in the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. In 2021, he returned to IFK Göteborg. Marcus also played for the Swedish national team from 2008 to 2021. He played in 90 games and scored 24 goals for his country. He also represented Sweden in big tournaments like UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.
Club Career Highlights
Starting with IFK Göteborg
Marcus Berg joined the main team of IFK Göteborg in 2005 after two years in their youth academy. He played alongside his older brother, Jonatan Berg, during this time. Marcus played for IFK Göteborg until the summer of 2007.
In his last season, he scored many goals and played very well. IFK Göteborg won the league that season. Fans of IFK Göteborg called him Svarte-Marcus ("Black Marcus"). This nickname was a tribute to a famous striker from the past, Filip "Svarte-Filip" Johansson.
Moving to Groningen
On 10 August 2007, Marcus joined the Dutch club FC Groningen. He was signed to replace another famous player, Luis Suárez. Marcus had a great first season in the Netherlands. He scored 18 goals for Groningen in the 2007–08 season. This helped his team finish in seventh place.
In the 2008–09 season, he continued to play well. He scored 13 goals in just 15 matches. He even scored four goals in one game against Roda JC in December.
Time at Hamburger SV
On 17 July 2009, Marcus signed a five-year contract with the German club Hamburger SV. This was a record fee paid for a Groningen player at the time, about €10.5 million. In his very first game for Hamburg, he scored a goal just 182 seconds after coming onto the field. This was a record for the club! However, his first season was not as successful, and he scored only three more goals in 30 games.
Loan to PSV Eindhoven
On 17 July 2010, Marcus was loaned to PSV for one season. He played for them during the 2010–11 season.
Return to Hamburger SV
After his loan, Marcus returned to Hamburger SV. He played in 13 games during the 2011–12 Bundesliga season, scoring one goal. Injuries and a lack of form affected his playing time. In 2012, it was suggested that Hamburg might sell him.
Playing for Panathinaikos
On 8 July 2013, Marcus signed a four-year contract with Panathinaikos in Greece. He scored his first goal for them on 18 August 2013 in his debut game. On 2 March 2014, he was named the best player in a big game against Olympiacos, where Panathinaikos won 3–0. This was their biggest away win ever against Olympiacos. The next week, he scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Aris.
On 26 April 2014, Marcus scored another hat-trick in the Greek Cup final against PAOK. This helped Panathinaikos win the Greek Cup with a 4–1 victory. He scored his second hat-trick in the league on 11 January 2015. On 26 January 2015, he extended his contract until 2018. He scored his third hat-trick for Panathinaikos on 8 March 2015 in a 4–3 win against PAOK.
In 2015, other clubs like PAOK and Marseille tried to sign him, but Panathinaikos did not want to sell him. On 7 November 2015, he scored his 50th goal for the club. On 6 March 2016, Marcus played his 100th official game for Panathinaikos. On 17 April 2016, he scored five goals in one match against Panthrakikos, helping his team win 6–1.
On 18 August 2016, Marcus scored two goals in a UEFA Europa League play-off game, helping Panathinaikos win 3–0. On 23 September 2016, he extended his contract again. He became the top scorer in the Greek Superleague for the first time in his career. He scored his last goal for Panathinaikos on 30 April 2017.
Playing in the UAE for Al Ain
On 28 June 2017, Marcus moved to Al Ain FC in the United Arab Emirates. He signed a two-year contract. Panathinaikos wished him well, saying he had given a lot to their club.
Marcus had an amazing season in the UAE Pro-League. On 21 April 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Al Nasr. This helped Al Ain become champions for the 13th time. On 29 April 2018, he scored four goals in a 5–0 win against Al Dhafra FC. He became the top scorer in the league in his first season. On 3 May 2018, he scored in the UAE President's Cup final, helping Al Ain win another trophy.
On 18 December 2018, he scored in the Club World Cup final against River Plate. Al Ain won on penalties and reached the final of the tournament.
Time at Krasnodar
On 13 July 2019, Marcus signed with Krasnodar in Russia. He signed a contract until the summer of 2020. On 15 June 2020, he extended his contract for another year. He was the club's top scorer in his first season, with 10 goals in all competitions. Krasnodar finished third in the league, which helped them get a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
On 2 December 2020, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Rennes in the Champions League. This was Krasnodar's first win in the competition, and it helped them qualify for the Europa League.
