Pontus Jansson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pontus Jansson

Jansson with Malmö FF in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Pontus Sven Gustav Jansson
Date of birth	(1991-02-13) 13 February 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth	Arlöv, Sweden
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Malmö FF
Number	18
Youth career
2004–2006	Arlövs BI
2006–2009	Malmö FF
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2014	Malmö FF	98	(6)
2009	→ IFK Malmö (loan)	7	(2)
2014–2017	Torino	16	(1)
2016–2017	→ Leeds United (loan)	34	(3)
2017–2019	Leeds United	81	(6)
2019–2023	Brentford	107	(4)
2023–	Malmö FF	45	(2)
International career
2007–2008	Sweden U17	13	(0)
2008–2009	Sweden U19	9	(3)
2011–2012	Sweden U21	15	(1)
2012–2020	Sweden	27	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:43, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

Pontus Jansson is a Swedish professional footballer born on February 13, 1991. He plays as a centre-back, which is a defensive position, for Malmö FF.

Jansson started his football journey at his local club, Malmö FF. Later, he moved to Italy to play for Torino. He then joined Leeds United in England, first on loan and then permanently. After three years at Leeds, he signed with Brentford in 2019 and became their captain. He played two seasons in the Premier League with Brentford before returning to Malmö FF in 2023.

Pontus Jansson also played for the Swedish national team from 2012 to 2021. He played in 27 international matches, known as "caps." He represented his country in major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Malmö FF

Pontus Jansson playing for Malmö FF in 2012

Pontus Jansson began his football career at a local club called Arlövs BI. In 2006, when he was 15, he moved to Malmö FF. He played in their youth teams before making his first team debut in 2009.

Early in his career, Jansson played in different positions. However, at the start of the 2010 season, he decided to focus on playing as a centre-back. He had actually made his first team debut as a forward the year before. When a teammate got injured, Jansson took his place at centre-back. He played in 18 games during the 2010 season, helping Malmö win the league. He missed some games later that season due to injuries.

In the 2011 season, Jansson earned the trust of the new manager and became a regular starter. He played 15 league matches and nine European matches. Many people thought he was one of the club's best players that year. The 2012 season was a big year for Jansson. He played in all 30 league matches for Malmö FF, showing how important he was to the team.

Jansson continued to be a key player in the 2013 season, when Malmö won the league title again. He played 24 matches and scored one important goal against IFK Göteborg, which helped Malmö win 3–1. He was even nominated as the best defender of the year for his great performance. He also played in all of Malmö FF's matches in the qualification rounds for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.

During the 2014 season, Jansson played nine matches before he moved to Torino. He also played in all of the club's matches in the 2013–14 Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup), where they reached the semi-finals.

Time at Torino

On April 24, 2014, Torino announced that they had signed Jansson. He joined the Italian team on July 1, 2014, without a transfer fee. In his first season, he played 16 matches in total. This included nine league games, one cup game, and six matches in the UEFA Europa League.

On April 30, 2016, he scored his first goal in Serie A, which is Italy's top league. It was the first goal in a 5–1 win against Udinese. During the 2015–16 season, he played seven league games and two cup matches for Torino.

Playing for Leeds United

On August 18, 2016, Jansson joined the English team Leeds United on a loan for the season. He was given the number 18 shirt. His loan deal also included an option for Leeds to sign him permanently. He played his first game for Leeds on August 23, 2016, in a cup match against Luton Town. His first league game was on September 10, 2016, against Huddersfield Town.

On September 17, Jansson was named "man of the match" in a 2–0 win against Cardiff City. He scored his first goal for Leeds on November 5, 2016, with a header in a 3–2 victory against Norwich City. He also won the "Championship Player of the Month" award for December 2016. On February 2, 2017, Jansson signed a permanent deal with Leeds for £3.5 million. This deal officially started when his loan ended, and he signed a three-year contract with the club.

In March, Jansson was chosen for the EFL Team of the Season. He and his teammate Chris Wood were also named in the Championship Team of the Season.

