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Olof Mellberg

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Olof Mellberg
Mellberg with F.C. Copenhagen in 2013
Personal information
Full name Erik Olof Mellberg
Date of birth (1977-09-03) 3 September 1977 (age 47)[1]
Place of birth Gullspång, Sweden
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 St. Louis City SC (head coach)
Youth career
1994–1996 Gullspångs IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–1997 Degerfors IF 47 (0)
1997–1998 AIK 17 (0)
1998–2001 Racing Santander 98 (0)
2001–2008 Aston Villa 232 (8)
2008–2009 Juventus 27 (2)
2009–2012 Olympiacos 71 (7)
2012–2013 Villarreal 29 (2)
2013–2014 Copenhagen 22 (3)
Total 543 (22)
International career
1996–1999 Sweden U21 27 (4)
2000–2012 Sweden 117 (8)
Managerial career
2015–2017 IF Brommapojkarna
2019 Fremad Amager
2019–2020 Helsingborgs IF
2023–2024 IF Brommapojkarna
2024– St. Louis City SC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Erik Olof Mellberg (pronounced [ˈûːlɔf ˈmɛ̂lːbærj]; born 3 September 1977) is a Swedish football manager and former professional player who is the manager of St. Louis City. During his career, Mellberg played as a defender, and is best known for his time at Aston Villa, as well as spells with Juventus and Greek side Olympiacos. Mellberg played for Sweden in the 2002 World Cup and 2006 World Cup, as well as the Euro 2000, Euro 2004, Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. A former captain of the national team, he scored eight goals in 117 caps between 2000 and 2012.

Early years

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Erik Olof Mellberg was born in Gullspång, Sweden, on 3 September 1977 to parents Erik and wife Berit. Mellberg's mother Berit was a physical education teacher who passed on her love of sport to her son.[2] As a youth, Mellberg enjoyed playing tennis and dreamed of Wimbledon rather than the World Cup. Mellberg was something of a tennis prodigy[3] and it was not until he was 14 that Mellberg began to focus on football.[2]

Club career

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Early career

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Mellberg played for local side Gullspång before being picked up by then Swedish Premiership side Degerfors. After being relegated, he joined capital club AIK, where he made an instant impression, became Swedish champion 1998 and was sold after just ten months. Spanish side Racing Santander moved to secure the promising Swedish centre half, and although after having a difficult time adjusting to Spanish football, he soon claimed a starting berth and impressed in his first season. Continuing to play well, Mellberg was said to be on his way to several big Spanish sides, including Barcelona and Valencia.

Aston Villa

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Playing for Aston Villa

However, Aston Villa managed to secure his signature in July 2001 and he became a consistent and vital part of the team.[4] Mellberg was left out of boss David O'Leary's first side for a game against Portsmouth, but was soon made the captain of the English giants for the rest of his reign. Mellberg was a vital part of the team that finished 6th in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in O'Leary's first season. Mellberg resigned as captain following the 2006 World Cup—he was replaced by Gareth Barry. In 2007 the new manager of Aston Villa, Martin O'Neill, continued to consider Mellberg as the first choice centre back. On the opening day of the 2006–07 Premiership season Mellberg became the first person to score in a competitive game at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.[5] During the 2007–08 season, he played at the right back position following the purchase of Zat Knight, who played alongside Martin Laursen at centre back. Mellberg was sent off against Portsmouth on 15 March 2008 for two bookable offences.

In January 2008 it was announced that Mellberg had signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus. His final home game for Aston Villa was against Wigan Athletic on 3 May. The game was designated as "Olof Mellberg" day in appreciation of his service to the club. On his final game for Aston Villa away at West Ham United, as a leaving gift, Mellberg gave every single Villa fan at Upton Park either a home or an away shirt with his name and number on the back and the message Thanks 4 Your Support – being the number 4 of Aston Villa.[6] He also said he would frame the kit which he used on his last ever Aston Villa game – the game against West Ham.[6] To this day Mellberg is very highly thought of and respected by Aston Villa supporters as one of their greatest ever players.

