Pontus Jansson facts for kids
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Jansson with Malmö FF in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 February 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Arlöv, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.94 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | 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 | 41 | (2) |
| National team | |||
| 2007–2008 | Sweden U17 | 13 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Sweden U19 | 9 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Sweden U21 | 15 | (1) |
| 2012–2020 | Sweden | 27 | (0) |
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Pontus Jansson is a professional footballer from Sweden. He was born on February 13, 1991. Pontus plays as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field. He currently plays for Malmö FF in Sweden.
Pontus Jansson started his football journey with his local club, Malmö FF. Later, he moved to Italy to play for Torino. He then joined Leeds United in England, first on a temporary loan, then permanently. After three years at Leeds, he moved to 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 also played for the Swedish national team from 2012 to 2021. He played in 27 international matches, called "caps." He represented his country in big tournaments like UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Malmö FF
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Pontus Jansson began his football career at a local club called Arlövs BI. In 2006, when he was 15, he joined Malmö FF. He played in their youth teams before making his first team debut in 2009.
Early in his career, Pontus played in different positions. But at the start of the 2010 season, he decided to focus on being a centre-back. He had actually played as a forward in his first team debut! When a teammate got injured, Pontus took his place as a centre-back. He played in 18 games that year, helping Malmö win the league.
In 2011, Pontus became a key player for Malmö. Many thought he was one of the best players that year. He played 15 league matches and nine European matches. The 2012 season was a big breakthrough for him. He played in all 30 league matches for Malmö FF.
Pontus continued to be very important for the club in 2013. He helped them win another league title. He played 24 matches and scored one goal. This goal was an important one against a rival team, IFK Göteborg. He was even nominated as the best defender in the league that year.
Before moving to Italy in 2014, Pontus played nine matches for Malmö. He also played in all their cup matches, helping them reach the semi-finals.
Playing in Italy with Torino
On April 24, 2014, Pontus Jansson signed with Torino in Italy. He joined them officially on July 1, 2014. In his first season, he played 16 matches in total. This included nine league games and six games in the UEFA Europa League.
On April 30, 2016, he scored his first goal in Italy's top league, Serie A. He scored the first goal in a big 5–1 win against Udinese. During the 2015-16 season, he played seven league games.
Time at Leeds United
On August 18, 2016, Pontus Jansson moved to the English team Leeds United. He joined them on a one-season loan deal. This meant he would play for Leeds for a year, and then Leeds could decide to buy him permanently. He wore the number 18 shirt.
He played his first game for Leeds on August 23, 2016, in a cup match. His first league game was on September 10. Pontus quickly became a fan favorite. He was named "man of the match" in a game against Cardiff City. On November 5, 2016, he scored his first goal for Leeds. He even won the "Championship Player of the Month" award for December 2016!
Because he played so well, Leeds decided to sign him permanently. On February 2, 2017, Pontus signed a three-year contract with the club. He was also named in the "EFL Team of the Season" and the "Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season."
Pontus continued to be a strong player for Leeds. On October 25, 2017, he signed a new five-year contract, showing how important he was to the team. He scored his first goal of the 2017-18 season in December.
In August 2018, another club offered a lot of money for Pontus, but Leeds said no. He was a very important part of the team. In April 2019, he was voted into the "PFA Team of the Year" for the Championship league.
During the 2018–19 season, Pontus played 41 games and scored three goals. Leeds finished third in the league, which meant they had to play in the play-offs to try and get promoted. Pontus got an ankle injury and missed the first play-off game. Leeds lost in the play-offs and did not get promoted. After the loss, Pontus shared his sadness on social media.
At the start of the 2019–20 season, Pontus was told to find a new club. He was no longer in the coach's plans.
Moving to Brentford
On July 8, 2019, Pontus Jansson joined Brentford F.C. He signed a three-year contract. Soon after joining, he became the club captain.
He scored his first goals for Brentford in the 2021–22 season. He scored an equalizer in a 2–1 win against Watford, and then a winning goal against the same team four months later. He scored three league goals that season.
In the 2022–23 season, Pontus played only six games before getting a hamstring injury. He returned to play later in the season and scored his first league goal of that season on April 1.
Return to Malmö FF
On April 14, 2023, Brentford announced that Pontus Jansson would leave the club. He decided to return to his first club, Malmö FF, on a free transfer. He signed a contract with them until 2027.
International Career
Playing for Sweden's Youth Teams
Pontus Jansson first played for the Sweden U21 national team in a friendly game on February 9, 2011. On June 2, 2011, he was the captain of the team in a match against Norway. He also scored the first goal in that game, which Sweden U21 won 4–1.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Pontus made his debut for the senior Sweden national team on January 18, 2012. In 2016, he was chosen to be 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, Pontus was named the captain for a friendly match against Romania.
2018 FIFA World Cup
On May 15, 2018, Pontus Jansson was chosen for Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On June 18, he started in Sweden's first game of the tournament, a 1–0 win against South Korea. Sweden did very well and reached the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup. They beat Switzerland in the round of 16. However, England knocked Sweden out with a 2–0 win on July 7, 2018. In that match, Pontus even played as a striker for a short time to try and help Sweden score a goal!
Later Career and Retirement
On September 6, 2018, Pontus was again named captain for Sweden in a match against Austria. He was also part of Sweden's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. Sweden reached the round of 16 in that tournament before being knocked out by Ukraine.
On August 11, 2021, Pontus Jansson announced that he was retiring from playing for the national team. He was 30 years old. He played a total of 27 caps for the Sweden national team during his career.
Personal Life and Fun Facts
While Pontus Jansson played for Leeds United, fans created popular songs for him! One song started with "Pontus Jansson's magic, he wears a magic hat." This song was a fan version of an old song called "My Old Man's a Dustman." On July 25, 2017, Pontus married his fiancé, Åsa Thornell. At their wedding party, a band even sang a Swedish version of his "magic hat" song!
Another song Leeds fans sang for him was to the tune of "Last Christmas" by Wham!. It went: "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart … This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to Pontus Jansson."
Pontus's agent, who helps him with his football career, is Martin Dahlin. He was also a famous Swedish footballer.
In August 2019, Pontus Jansson was featured in a documentary about Leeds United called Take Us Home. This documentary showed the team's 2018–19 season and was narrated by the famous actor Russell Crowe, who is a Leeds United fan.
Honours
Malmö FF
- Allsvenskan: 2010, 2013, 2014, 2023, 2024
- Svenska Cupen: 2023–24
- Svenska Supercupen: 2013
Brentford
- EFL Championship play-offs: 2021
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
Images for kids
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Jansson with Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
See also
In Spanish: Pontus Jansson para niños
