Sweden: Premier League Nations
The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Sweden. World Cup runners-up in 1958, Sweden were a powerhouse in the early years of international football. They have not reached a major final since, but have appeared in the latter stages several times despite having a relatively small population.
According to the Premier League website, 63 players have represented Sweden in the Premier League, stretching back to the opening weekend of the very first season.
First Players – Anders Limpar & Roland Nilsson (Arsenal, Everton; 1992-97/Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry; 1992-94, 1997-99)
Both starting for their respective clubs on the opening day of the 1992/93 season, Anders Limpar and Roland Nilsson simultaneously became the first Swedish players to appear in the Premier League.
Both trail-blazing Swedes faced off in both domestic Cup Finals in 1992/93, with Arsenal defeating Sheffield Wednesday in both despite requiring a replay and extra-time in the FA Cup Final. Nilsson started all three matches for Wednesday, though Limpar didn’t feature.
Most Appearances: Sebastian Larsson – 282 (Arsenal, Birmingham, Hull, Sunderland; 2004-18)
A free-kick wizard, Sebastian Larsson made 282 Premier League appearances for four clubs stretching well over a decade.
The midfielder/winger scored 11 direct freekicks in the Premier League alone, the most of any player since the Premier League began recording free-kick statistics in 2006/07. He made his name at Birmingham City, with whom he won the 2010/11 League Cup, before spending his final six years in the Premier League with Sunderland.
It may come as a surprise to some to see that Larsson began his Premier League career at Arsenal. He enjoyed the final years of his youth development with the Gunners but made only three Premier League appearances before moving to Birmingham.
Top Scorer: Fredrik Ljungberg – 48 (Arsenal, West Ham; 1998-2008)
One of the reasons Larsson struggled for game time in his days at Arsenal was the continued form of Fredrik Ljungberg and Robert Pires on either side of the Gunners midfield; and though Larsson ultimately made more Premier League appearances than his former teammate, Freddie Ljungberg remains the top-scoring Swede.
46 of his 48 goals came in the red and white of Arsenal, where he won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles and was a key cog in the invincible machine of 2003/04. He spent a season at West Ham after leaving the Gunners in 2007.
Ljungberg returned to Arsenal the following decade, taking up youth coaching roles and later managing the first team on an interim basis following the sacking of Unai Emery in 2019.
Current Players
Only two Swedish players have appeared in the Premier League this season – Victor Lindelöf (Manchester United) and Emil Krafth (Newcastle).
The only other Swede to have previously made an appearance who remains in the Premier League is Watford midfielder Ken Sema, who has spent 2019/20 on loan at Udinese.
Trivia
- Three Swedes have won the Premier League – Jesper Blomqvist (Manchester United – 1998/99), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal – 2001/02 & 2003/04) and Henrik Larsson (Manchester United – 2006/07).
- Former Southampton midfielder Anders Svensson is the most capped Swede of all-time (148 caps).
- Former Aston Villa striker Markus Allbäck scored the 2000th goal in the history of the World Cup, equalising against England in the group stage of the 2006 tournament.
- Former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the all-time top scorer for the Swedish national team (62 goals).