Ola Toivonen facts for kids
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Toivonen with Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 July 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Degerfors, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.89 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2005 | Degerfors IF | 41 | (8) |
| 2006 | Örgryte IS | 25 | (6) |
| 2007–2009 | Malmö FF | 51 | (17) |
| 2009–2014 | PSV | 139 | (61) |
| 2014–2016 | Rennes | 46 | (14) |
| 2015–2016 | → Sunderland (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Toulouse | 58 | (7) |
| 2018–2020 | Melbourne Victory | 38 | (23) |
| 2020–2022 | Malmö FF | 54 | (14) |
| Total | 442 | (147) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003 | Sweden U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Sweden U19 | 11 | (6) |
| 2006–2009 | Sweden U21 | 28 | (13) |
| 2007–2018 | Sweden | 64 | (14) |
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Nils Ola Toivonen (born 3 July 1986) is a Swedish former professional footballer. He played as an attacking midfielder or forward.
Ola started his football journey in his hometown with Degerfors IF. He then played for Örgryte IS in Sweden's top league, Allsvenskan. In 2007, he joined Malmö FF, where he really started to shine.
After two successful seasons with Malmö, Ola moved to the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 2009. He stayed there for over five years, even winning the KNVB Cup in 2012. Later, he played for Rennes in France and had a short loan spell with Sunderland in England. He returned to France to play for Toulouse FC.
From 2018 to 2020, Ola played in Australia for Melbourne Victory FC. He then went back to Malmö FF before he officially stopped playing professional football in 2022. Ola also played for the Swedish national team from 2007 to 2018. He played in 64 games and scored 14 goals for his country. He was part of the Swedish teams for UEFA Euro 2012 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Ola's Club Journey
Starting His Football Journey
Ola Toivonen's father, Yrjö, was born in Finland. He moved to Degerfors, Sweden, to work in a factory. Ola began his football career at Degerfors IF. In 2005, he helped his team avoid being moved down to a lower league.
After Degerfors, Ola was bought by Örgryte IS. Their manager, Zoran Lukić, signed him. However, his only season with Örgryte was tough. The manager was fired, and the team finished last in the Allsvenskan league. This meant they were moved down to a lower league. In November 2006, Ola won the "Newcomer of the Year" award in Swedish football.
Playing for Malmö FF
Soon after, Ola signed a four-year deal with Malmö FF. This transfer was worth more than $1.1 million. He became Malmö's second most expensive player ever at that time. In his first season with Malmö in 2007, the club finished 9th, and Ola scored three goals.
The 2008 season was much better for Malmö, as they finished 6th. This was a big breakthrough for Ola. He played in 27 games and scored 14 goals, also helping with seven assists. This great performance caught the eye of clubs from England and the Netherlands, especially West Ham United and PSV Eindhoven.
Time at PSV Eindhoven
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Ola Toivonen joined PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands in early 2009. The transfer fee was around €3.5 to €4.5 million. In February 2009, he received a red card in a game, which meant he couldn't play for two matches. In his first half-season in the Netherlands, Ola scored 6 goals in 14 games for his new club.
On 8 November 2009, Ola scored an amazing four goals in a 5–1 win against ADO Den Haag. He scored three of those goals in the first 42 minutes! His first full season in the Dutch league was very successful, as he quickly got used to the new country and scored 13 goals.
In the 2010–11 season, Ola continued to score important goals for PSV. He scored two goals in the first game of the season and then another three goals in a 6–0 win against De Graafschap. He was part of a memorable 10–0 victory over Feyenoord where he scored one of the goals. He finished that season as the club's second-highest goal scorer with 15 league goals.
For the 2011–12 season, Ola was expected to score even more goals after his strike partner left. He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win against ADO Den Haag. He also scored in a Europa League qualifying match. PSV and Ola kept scoring many goals, including a 6–1 win against Excelsior where Ola scored twice.
In the 2012–13 season, Ola played only 17 games due to injuries, but he still scored eight times. PSV wanted to sell him because he didn't want to extend his contract. In the 2013–14 season, he played 14 games and scored once before leaving the club.
Moving to France and England
On 20 January 2014, Ola Toivonen was sold to Rennes in France for €2.5 million. He played well for Rennes in Ligue 1.
On 28 August 2015, Ola joined Premier League team Sunderland on a loan deal for the season. He reunited with his former manager from PSV, Dick Advocaat. The very next day, he played his first game for Sunderland and helped set up a goal. He scored his first goal for Sunderland in a cup match on 22 September 2015.
After his time at Sunderland, Ola signed with another French club, Toulouse FC, on 4 August 2016.
Adventures in Australia
On 31 August 2018, Ola Toivonen signed with the A-League club Melbourne Victory FC in Australia. In his first season, he played 26 games and scored 17 goals, with 15 of those in the A-League.
Because of his great performance, Ola won the TAC Victoria Golden Boot award in 2019. He was also the only Melbourne Victory player chosen for the A-League Team of the Season. In September 2019, Ola was named the new captain of Melbourne Victory. In May 2020, it was reported that he decided not to extend his contract and would return to his old club, Malmö FF.
Back to Malmö and Retirement
Ola officially rejoined Malmö FF on 8 June 2020, signing a 2.5-year contract. On 8 November 2020, he scored a goal in a 4–0 win that helped Malmö FF become Swedish Champions for the 21st time. This was Ola's first-ever league title!
In 2021, Ola played eight matches before getting a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. Even without him, the team won the league again, giving Ola his second league title with Malmö FF. He returned to play more than ten months after his injury in the first game of the 2022 season. Ola Toivonen retired from professional football after the 2022 Allsvenskan season.
Playing for Sweden
Ola Toivonen also had a great career playing for Sweden's national teams. On 21 August 2007, he scored three goals for the Sweden U21 team in a friendly game. He was part of the U-21 national team at the 2009 European Championship. In that tournament, he scored three times, including a fantastic free-kick against England U21.
Ola made his first appearance for the senior Sweden team on 14 January 2007. His first goal for Sweden came on 29 May 2010, in a friendly match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He scored the first goal in a 4–2 win for Sweden. On 11 August 2010, he scored his second international goal in a 3–0 win against Scotland.
In May 2018, Ola was chosen for Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored the first goal in a match against Germany on 23 June 2018. In August 2018, Ola Toivonen announced that he was retiring from playing for the national team.
Off the Field
Ola Toivonen is married to Emma, and they have two children named Selma and Nils.
What He Won
Here are some of the awards and titles Ola Toivonen won during his career:
PSV
- KNVB Cup: 2011–12
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2012
Malmö FF
- Allsvenskan: 2020, 2021
- Svenska Cupen: 2021–22
Sweden U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship bronze: 2009
Individual Awards
- Swedish Newcomer of the Year: 2006
- Stor Grabb: 2012
- A-League Team of the Season: 2018–19
- TAC Victoria Golden Boot: 2019
