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Simon Olsson
Simon Olsson (born 14 September 1997) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Allsvenskan club Elfsborg and the Sweden national team.[1] Olsson started his senior career with local fifth tier side AFK Linköping in 2013, before moving to the youth system of IF Elfsborg in 2014. He made his debut for Elfsborg's senior team in 2016, but his breakthrough came the following season in 2017, where he started 25 matches and registered 2 goal contributions. He helped Elfsborg secure consecutive European finishes in 2020 and 2021. After making 170 appearances and scoring 13 times for Elfsborg across 6 years, he left for Eredivisie team Heerenveen in 2022. After 2 and a half seasons with the Dutch side, he returned to Elfsborg in January 2025. At youth international level, Olsson represented the U17 and U19 Swedish national teams, and made his senior team debut in a friendly in 2024. Club careerEarly careerBorn in Linköping, Olsson started with local team IK Östria Lambohov at the age of 7 or 8, where his father and older brother also played.[2][3] He then moved to Karle IF, where he met fellow footballer Mohanad Jeahze.[4] After Karle IF, he joined AFK Linköping in the fifth division, which was a newly formed merger club consisting of his former team IK Östria Lambohov and BK Kenty.[5][6] He attracted interest from many Swedish teams, and trained with the likes of Jönköpings Södra and AIK, but chose to move to the youth team of Allsvenskan side IF Elfsborg in 2014.[2][7] ElfsborgYouthWhile playing for Elfsborg's youth team, Olsson attended the Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet and was accommodated at the Gula Kulan student dormitory.[8] He won the 2014 U17 SM with Elfsborg, winning 3–0 in the final against IF Brommapojkarna on 25 October 2014.[9] The team also made good progress in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League, but ultimately lost in the Round of 16 against Real Madrid.[10][7] He would get an apprenticeship in 2016.[11] 2016–17: Breakthrough
Following his successful stint in the youth team, Olsson made his senior debut in a cup match against IK Gauthiod that finished in a 7–0 victory for Elfsborg, coming on for Simon Lundevall.[7][13][14] His Allsvenskan debut came on 18 September 2016, starting in a 5–0 victory against Falkenbergs FF.[7] After two more starts in the Allsvenskan he would be promoted permanently to the senior team on 30 September and given a first team contract.[15][16] Olsson would establish his starting place the following season, and signed a 4-year contract extension in April 2017.[15] His first goal of his career came on 2 June in a 2–0 win over Häcken.[17] His performance in a 3–0 victory on 17 July over Hammarby drew praise from teammate Samuel Holmén.[18] He became an important part of the team that season, and was described as one of the most talented players for Elfsborg.[19][20] However, he got a thigh injury in September, which also forced him to withdraw from the national team.[21][22] Despite the injury, he started 25 matches and got 2 goal contributions that season.[7] Olsson would also win the Elfsborg Breakthrough of the Year.[23] 2018–2022In January 2018, Elfsborg received a bid from an Italian team for Olsson which was ultimately rejected.[24][25] Olsson missed the first match of 2018, a cup match against GAIS, due to an illness.[26] He played his first match of the season on 8 April 2018, in a 1–0 loss against Kalmar.[27] He was suspended for a match for amassing too many yellow cards over the season on 6 October, in a 4–2 defeat against Sirius.[28] His return from the suspension came on 26 October, in a 2-2 draw against Trelleborg.[29] Olsson played the full 90 minutes in Elfsborg's 2019 opening match, on 17 February, in a 5–1 cup victory against Hässleholms.[30] He would play Elfsborg's first league match on 1 April in a 1–1 draw against Hammarby.[31] He was sent off on 12 May in a 4-1 defeat to Malmö after getting 2 yellow cards in the match.[32] He scored his first goal of the season and the second of his career on 8 July 2019 in a 1–1 draw against Helsingborg, which he described as a "dream goal".[33] After a preseason which included a tour in the USA, Olsson started the first match of 2020, a 3–0 victory against Brage in the cup on 22 February.[34][35] However, the Allsvenskan Västderby season opener against Göteborg was postponed to 14 June due to the Coronavirus pandemic.[36] Olsson would start the match, which finished 1–0 to Elfsborg.[37] He scored his first goal of the season on 13 August, in a 4–2 win over Falkenbergs.[38] Olsson scored again on 1 November in a 2–1 win against Norrköping, which moved Elfsborg up to second.[39] Elfsborg would secure European places after a 1–1 draw against Sirius on 29 November.[40] Olsson scored in a 2–2 draw against AIK on the last matchday on 6 December, securing second place in the league for Elfsborg.[41] Olsson was recognized as one of the best players for Elfsborg in the 2020 season, and won Elfsborg Player of the Year.[42][43] Due to his contract expiring in 2021, Olsson began to attract interest from numerous clubs.