Juventus

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From right to left: Mellberg, Tiago Mendes and Giorgio Chiellini celebrate for Juventus in 2009

In January 2008, it was confirmed that Mellberg had signed a pre-contract agreement with Italian giants Juventus, allowing him a Bosman move to Serie A on a three-year contract for the start of the 2008–09 season. He made his Juventus debut on 16 July 2008 in a friendly match versus Serie B outfit, Piacenza. Juventus surprisingly lost the match 1–0. On 18 January 2009, Mellberg scored his first goal for Juventus against Lazio in the 30th minute.[7]

Olympiacos

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On 23 June 2009, it was confirmed that Mellberg agreed with Olympiacos to sign a three-year contract with the club. Olympiacos paid Juventus €2.5 million for the Swede's signature.[8] Despite the rotation of several managers in the club while there, he was a constant in the central defence.

Mellberg turned down a new deal at the end of the 2011–12 season to extend his time in Athens, hoping to find a new challenge with his agent saying, "...we don't close any doors."[9]

Villarreal

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On 8 August 2012, Mellberg signed a one-year contract with Spanish club Villarreal.[10] Mellberg appeared 29 times for Villarreal in Spanish Segunda División, scoring twice, and was an important part of the squad that finished second in Segunda División and was promoted to La Liga.

Copenhagen and retirement

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On 9 July 2013, Mellberg signed a two-year contract with Danish champions Copenhagen, but left after one season.

Mellberg retired in summer 2014.[11]

International career

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Mellberg playing for Sweden at UEFA Euro 2012

Mellberg made his debut against Austria in March 2000.[12]

During an open team practice before the 2002 World Cup, Mellberg broke into a fight with his teammate former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg after a robust tackle from Mellberg.[13] The two of them were quickly separated by teammates. Since then, the two of them have been known for not being the best of friends, and in the 2006 World Cup, Mellberg and Ljungberg, according to leak from inside the team, had a very fiery argument, after Sweden's draw with Trinidad and Tobago.[14] In 2003, he was selected as the best Swedish player of the year, winning the Guldbollen.[15]

During the penalty shoot-out after the Euro 2004 quarter-final against Netherlands, Mellberg has a penalty saved by Edwin van der Sar, as the Netherlands won the shoot-out 5–4 and advanced to the semi-finals.[16]

During a 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Croatia in October 2005, Mellberg boxed the ball away with his hand in the Swedish penalty area. Croatia were awarded a penalty kick for this, which Dario Srna scored, and Sweden lost the match 0–1.

After the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Mellberg relinquished his captaincy and Ljungberg took his place as Sweden captain.[17]

On 4 September 2006, Mellberg, along with Sweden teammates Zlatan Ibrahimović and Christian Wilhelmsson, was sent home from the national squad for breaking an 11 pm team curfew ahead of a European Championships qualifier against Liechtenstein.[18] On 7 October 2006, Mellberg returned to Sweden's lineup for their European Championships qualifier against Spain, which they won 2–0.[19] In the 2012 European Championships, Mellberg was involved in two goals in their match against England in the group stages to give Sweden a 2–1 lead, however, Sweden went on to lose 2–3[20] while Mellberg became "Man of the Match".[21] After the tournament, Mellberg decided to end his international career.[11]

Style of play

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During his career, Mellberg primarily played as a central defender or right-back, although he was also capable of playing in a holding role in midfield on occasion. In a Sports Illustrated profile in the lead-up to Euro 2012, he was described as being "big, strong and exceptional in the air",[22] while a BBC profile ahead of the 2002 World Cup noted that "[h]e pressures attackers superbly and rarely comes off second best in a challenge."[23] Regarded as a promising defender in his youth, he later made a name for himself as a solid, dependable and hard-tackling centre-back. Although he was not very fast, he was strong, and had an excellent positional sense, and was also a good header of the ball, which made him a goal-threat on set-pieces.[7][24][25]

Managerial career

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Brommapojkarna

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Mellberg was appointed manager of Swedish club Brommapojkarna in November 2015, signing a two-year contract[26] and taking over following their recent relegation to the third tier of Swedish football.