After being banned for three matches due to too many yellow cards, Jansson made his first start as a permanent Leeds player on August 12, 2017. This was a 0–0 draw against Preston North End. On October 25, 2017, Jansson signed a new five-year contract, keeping him at Leeds until the end of the 2021–22 season. He scored his first goal of that season on December 1, 2017, in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa.

After playing for Sweden in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Jansson got extra time off before the 2018–19 season. In August 2018, Leeds turned down a £10 million offer for Jansson from a Russian club.

Jansson helped Leeds finish third in the league. On April 24, he was voted into the Championship PFA Team of the Year for the 2018–19 season.

During the 2018–19 Leeds United F.C. season, Jansson played 41 games and scored three goals. Leeds finished third in the regular season. They then went into the playoffs, but Jansson got an ankle injury and missed the first playoff game. Leeds lost in the playoffs and did not get promoted. After the loss, Jansson shared on Instagram that he was very disappointed.

At the start of the 2019–20 pre-season, Jansson was told by the club to find a new team.

Moving to Brentford

On July 8, 2019, Jansson joined Brentford on a three-year contract. He became the club captain soon after joining.

He scored his first goals for Brentford against Watford in the 2021–22 season. He scored an equalizer in a 2–1 home win and then a winning goal in the 95th minute against the same team four months later. He scored three league goals that season.

Jansson played only six games in the 2022–23 season because of a hamstring injury. He returned to play in December 2022. He scored his first league goal of the 2022–23 season on April 1, 2023, in an exciting 3–3 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Returning to Malmö FF

On April 14, 2023, Brentford announced that Jansson would leave the club at the end of the season. He returned to his first club, Malmö FF, on a free transfer. He signed a contract with Malmö until 2027. He helped Malmö FF win the Allsvenskan league title in 2023 and 2024, and the Svenska Cupen in 2023–24.

International Career

Jansson with Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Youth Teams

Jansson played for the Sweden U21 national team. He made his debut on February 9, 2011, in a friendly game against Portugal. On June 2, 2011, he was the captain of the team in a match against Norway. He also scored the first goal in a 4–1 win for Sweden U21.

Senior National Team

Jansson was chosen for the Sweden national team training camp in January 2012. He played his first senior game for Sweden on January 18, 2012, against Bahrain.

In 2016, Jansson was part of the Sweden squad for UEFA Euro 2016. However, he did not play in any of Sweden's three games. On March 27, 2018, Jansson was named captain for a friendly match against Romania.

2018 FIFA World Cup

On May 15, 2018, Jansson was chosen for Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On June 18, Jansson started in Sweden's first game of the tournament, a 1–0 win against South Korea. Sweden reached the Quarter-Finals of the tournament after beating Switzerland. However, England knocked out Sweden with a 2–0 win on July 7, 2018. In that match, Jansson even played as a striker for a short time to try and help Sweden score.

Later Career and Retirement

On September 6, 2018, Jansson was again named Sweden captain in a 2–0 loss against Austria. Jansson was also part of Sweden's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. Sweden reached the round of 16 but was eliminated by Ukraine.

On August 11, 2021, Jansson announced that he was retiring from international football at age 30. He played a total of 27 matches for the Sweden national team between 2012 and 2021.

Personal Life

While playing for Leeds, fans created a popular song for Jansson. It starts with "Pontus Jansson's magic, he wears a magic hat." This song is a football chant version of "My Old Man's a Dustman". On July 25, 2017, Jansson married Åsa Thornell. At their wedding, a band sang a Swedish version of the "magic hat" song. Leeds fans also sang another song for Jansson, to the tune of "Last Christmas" by Wham!.

Jansson's agent is Martin Dahlin, a former Swedish international footballer. In August 2019, Jansson was featured in the Leeds United documentary Take Us Home. This documentary was about the 2018–19 season and was narrated by actor Russell Crowe.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Awards and Achievements

Malmö FF

• Allsvenskan (Swedish League): 2010, 2013, 2014, 2023, 2024
• Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup): 2023–24
• Svenska Supercupen (Swedish Super Cup): 2013

Brentford

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2021 (This means they won the playoff to get promoted to the Premier League)

Individual Awards

• EFL Team of the Season: 2016–17
• EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2016–17
• PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Championship

See also

In Spanish: Pontus Jansson para niños