Emil Forsberg

Emil Peter Forsberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈěːmɪl ˈfɔ̂ʂːbærj]; born 23 October 1991) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Sweden national team.

Emil Forsberg
Forsberg with Sweden at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Emil Peter Forsberg
Date of birth (1991-10-23) 23 October 1991
Place of birth Sundsvall, Sweden
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 RB Leipzig
Number 10
Youth career
0000–2008 GIF Sundsvall
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 GIF Sundsvall 97 (24)
2009 → Medskogsbrons BK (loan) 3 (2)
2013–2014 Malmö FF 57 (19)
2015– RB Leipzig 196 (39)
National team‡
2009–2010 Sweden U19 8 (0)
2014– Sweden 70 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:34, 23 April 2022 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:22, 29 March 2022 (UTC)

Forsberg was awarded Guldbollen in 2021 as Sweden's best footballer of the year. He has also been voted the Swedish Midfielder of the Year four times (2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021). He was a member of the Sweden squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and also represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020. He is known for his quick, effective passing style, and is a creative playmaker renowned for his ability to create chances and assists.

Club career
Forsberg playing for GIF Sundsvall in 2011.

GIF Sundsvall

Born in Sundsvall, Forsberg started his career with his home-town team and joined the first team squad in 2009 when the club was playing in Sweden's second tier of football, Superettan. He went on to play several matches for Sundsvall in his first season. For his second season at the club he had become a regular in the starting eleven at Sundsvall and played 30 out of 30 matches for the 2010 season. Forsberg had started to produce goals during his second season at the club but raised his performance for the 2011 season when he scored 11 goals in 27 matches as Sundsvall were promoted to Sweden's first tier of football, Allsvenskan. For his first season in Allsvenskan Forsberg played 21 matches out of 30 and scored 6 goals, however Sundsvall were relegated to Superettan once again after losing the relegation play-offs against Halmstads BK.

Malmö FF
Forsberg preparing to take a penalty kick for RB Leipzig
Forsberg playing for Sweden.

On 10 December 2012, Forsberg was presented as a Malmö player. He joined the club on 1 January 2013 when the transfer window opened in Sweden. Forsberg signed a four-year contract lasting until the end of the 2016 season.[2] His first season at the club proved to be a success as he played 28 matches out of 30 and scored five goals for the club as they won the league title. He also played all matches for the club during the qualification stage for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League and scored two goals. During Malmö FF's successful 2014 season Forsberg made 29 league appearances, scoring 14 goals and thus being an important part in the team that defended the league title. He also participated in all of the club's matches in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League campaign in which Malmö FF qualified for the group stage. As recognition of Forsberg's feats during the season he won the award for Allsvenskan Midfielder of the year.[3] He was also nominated for Swedish midfielder of the year at Fotbollsgalan.[4]

RB Leipzig

In January 2015, Forsberg joined German second league side RB Leipzig on a three and a half year deal.[5] In February 2016, he extended his contract until 2021.[6] During the 2015–16 season Forsberg was voted the best player in 2. Bundesliga and in January 2016 Liverpool were reportedly eyeing Forsberg.[7] In round three of 2016–17 Bundesliga Forsberg was named player of the round by Kicker. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Forsberg finished off as the highest assister in the Bundesliga and top 5 leagues in Europe with 22 assists,[8] and made the Bundesliga team of the season.[9] On 13 September 2017, Forsberg scored RB Leipzig's first ever Champions League goal in their first match ever in a 1–1 draw against Monaco.[10]

In the 2019–20 season, he scored a brace in the stoppage time in a 2–2 draw against Benfica, to secure a place for RB Leipzig in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League knockout phase,[11] where they managed to reach the semi-finals. On 4 November 2020, Forsberg scored a goal in a 2–1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[12]

International career
Forsberg playing for Sweden in 2015.

Early career

Having previously played for the Swedish under-19 team, Emil Forsberg made his senior international debut for the Swedish national team in a 2–1 friendly win over Moldova on 17 January 2014.[13]

UEFA Euro 2016

He made his competitive debut in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier against Liechtenstein on 12 October 2014.[14] He scored his first international goal for Sweden in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs against Denmark, helping Sweden beat the Danes 4-3 on aggregate and qualify for Euro 2016.[15] Forsberg played in all three games for Sweden at Euro 2016 as Sweden was eliminated in the group stage.[16]

2018 FIFA World Cup

In May 2018, he was named in Sweden's 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[17] On the 3 July 2018 in a round of 16 tie between Sweden and Switzerland Forsberg scored the winner for Sweden to send them into the quarter finals of the World Cup for the first time in almost a quarter of a century.[18]

UEFA Euro 2020

Forsberg was included in Sweden's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020.[19] Forsberg scored four goals in the tournament, and hit both the crossbar and the post in the Round of 16 game against Ukraine when Sweden lost 2–1 after extra-time.[20] He is the only Swedish player to have scored four goals in a UEFA European Championship, beating Tomas Brolin's (in 1992) and Henrik Larsson's (in 2004) previous record of three goals.[21]

Personal life

Emil Forsberg is the son of former GIF Sundsvall player Leif Forsberg, and grandson of Lennart Forsberg who also played for GIF Sundsvall.[22] On 17 July 2016, Forsberg married Shanga Hussain, who is a former footballer. The couple live in Leipzig,[23][24] having first met in Sundsvall.[24] They own a dog, Roffe, who is a Golden Retriever.[24] They had their first child in August 2018.[25]