[44] However, on 12 March, Olsson decided to stay with Elfsborg, extending his contract with the club until 2025.[45] He would undergo foot surgery in March, but made his return on 19 April in a 3-1 win against Varberg.[46][47] However, a fractured heel was discovered in May and he would not play again until August.[48][49] He made his return on 8 August, in a 3–0 win over Degerfors.[50][51] On 19 August, he made his European debut in a 5–0 defeat to Feyenoord in the Conference League qualifiers.[52] His first start after the heel injury came on 26 August, in the second leg against Feyenoord which would finish 3–1 to Elfsborg.[53] Elfsborg would finish 4th in the 2021 season, once again qualifying them for Europe.[54] Olsson started the 2022 season with a cup match on 19 February against GIF Sundsvall, which finished 3–2 to Elfsborg.[55] He also started the Allsvenskan premiere on 4 April, which ended in a 2–0 defeat to Mjällby.[56] On 11 April, Olsson drew the first away match 1–1 against Malmö, which Olsson scored the equalizer in, opening his tally for the season.[57] In the Conference League qualifiers, Elfsborg would be drawn against Norwegian Molde.[58] Olsson started the first leg on 21 July, which Elfsborg would lose 4–1.[59] Olsson would also start the second leg on 29 July, which finished 2–1 to Molde, eliminating the team from the Conference League.[60] In the summer of 2022, interest from abroad began to materialize for Olsson. These included Norwegian Rosenborg BK and Dutch sides SC Heerenveen and FC Utrecht.[61][62][63] He would choose Heerenveen, one factor being the presence of his former teammates Rami Kaib and Ibrahim Drešević.[64] By the time of his departure, Olsson had made 170 appearances and scored 13 times for Elfsborg in all competitions across his 6 seasons for the club.[65] HeerenveenOn 2 August 2022, it was announced that Olsson had signed a four-year deal with Heerenveen, and was given the number 19.[66] The transfer fee was reported to be around 1.3 million euro.[67] He made his debut on 5 August in a 0–0 draw against Sparta Rotterdam, coming on for Thom Haye.[68] He started his first match on 10 September, in a 5–0 defeat against Ajax.[69] He made his KNVB Cup debut on 18 October, in a 4–2 win against HSV Hoek.[70] In his first season with Heerenveen, Olsson commonly played down the flank, which he was unhappy with.[71] The club had qualified for European playoffs, and the first leg against FC Twente was to take place on 1 June 2023. Olsson would start the match but it ended 2–1 to Twente.[72] Olsson was subbed on at the second half for the second leg, which ended in a 4–0 defeat.[73] In his first season, he made 33 league appearances with 27 starts.[74]
Heerenveen manager Robin van Persie on Olsson's lack of playtime.[75]
Olsson's first goal for Heerenveen came the following season on 16 September 2023, in a 6–1 defeat to Feyenoord.[76] He played more matches in his preferred midfield position in the 2023–24 season.[77] Olsson helped Heerenveen to their first league win of the season on 31 August 2024, contributing with a goal and an assist in a 4–0 win against NAC Breda.[78] However, with the appointment of Robin van Persie as Heerenveen manager in May 2024, Olsson's starting place was under doubt.[79] He was therefore linked with a return to Sweden, with Allsvenskan sides Djurgården and former team Elfsborg each submitting bids for Olsson for the following 2024–25 winter transfer window.[80][79] Return to ElfsborgOn 22 January 2025, it was announced that Olsson had returned to Elfsborg after 89 appearances with Heerenveen.[81] The contract would last for 4 years until 2029, and Olsson was given the shirt number 10. He said of the transfer, "It was an easy choice, absolutely. As I've said before, Elfsborg is my home. It’s going to be incredibly fun to get started with the team."[81] International careerOlsson made his national team debut for the Sweden U17 on 22 April 2014, in a 3–1 win over Belgium.[82] After making another appearance, in a 2–1 win against Belgium again, he was called to a Sweden U19 camp in Bosön in June.[83][84] He scored his first international goal with the U19 on 18 September, in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia.[85] He was called up to the Sweden U21 in 2017 but had to withdraw and miss the upcoming U21 European Championship qualifiers.[86][22] Following the passing of his father, Leif Johansson, Olsson received the news that he would be selected for the senior Sweden national team to play in upcoming friendlies.[87] He made his debut for the national team on 21 March 2024 in a friendly against Portugal, which would finish 5–2 to Portugal.[88] His first start came in another friendly on 25 March, in a 1–0 win against Albania.[89] Style of playTechnical manager of Heerenveen Ferry de Haan said of Olsson, "He is a technically skilled, dynamic, and creative midfielder with good stamina, enabling him to regularly appear in the opponent's penalty area."[66] Olsson has said he prefers to play at 10, but can also play at 6 or 8.[64][67] Career statisticsClub
International
References
External links
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