Johan Erik Calvin Elmander ([ˈjuː.ˈan ɛlˈmɑndɛr]; born 27 May 1981 in Alingsås) is a Swedish footballer, who plays as a striker for Bolton Wanderers. He joined in a record £8.2 million deal from French club Toulouse in the Ligue 1 Championship.[2] Elmander has scored fourteen goals in 52 games for the Swedish national team, and was chosen to represent his country at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Johan Erik Calvin Elmander[1] | ||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker, winger | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Bolton Wanderers | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1997–1998 | Holmalund | 23 | (5) |
1999–2000 | Örgryte | 39 | (4) |
2000–2004 | Feyenoord | 39 | (3) |
2002–2003 | → Djurgården (loan) | 19 | (12) |
2003–2004 | → NAC Breda (loan) | 31 | (7) |
2004–2006 | Brøndby | 58 | (22) |
2006–2008 | Toulouse | 64 | (22) |
2008– | Bolton Wanderers | 84 | (17) |
International career‡ | |||
2000–2004 | Sweden U21 | 28 | (12) |
2002– | Sweden | 52 | (14) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:00, 5 March 2011 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:02, 13 October 2010 (UTC) |
Club career
Elmander started his career as a striker for Swedish clubs but changed to a center midfielder Holmalunds IF and Örgryte, before making the move to Dutch club Feyenoord at the age of 18 where he continued to be used as a midfielder. Although never a first team regular, he came on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Cup final 3–2 win against German team Borussia Dortmund.
Elmander was subsequently put on loan back in Sweden with Djurgården, where he won the Double of both Allsvenskan championship and Swedish Cup title in 2002 and Allsvenskan in 2003, however he wasn't awarded any medal since he played too few matches. He also debuted for the Swedish national team, in a February 2002 friendly match against Greece. In 2003, he was loaned out to Feyenoord's Dutch league rivals NAC Breda.
Brøndby IF
Before the 2004–05 season, he was bought by Danish Superliga outfit Brøndby. Despite not scoring as many goals for the club as was expected, he was the playmaker and creative spark of the Brøndby team in the 2004–05 Superliga season, playing mainly as the free roaming forward behind the sole striker in Laudrup's 4–3–3 formation. The team won the Double of both the Danish Superliga and the Danish Cup title, and Elmander was voted Brøndby's Player of the Year.
In his two seasons at Brøndby, Elmander scored 22 goals in 58 Danish Superliga games, attracting the attention of several clubs throughout Europe. He was called up to represent Sweden at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where he played two games. Elmander signed a four-year contract with French side Toulouse for an undisclosed fee of around €4,500,000 on 7 July 2006.
Toulouse
Elmander scored 11 goals in his first season with Toulouse and was nominated as player of the year by his fellow players. This award was subsequently won by Olympique Lyonnais player Florent Malouda. The season was very successful with Elmander guiding Toulouse to third place and a berth in the qualifying rounds of UEFA Champions League.
Bolton Wanderers
On 27 June 2008, Elmander completed a move to Premier League club Bolton Wanderers,[3][4] for an £8.2 million fee,[2] the club's record signing, with the deal including Daniel Braaten going to Toulouse. He signed a three-year deal, before being given the number nine shirt by manager Gary Megson.
On 1 August 2008, Elmander made his Bolton debut, at the Keepmoat Stadium, in a friendly match against Doncaster Rovers, where he scored two goals, one in each half of the match. His first Premier League goal, a header, came on his competitive debut, against Stoke City on 16 August 2008 in a 3–1 win.[5] Elmander played 30 games in 2008–09 season, scored 5 goals and 2 assists.[6]
From December 2008 to September 2009, Elmander went on a nine-month goal drought, which ended during the League Cup fixture against West Ham United as he scored in extra-time.[7] His first league goal in 11 months came in a 5–1 defeat to Aston Villa.[8]
Elmander finally found his goalscoring form in the 2010–11 season, scoring six goals in the opening thirteen games, all of them away from the Reebok Stadium. His first home goals of the season came against Newcastle United, giving him a joint lead as top scorer in the Premier League.
International goals
* Match abandoned, see UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier fan attack.
Personal life
Elmander has two brothers Peter and Patrik who also play professional football in Sweden.[9]
Elmander was married on December 27, 2007 to highschool sweetheart Amanda Calvin in a lavish ceremony in her home town of Hemsjö, Sweden. The couple had over 200 guests including fellow former teammates Kim Källström and Jon Jönsson. At their wedding, Swedish-idol Christoffer Hiding performed.[10] In August 2008, the couple announced the birth of their first child.[11] On the 18th November 2010 it was announced Elmander's wife had given birth to a baby girl named Lily.[12]
Honours
- Premier League Player of the Month (November 2010)[13]
References
- ^ "Statistics" (PDF). Premier League. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ a b Facey, David (2008-08-18). "Bolton 3 Stoke 1". London: The Sun. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- ^ "Wanderers land Swede". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ "Bolton sign £10m-rated Elmander". BBC Sport. 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ Phillips, Owen (2008-08-16). "Bolton 3–1 Stoke". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ "Johan Elmander 08-09". ESPN. 2009-08-22. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
- ^ "Bolton 3–1 West Ham (aet)". BBC News. 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
- ^ http://football.fanhouse.co.uk/2009/11/07/aston-villa-5-bolton-wanderers-1-five-star-villa-thrash-bolton/
- ^ http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/internationell/article554802.ab
- ^ http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/landslaget/article1532590.ab
- ^ http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/article4283233.ab
- ^ http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/bolton-boss-coyle-confident-flying-elmander-will-pen-new-contract-1263631
- ^ http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Bolton-clear-the-way-for-Johan-Elmander-to-quit-the-club-in-January-article643605.html
External links
- Johan Elmander profile at the Bolton Wanderers website
- Johan Elmander – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Template:Da icon Brøndby IF profile
- Career stats by Danmarks Radio
- Johan Elmander at Soccerbase