Williot Swedberg

Williot Swedberg
Swedberg with Hammarby IF in 2021
Personal information
Full name Williot Theo Swedberg[1]
Date of birth (2004-02-01) 1 February 2004 (age 20)
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Celta
Number 19
Youth career
0000–2011 Sickla IF
2011–2020 Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Hammarby IF 29 (7)
2020 → IK Frej (loan) 16 (0)
2021 → Hammarby TFF (res.) 11 (1)
2022– Celta 35 (7)
International career‡
2019–2020 Sweden U17 4 (1)
2021–2023 Sweden U19 18 (5)
2023– Sweden U21 7 (2)
2024– Sweden 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:14, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:26, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

Williot Theo Swedberg (born 1 February 2004) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Celta Vigo and the Sweden national team.

Early life

Born and primarily raised in Stockholm, Swedberg also partly lived in Valencia, Spain, during his childhood.[3] He started to play youth football with local club Sickla IF.[4] In 2011, at age seven, he joined the youth academy of Hammarby IF.[5][6][7][8] In 2019, he went on trial with Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.[9]

Club career

Hammarby IF

In 2020, Swedberg was sent on loan to Hammarby's affiliated club IK Frej in Ettan, the domestic third tier, where he made his debut in senior football. He began the 2021 season on loan at feeder team Hammarby TFF, also competing in Ettan.[10][11]

On 11 July 2021, Swedberg made his competitive debut for Hammarby in Allsvenskan, in a 5–1 home win against Degerfors IF, coming on from the bench in the 79th minute and scoring two minutes later.[12][13][5] After his debut, Swedberg reportedly attracted interest from Danish clubs Brøndby IF and FC Midtjylland.[14][15] On 12 August, Swedberg signed a new three-year deal until 2024 with Hammarby, his first professional contract.[16] He featured in five games as the side reached the play-off round of the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League, after eliminating Maribor (4–1 on aggregate) and FK Čukarički (6–4 on aggregate, in which Swedberg scored). In the playoff, then, Hammarby was knocked out by Basel (4–4 on aggregate) after a penalty shoot-out.[17][18][19][20] In October 2021, Swedberg was named as one of the 60 best young talents in world football born in 2004, by the English newspaper The Guardian.[21]

On 23 February 2022, Swedberg was close to join Lokomotiv Moscow for a reported fee of around €4.5 million, but the deal ultimately fell through due to administrative reasons and the political instability following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[22] He had a strong start to the 2022 season, scoring five goals in the first five league fixtures, awarding him Allsvenskan Player of the Month in April.[23] Swedberg featured in the final of the 2021–22 Svenska Cupen, in which Hammarby lost by 3–4 on penalties to Malmö FF after the game ended in a 0–0 draw.[24][25]

Celta

Swedberg playing for Sweden U21 in 2023

On 17 June 2022, Swedberg transferred to Celta de Vigo in La Liga, signing a contract until the summer of 2027.[26] The fee was reportedly set at around €5 million, plus bonuses and a sell-on clause, making it a record breaking transfer for Hammarby.[27][28][29]

His first goal for Celta de Vigo was against Almería; a late goal to win the match 3-2 on 2 September 2023.

International career

Swedberg scored in his debut for the Sweden U17 national team in a 3–1 friendly win against Norway on 17 September 2019.[30]

Sweden made his debut for the Sweden national team on 8 June 2024 in a 0–3 friendly loss against Serbia at Friends Arena. He substituted Anthony Elanga in the 62nd minute.[31]

Style of play

A right-footed player with good technique, Swedberg is often deployed as an attacking central midfielder. He is a space operator and likes to get into the vacated spaces and make movements off-the-ball, much like Thomas Müller and Donny van de Beek. Known for his first touch and vision, Swedberg tends to often pass or carry the ball into the penalty area.[32][21]

Personal life

Swedberg is the son of the former professional footballers Hans Eskilsson and Malin Swedberg.[7][8] Due to partially growing up in Valencia, Swedberg became trilingual from an early age. After his move to Celta in 2022, he said that his Spanish fluency surprised 'many' around the club.[33]

Career statistics

Club

As of 30 May 2022[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
IK Frej (loan) 2020 Ettan 16 0 0 0 — 16 0
Hammarby Talang FF (loan) 2021 Ettan 11 1 0 0 — 11 1
Hammarby IF 2021 Allsvenskan 19 2 1 0 5[a] 1 25 3
2022 Allsvenskan 10 5 6 0 — 16 5
Total 29 7 7 0 5 1 41 8
Career total 56 8 7 0 5 1 68 9
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 2024 1 0
Total 1 0

References

  1. ^ "Williot Theo Swedberg". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Williot Swedberg" (in Swedish). Eurosport. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Supertalangen hyllas: "En delikat spelare"" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Ytterligare en kille från P03 tar klivet till Hammarby elit" (in Swedish). Sickla IF. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b "2021 pojkakademins bästa år någonsin" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Grattis Williot Swedberg" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Drömdebut för Williot Swedberg inför ögonen på pappa" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Pappan i tårar – sedan nätar Swedberg direkt" (in Swedish). Expressen. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Tottenham intresserade av profilernas son - har besökt klubben: "Gott betyg till oss"" (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Williot Swedberg & HTFF – Bajens Ettansatsning bär frukt" (in Swedish). Ettan Fotboll. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Williot Swedberg" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Williot – "Helt surrealistiskt, med fansen tillbaka och allt"" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Förlösande femetta mot Degerfors" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Allsvenska affärerna som sprack – i allra sista stund" (in Swedish). Expressen. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  15. ^ "AVSLÖJAR: Tungt intresse - vill köpa loss Bajens supertalang" (in Swedish). Fotbolldirekt. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Hektiskt avslut på deadline day – tre avtal klara" (in Swedish). Hammarby IF. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  17. ^ "Maribor 0 – 1 Hammarby". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Hammarby 5 – 1 Čukarički". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Hammarby 3 – 1 Basel". UEFA. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Ett slut att glömma efter 210 minnesvärda minuter" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Next Generation 2021: 60 of the best young talents in world football" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Hammarby: Swedberg-affären sprack på grund av kriget" (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  23. ^ "Williot Swedberg är Månadens Spelare i april" (in Swedish). Allsvenskan. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  24. ^ "Straffar gav MFF första cupguldet på 33 år" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  25. ^ "Bajen golvat från elva meter i titelmatchen" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Williot Swedberg, primer fichaje del RC Celta 2022/2023" (in Spanish). RC Celta de Vigo. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Williot Swedberg till Celta Vigo" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  28. ^ "Avslöjar: Hammarby överens med Celta Vigo om Swedberg" (in Swedish). Expressen. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Avslöjar: Exakt så mycket får Hammarby för Swedberg" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Första segern för pojkar -04" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  31. ^ "Sweden v Serbia game report". ESPN. 8 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Williot Swedberg: Sweden and Hammarby IF". Total Football Analysis. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  33. ^ Tengblad, Mattias (18 August 2022). "Williot Swedberg om livet i Spanien och Celta Vigo" [Williot Swedberg about life in Spain and Celta Vigo] (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Williot Swedberg". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 July 2021.