Brommapojkarna won the Division 1 title during Mellberg's first season in charge and won their second successive promotion the following year, in October 2017, to return to the top flight, Allsvenskan. After the season, Mellberg chose not to renew his expiring contract with Brommapojkarna.[27]

Fremad Amager

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On 1 July 2019 Fremad Amager announced, that Mellberg had joined the club as their new manager.[28] Mellberg was reinforced with Azrudin Valentić, who he worked with in Brommapojkarna and who until the arrival of Mellberg, was the manager of the club. With the access of Mellberg, the club changed the structure of the sporting staff, with Mellberg becoming manager and Azrudin Valentić becoming the first team coach.

Helsingborgs

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After only two months in charge of Fremad Amager, the club announced that Mellberg had left the club to become the manager of Helsingborgs.[29]

Sweden

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Following the resignation of Janne Andersson from the role as manager, Mellberg was one of the many candidates for head coach the Swedish Football Association pursued. Others considered for the role included Graham Potter,[30] IF Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin and Henrik Larsson.[31]

St. Louis City

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On 26 November 2024, Mellberg was announced as the new head coach of Major League Soccer club St. Louis City.[32]

Personal life

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Mellberg has two children with long-term partner Carolina Kihl. Daughter Saga was born in December 2002 and son John was born in July 2006.

Mellberg and Kihl married in Sweden on 13 July 2013.

According to Mellberg's mother, he is considering attending university after his retirement.[33]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Degerfors 1996 Allsvenskan 22 0 — — 22 0
1997 Allsvenskan 25 0 — — 25 0
Total 47 0 — — 47 0
AIK 1998 Allsvenskan 17 0 1 0 — — 18 0
Racing Santander 1998–99 La Liga 25 0 7 1 — — 32 1
1999–2000 La Liga 37 0 3 0 — — 40 0
2000–01 La Liga 36 0 5 0 — — 41 0
Total 98 0 15 1 — — 113 1
Aston Villa 2001–02 Premier League 32 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 36 0
2002–03 Premier League 38 1 1 0 2 0 2 0 43 1
2003–04 Premier League 33 1 1 0 5 0 — 39 1
2004–05 Premier League 30 3 1 0 2 0 — 33 3
2005–06 Premier League 27 0 4 0 2 0 — 33 0
2006–07 Premier League 38 1 0 0 1 0 — 39 1
2007–08 Premier League 34 2 1 0 2 0 — 37 2
Total 232 8 9 0 15 0 4 0 260 8
Juventus 2008–09 Serie A 27 2 4 0 — 7[c] 0 38 2
Olympiacos 2009–10 Super League Greece 25 2 4 1 — 12[c] 0 41 3
2010–11 Super League Greece 23 3 0 0 — 3[d] 0 26 3
2011–12 Super League Greece 23 2 4 1 — 9 0 36 3
Total 71 7 8 2 — 24 0 103 9
Villarreal 2012–13 Segunda División 29 2 0 0 — — 29 2
Copenhagen 2013–14 Danish Superliga 22 3 1 0 — 6[c] 1 29 4
Career total 543 21 38 3 15 0 41 1 636 26
  1. ^ Includes Svenska Cupen, Copa del Rey, FA Cup, Coppa Italia, Greek Football Cup, Danish Cup
  2. ^ Includes Football League Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year[34][35]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 2000 10 0
2001 9 0
2002 11 0
2003 10 1
2004 13 0
2005 8 1
2006 9 0
2007 9 2
2008 9 0
2009 11 3
2010 5 0
2011 7 0
2012 6 1
Total 117 8
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mellberg goal.
List of international goals scored by Olof Mellberg[35]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 September 2003 Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland  Poland 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier
2 3 September 2005 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Bulgaria 2–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
3 6 June 2007 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Iceland 3–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
4 17 October 2007 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Northern Ireland 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
5 5 September 2009 Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary  Hungary 1–0 2–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
6 14 October 2009 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Albania 1–0 4–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
7 3–0
8 15 June 2012 Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, Kyiv, Ukraine  England 2–1 2–3 UEFA Euro 2012

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 27 November 2023
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Brommapojkarna Sweden 27 November 2015 21 November 2017 67 44 14 9 140 58 +82 065.67 [36]
Fremad Amager Denmark 1 July 2019 3 September 2019 8 3 3 2 8 8 +0 037.50 [37]
Helsingborgs Sweden 3 September 2019 31 December 2020 38 8 11 19 41 61 −20 021.05 [38]
Brommapojkarna Sweden 1 January 2023 26 November 2024 34 10 4 20 50 60 −10 029.41 [39]
St. Louis City United States 26 November 2024 Present 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 !—
Total 147 65 32 50 239 187 +52 044.22 —