Return to IFK Göteborg and Retirement
On 22 March 2021, it was announced that Marcus would return to IFK Göteborg. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and started playing for them on 1 July 2021. On 25 September 2023, Marcus Berg announced he was retiring from football. This was due to a serious back injury.
In 2024, Marcus became a developer as part of IFK Göteborg's first-team coaching staff.
International Career
Youth Teams
Marcus started his international career with the Sweden U19 team. He scored 3 goals in 8 games for them. Then, he played for the Sweden U21 team. He played in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden. He was an outstanding player in this tournament, scoring 7 goals in 4 games. Sweden reached the semi-finals but lost to England.
After the tournament, UEFA named Marcus the Player of the Tournament. His 7 goals also won him the Golden Boot award for being the top scorer. His 7 goals set a new record for the tournament.
Senior National Team
Early Career
Marcus first joined the Swedish senior team in February 2008 for a friendly game against Turkey. He played the whole game, which ended in a 0–0 draw. He was not chosen for the UEFA Euro 2008 team later that year.
He was often called up during Sweden's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He scored his first goal for Sweden on 10 June 2009 in a 4–0 win against Malta. He also scored in the last qualifying match against Albania. Sweden won 4–1, but it was not enough to qualify for the World Cup.
UEFA Euro 2016
Marcus scored two goals in the qualifying games for UEFA Euro 2016. The first was on 14 June 2015 against Montenegro. The second was on 9 October 2015 against Liechtenstein. Sweden then beat Denmark in a play-off to get a spot in the tournament.
On 11 May 2016, Marcus was chosen for the UEFA Euro 2016 team. This was his first major tournament. He played in the opening game against Republic of Ireland. Sweden was eliminated from the tournament after losing to Italy and Belgium.
2018 FIFA World Cup
Marcus was Sweden's main striker during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. This was after Zlatan Ibrahimović retired from the national team. He scored his first goal in the qualifiers on 6 September 2016 against the Netherlands. On 7 October 2017, Marcus scored four goals in a huge 8–0 win against Luxembourg. This was Sweden's biggest win in 79 years! It was also his 50th game for the national team. Sweden finished second in their group, and Marcus was their top scorer with 8 goals.
Sweden then played Italy in a play-off and won 1–0. This meant they qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006. Marcus was praised for his hard work in defense during these games. In May 2018, he was named in Sweden's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in all five games for Sweden, but he did not score any goals. Sweden was knocked out by England in the quarter-finals.
UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Nations League
On 15 October 2019, Marcus scored his 20th goal for Sweden in a 1–1 draw against Spain in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying game. On 8 September 2020, he was the captain for Sweden for the first time in a UEFA Nations League game against Portugal.
In May 2021, he was chosen for Sweden's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. After Sweden's first game against Spain, Marcus faced some negative comments online because he missed a scoring chance. The Swedish Football Association reported this to the police. On 9 July 2021, Marcus announced his retirement from international football. He played a total of 90 games for Sweden and scored 24 goals.
Style of Play
Marcus Berg was known for his great heading ability. He was also good at controlling the ball with his first touch. He could shoot and pass well with both his right and left feet. People also noticed his clever dribbling and his ability to score from difficult angles.
Honours
IFK Göteborg
- Allsvenskan: 2007
Panathinaikos
- Greek Cup: 2013–14
Al Ain FC
- UAE Pro-League: 2017–18
- UAE President's Cup: 2017–18
- FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2018
Sweden U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship bronze: 2009
Individual Awards
- Allsvenskan top scorer: 2007 (shared)
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Boot: 2009
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Player of the Tournament: 2009
- Super League Greece Best Foreign Player: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Super League Greece Golden Boot: 2016–17 (22 goals)
- Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2016–17
- Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17
- Greek Cup Top Scorer: 2013–14 (7 goals)
- UAE Pro-League Golden Boot: 2017–18 (25 goals)
- Årets Ärkeängel: 2022
Images for kids
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Marcus Berg playing for Sweden in September 2015
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See also
In Spanish: Marcus Berg para niños
