- Olof Mellberg
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Olof Mellberg 
Personal information Full name Erik Olof Mellberg Date of birth September 3, 1977 Place of birth Gullspång, Sweden Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) Playing position Centre back Club information Current club Olympiacos Number 4 Youth career 1994–1996 Gullspång Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1996–1997 Degerfors 47 (0) 1997–1998 AIK 17 (0) 1998–2001 Racing Santander 98 (1) 2001–2008 Aston Villa 232 (7) 2008–2009 Juventus 27 (2) 2009– Olympiacos 52 (6) National team‡ 2000– Sweden 109 (7) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 May 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2011Erik Olof Mellberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈuːˌlɔf ˈmɛlˌbærj]) (born September 3, 1977 in Amnehärad, Gullspång) is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.
Contents
Early years
Erik Olof Mellberg was born in Gullspång, Sweden on September 3, 1977 to parents Berit and Erik. Mellberg's mother Berit was a physical education teacher who passed on her love of sport to her son.[1] As a youth, Mellberg enjoyed playing tennis and dreamed of Wimbledon rather than the World Cup. Mellberg was something of a tennis prodigy[2] and it was not until he was 14 that Mellberg began to focus on football.[1] It was in high school that Mellberg decided to forego a career in tennis and concentrate on football.
Club career
Early career
Mellberg played for local side Gullspång before being picked up by then Swedish Premiership side Degerfors IF. After being relegated he joined capital club AIK, where he made an instant impression, became Swedish champion 1998 and was sold after just 10 months. Spanish side Racing Santander moved to secure the promising Swedish centre half, and although 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
Playing for Aston Villa.
However, Aston Villa managed to secure his signature and he became a consistent and vital part of the team.[3] 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 club 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. 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.[4] He also said he would frame the kit which he used on his last ever Aston Villa game – the game against West Ham.[4] To this day Mellberg is very highly thought of and respected by Aston Villa supporters and one of their greatest ever players.
Juventus
Mellberg, right, with Rio Ferdinand in a 0-0 draw between Juventus and Manchester UnitedIn 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 July 16, 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.
Olympiacos
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 euros.[5] Mellberg has become a fan favourite, for his passionate play and professionalism.
International career
Mellberg was a member of the Sweden national football team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, as well as the Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and Euro 2008. He has scored 7 goals in 107 caps, as of August 2011.
Mellberg training with SwedenDuring an open team practice before the 2002 World Cup, Mellberg broke into a fight with his teammate former Arsenal winger Fredrik Ljungberg after a robust tackle from Mellberg.[6] The two of them were quickly separated by team-mates. Since then, the two of them have been known for not being the best of friends, and in the World Cup 2006, Mellberg and Ljungberg, according to leak from inside the team, had a very fiery argument, after Sweden's draw with Trinidad and Tobago.[7] In 2003, he was selected as the best Swedish player of the year, winning the Guldbollen.[8]
After the World Cup in Germany, Mellberg relinquished his captaincy and Ljungberg took his place as Sweden captain.
On September 4, 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.[9] On October 7, 2006, Mellberg returned to Sweden's lineup for their European Championships qualifier against Spain, which they won 2–0.[10]
International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. September 10, 2003 Stadion Śląski, Chorzów 
Poland0–2 0–2 UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying 2. September 3, 2005 Råsunda, Stockholm 
Bulgaria2–0 3–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 3. June 6, 2007 Råsunda, Stockholm 
Iceland3–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 4. October 17, 2007 Råsunda, Stockholm 
Northern Ireland1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2008 qualification 5. September 5, 2009 Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest 
Hungary0–1 1–2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 6. October 14, 2009 Råsunda, Stockholm 
Albania1–0 4–1 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 7. 3–0 Personal life
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.