Honours

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Player

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AIK

Aston Villa

Olympiacos

Copenhagen

Individual

Manager

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Brommapojkarna

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Olof Mellberg stolt över sällsynt pris | Sportbladet | Aftonbladet". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012.
  3. ^ Shaw, Phil (27 June 2002). "Faces you may recognise in Japan and South Korea The World Cup will feature 68 players – not including the England and Republic of Ireland squads – who earn their living in Britain". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Mellberg joins Villa". BBC Sport. 18 July 2001. Retrieved 18 July 2001.
  5. ^ 19 August 2006 Arsenal 1–1 Aston Villa, Source: Aston Villa FC, YouTube channel
  6. ^ a b "Mellberg happy to spend big on Villa fans". Tribal Football. 18 May 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008. [dead link‍]
  7. ^ a b Bedeschi, Stefano (4 September 2019). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Erik Olof MELLBERG" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Mellberg transferred to Olympiacos. Goodbye Olof". juventus.com. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  9. ^ Hedlundh, Kent (1 July 2012). "Mellberg keeping an open mind". Sky Sports.
  10. ^ "Official: Villarreal replace Zapata with Mellberg". Goal.com. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Olof Mellberg: Former Aston Villa defender retires". BBC Sport. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Olof Mellberg". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  13. ^ Carroll, Jack (24 May 2002). "Swedish coach sends Mellberg home". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 24 May 2002.[dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Swedish duo in dressing-room spat". BBC Sport. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
  15. ^ "Guldbollen". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  16. ^ "Holland end Swede dream". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 June 2004. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  17. ^ "Ljungberg made captain". www.eurosport.com. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Swedish coach sends Mellberg home". BBC Sport. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  19. ^ "Swedes blank Spain 2–0 in Euro qualifier". FoxSports. Archived from the original on 15 February 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
  20. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 June 2012). "Sweden 2-3 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  21. ^ Saffer, Paul (15 June 2012). "Welbeck's England winner ousts Sweden in EURO 2012 Group D". uefa.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  22. ^ Marcotti, Gabrielle (6 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Sweden". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
  23. ^ "2002 World Cup: Olof Mellberg". BBC Sport. 3 May 2002. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  24. ^ Hayward, Joshua (9 August 2013). "20 Greatest Aston Villa Players of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Euro 2000: Olof Mellberg". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  26. ^ Wollaston, Steve (27 November 2015). "Aston Villa news digest: Olof Mellberg starts managerial career; Carlos Sanchez impresses the boss; Martin Keown says Jack Grealish is letting people down; Harry Redknapp asks - 'Who does he think he is?'". www.birminghammail.co.uk.
  27. ^ "Olof Mellberg och Azrudin Valentic lämnar BP". Brommapojkarna. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  28. ^ SVENSK ”DREAM TEAM” GENFORENES I FREMAD AMAGER, fremadamagerelite.dk, 1 July 2019
  29. ^ MELLBERG STOPPER I FREMAD OG FORTSÆTTER KARRIEREN I HELSINGBORG, fremadamagerelite.dk, 3 September 2019
  30. ^ "Uppgifter: Potter har tackat nej till Blågult". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Mellberg huvudkandidat till förbundskaptensjobbet". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Olof Mellberg Named Head Coach of St. Louis CITY SC". St. Louis City SC. 26 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Bl gults hemlisar | VM 2006 | Landslag | Fotbollsbladet | Sportbladet | Aftonbladet". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009.
  34. ^ "Olof Mellberg". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  35. ^ a b "Olof Mellberg - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  36. ^ "IF Brommapojkarna: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  37. ^ "Fremad Amager: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  38. ^ "Helsingborgs IF: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  39. ^ "IF Brommapojkarna: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  40. ^ "Guldbollen 2003 - Olof Mellberg". Fogis (in Swedish). 24 February 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  41. ^ "All-Star Squad revealed". UEFA. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
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