Forsberg has named Dutch winger Ryan Babel as a player he has looked up to.[26]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 28 April 2022[27]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GIF Sundsvall 2009[27][28] Superettan 19110——201
2010[27][28] Superettan 30620—2[lower-alpha 1]0346
2011[27][28] Superettan 271123——2914
2012[27][28] Allsvenskan 21610—1[lower-alpha 1]0236
Total 972463—3010627
Medskogsbrons BK (loan) 2009[29] Division 3 Mellersta Norrland 3 2 — — 3 2
Malmö FF 2013[27][28] Allsvenskan 285406[lower-alpha 2]21[lower-alpha 3]2399
2014[27][28] Allsvenskan 29145212[lower-alpha 4]21[lower-alpha 3]14719
Total 571992184238628
RB Leipzig 2014–15[30] 2. Bundesliga 14010——150
2015–16[31] 2. Bundesliga 32810——338
2016–17[32] Bundesliga 30810——318
2017–18[33] Bundesliga 21211112—335
2018–19[34] Bundesliga 204425[lower-alpha 2]1—297
2019–20[35] Bundesliga 225119[lower-alpha 4]4—3210
2020–21[36] Bundesliga 297517[lower-alpha 4]1—419
2021–22[37] Bundesliga 2854110[lower-alpha 5]4—4210
Total 196391864212—25657
Career total 349853311601653457115
  1. Appearance(s) in Allsvenskan promotion/relegation play-offs
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance in Svenska Supercupen
  4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. Six appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and two goals in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 29 March 2022[28]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden 201450
201581
2016112
201793
201891
201971
202050
2021147
202220
Total7015
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.[38]
List of international goals scored by Emil Forsberg
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 November 2015Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Denmark1–02–1UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
2.5 June 2016 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Wales1–03–0Friendly
3.11 November 2016Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France France 1–01–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.25 March 2017Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Belarus 1–04–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.2–0
6.3 September 2017Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus  Belarus 1–0 4–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.3 July 2018Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia  Switzerland 1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup
8.8 September 2019Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Norway1–11–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
9.5 June 2021 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden  Armenia1–03–1Friendly
10.18 June 2021Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia Slovakia 1–01–0UEFA Euro 2020
11.23 June 2021 Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia  Poland 1–03–2 UEFA Euro 2020
12.2–0
13.29 June 2021Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland Ukraine1–11–2 (a.e.t.) UEFA Euro 2020
14.9 October 2021Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Kosovo1–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
15.12 October 2021 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Greece1–02–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours
Forsberg playing for Malmö FF in 2013.
Malmö FF

Individual

References
  1. "Emil Forsberg | Spielerprofil | 2021-2022 | RB Leipzig". rbleipzig.com (in German). Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  2. "Emil Forsberg klar för MFF". mff.se. Malmö FF. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  3. "Här är vinnarna i Allsvenskans stora pris". allsvenskan.se (in Swedish). Allsvenskan. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. "Nomineringarna till Fotbollsgalan 2014". fogis.se (in Swedish). The Swedish Football Association. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  5. "Erster Winterneuzugang! Emil Forsberg stürmt für die Roten Bullen!". dierotenbullen.com (in German). RB Leipzig. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  6. "VERTRAGSVERLÄNGERUNG! EMIL FORSBERG BLEIBT BIS 2021!" (in German). Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  7. "Liverpool eye £6.6m transfer bid for Red Bull Leipzig star Emil Forsberg – report". 2 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  8. "Forsberg har slagit assistrekord: Kolla var jag är nu".
  9. "BUNDESLIGA TEAM OF THE SEASON - FIFA 17 ULTIMATE TEAM". bundesliga.com - the official Bundesliga website.
  10. "Leipzig 1–1 Monaco". UEFA. 13 September 2017.
  11. "Leipzig 2–2 Benfica". UEFA. 27 November 2019.
  12. "RB Leipzig 2–1 Paris Saint Germain". BBC Sport. 4 November 2020.
  13. "Herrar A Landskamp Matchinformation: Moldavien mot Sverige 2014-01-17 (1-2) — svenskfotboll.se". svenskfotboll.se.
  14. uefa.com. "UEFA EURO 2016 - History - Matches – UEFA.com". Uefa.com.
  15. Hill, Tim (14 November 2015). "Sweden 2-1 Denmark: Euro 2016 qualifying – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. Futaa. "| Futaa.com Uganda". futaa.com. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  17. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists - Goal.com".
  18. Stadium, David Hytner at the St Petersburg (3 July 2018). "Emil Forsberg ousts Switzerland and sends Sweden into World Cup last eight". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  19. "Sweden Euro 2020 squad: Full team profile". FourFourTwo. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. ""Det är skitsamma – jag hade hellre gjort noll mål och vi gick vidare"". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  21. "Forsberg historisk med sitt fjärde mål i EM". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  22. Elofsson, Sven (25 March 2013). "MFF-Emil är tredje generationen allsvenskar i släkten Forsberg - Smålandsposten".
  23. "Fyra från SDFF i landslag" [Four from SDFF in national team]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  24. Lewenhagen, Jan (13 December 2015). ""Vildsvinet" hittar EM-formen i Tysklands mest hatade klubb" ["The Wild Boar" finds his European Championship form in Germany's most hated club]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  25. "Forsbergs babylycka: "Ni är mitt allt"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  26. "Arsenal target turns out to be a massive Liverpool fan". 101greatgoals.com. React to WordPress. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  27. "Emil Forsberg » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  28. "E. Forsberg". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  29. "Emil Forsberg - Lagstatistik". www.lagstatistik.se. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  30. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  31. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  32. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  33. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  34. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  35. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  36. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  37. "Emil Forsberg". kicker.de (in German). kicker. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  38. "Forsberg, Emil Hải". National Football Teams. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  39. "Forsberg vinnare av Guldbollen 2021" (in Swedish). Svenskfotboll. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  40. "Football". Bundesliga. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  41. "Official Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2016/17". Bundesliga. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
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