According to Mellberg's mother, he is considering attending university after his retirement.[11]
Career statistics
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Sweden League Svenska Cupen League Cup Europe Total 1996 Degerfors Allsvenskan 22 0 - - 1997 AIK Allsvenskan 22 0 - - 1998 21 0 - - Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total 1998–99 Racing Santander La Liga 25 0 - - 1999-00 38 0 - - 2000–01 34 1 - - England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total 2001–02 Aston Villa Premier League 32 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 36 0 2002–03 38 1 1 0 2 0 3 0 44 1 2003–04 33 1 1 0 5 0 - 39 1 2004–05 30 3 1 0 2 0 - 33 3 2005–06 27 0 4 0 2 0 - 33 0 2006–07 38 1 0 0 1 0 - 39 1 2007–08 33 1 1 0 2 0 - 36 1 Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total 2008–09 Juventus Serie A 23 2 – Greece League Greek Football Cup League Cup Europe Total 2009–10 Olympiacos Super League 20 2 0 0 – 5 0 25 2 2010–11 25 3 0 0 – - 0 25 3 Total Sweden 65 0 - - Spain 97 1 - - England 231 7 9 0 15 0 5 0 260 7 Italy 23 2 0 0 – 0 0 0 0 Greece 45 5 0 0 – 5 0 50 5 Career total 461 15 15 0 10 0 Honours
AIK
Aston Villa
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2001
Juventus
- Serie A Runner-up 2008-09
Olympiacos F.C.
- Superleague Greece: 2010-2011
Individual
- Guldbollen: 2003
- UEFA Euro All-Star Team: 2004
References
- ^ a b http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/article175580.ab
- ^ Shaw, Phil (2002-06-27). "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. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1681049.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
- ^ "Mellberg joins Villa". BBC Sport. 2001-07-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/1444827.stm. Retrieved 2001-07-18.
- ^ a b "Mellberg happy to spend big on Villa fans". tribalfootball.com. 2008-05-18. http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=93480. Retrieved 2008-05-19.[dead link]
- ^ "Mellberg transferred to Olympiacos. Goodbye Olof". juventus.com. 2009-06-23. http://goal.com/en/news/10/italy/2009/06/23/1342547/official-mellberg-joins-olympiakos-from-juventus. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ Carroll, Jack (2002-05-24). "Swedish coach sends Mellberg home". ESPNsoccernet. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/wc/story?id=211463&lang=en. Retrieved 2002-05-24.[dead link]
- ^ "Swedish duo in dressing-room spat". BBC Sport. 2006-06-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/sweden/5073242.stm. Retrieved 2006-06-12.
- ^ "Guldbollen". Aftonbladet. http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotboll/guldbollen/. Retrieved January 13, 2008. (Swedish)
- ^ "Swedish coach sends Mellberg home". BBC Sport. 2006-09-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/5314550.stm. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
- ^ "Swedes blank Spain 2–0 in Euro qualifier". FoxSports. http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/6035424. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
- ^ http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/fotbollsbladet/landslagsfotboll/vm2006/article380721.ab
Preceded by
Johan MjällbySweden Captain
2002–2006Succeeded by
Fredrik LjungbergPreceded by
Steve StauntonAston Villa Captain
2003-2006Succeeded by
Gareth BarryExternal links
- Olof Mellberg at the Internet Movie Database
- Olof Mellberg career stats at Soccerbase
- Olof Mellberg goals
Olympiacos F.C. – current squad 1 N. Papadopoulos · 2 Maniatis · 3 Modesto · 4 Mellberg · 6 Papazoglou · 7 Ibagaza · 8 Fejsa · 9 Pantelić · 10 Djebbour · 14 Mirallas · 15 Javito · 17 Costanzo · 18 Fetfatzidis · 19 Fuster · 20 Holebas · 21 A. Papadopoulos · 22 Mitroglou · 23 Marcano · 25 Valerianos · 29 Grbić · 31 Orbaiz · 33 Yeste · 35 Torosidis · 42 Megyeri · 77 Makoun · 92 Potouridis · 93 Abdoun · 99 Daskalakis · Manager: Valverde
Categories:- 1977 births
- Living people
- People from Gullspång Municipality
- UEFA Euro 2000 players
- 2002 FIFA World Cup players
- UEFA Euro 2004 players
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- UEFA Euro 2008 players
- Degerfors IF players
- AIK Fotboll players
- Allsvenskan players
- Aston Villa F.C. players
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Expatriate footballers in Italy
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in Greece
- Association football central defenders
- Juventus F.C. players
- Olympiacos F.C. players
- La Liga footballers
- Premier League players
- Serie A footballers
- Racing de Santander footballers
- Swedish footballers
- Sweden international footballers
- Swedish expatriate footballers
- Superleague Greece players
- FIFA Century Club
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