Stig Håkan Mild (born 14 June 1971) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is best remembered for his time with IFK Göteborg, with which he won four Swedish Championships. A full international between 1991 and 2001, he won a total of 74 caps for the Sweden national team and was a part of the Sweden team that finished third at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also represented his country at the 1992 Summer Olympics and UEFA Euro 2000.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stig Håkan Mild | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 14 June 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Trollhättan, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1989–1993 | IFK Göteborg | 92 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Servette | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | IFK Göteborg | 23 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Real Sociedad | 50 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | IFK Göteborg | 66 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Wimbledon | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | IFK Göteborg | 65 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 326 | (28) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Sweden U17 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1988–1989 | Sweden U19 | 9 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Sweden U21/O | 23 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 1991–2001 | Sweden | 74 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
editBorn in Trollhättan, Västra Götaland, Mild started his career with the local club Trollhättans FK, and was early on scouted by the at that time leading Swedish club IFK Göteborg which he joined in 1988. He made his debut in the first team of IFK Göteborg the same year, in a friendly match against IF Elfsborg, 29 September. He played his first league game the following season, when he came on as a substitute against Halmstads BK, 26 July. He then scored his first goal in a competitive match in 1990, and became Swedish champion for the first time that same year, playing in a majority of the club's matches during the season.
He became a regular in the team and won another championship title the next season, as well as winning Svenska Cupen. He also scored his first goal in Allsvenskan in 1991, and played four matches in the European Cup. He was at the time a member of the Swedish Olympic team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where he played all four matches. He returned to European football and played all ten matches in the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League, against amongst others A.C. Milan and FC Porto. Mild also scored a goal against Lech Poznań in the qualifying round of the tournament. He became Swedish champion with IFK again in 1993.
Håkan Mild then moved abroad to Swiss club Servette FC where he won the Swiss Super League title the first season. He then played in the 1994 World Cup, where he was substituted on in two games, and played the last three games—quarter-final, semi-final and third place match—from start scoring one goal and assisting one. He returned to Servette FC to play another season but his first visit on the continent was not very successful and he returned to IFK Göteborg for the second half of the 1995 season. He led the club to another Swedish Championship the following season, but left the club again, this time to play in Spain and Real Sociedad.
He played 49 matches in Primera Division over two seasons, and was a member of the squad that finished third in 1997–98, the club's best result during the 1990s. He returned home to Gothenburg and IFK a second time, but had to tamper with injury problems the second half of 1998. He played another three seasons before trying his luck in another club abroad, this time Wimbledon F.C. in England. This proved to be his least successful stay abroad, playing only nine matches over a little more than one season. The low, but undisclosed, fee for his transfer to Wimbledon gave Mild a bad conscience, so he chose to not accept the almost 500,000 SEK (around US$50,000 at that time) of match bonuses he had not yet been paid.[1] This, amongst other things, has given Håkan Mild a special status amongst the IFK fans.
He returned in time to help IFK stay in Allsvenskan during the worst season of the club since 1976—when the club played in Division 2—as they barely avoided relegation by winning a play-off after the season's end. Mild then played another three seasons, partially interrupted by injury problems. He played his last match 11 December 2005 home against FC Lyn Oslo in the Royal League tournament, and his name was sung during all 90 minutes of the match, as a final farewell.[2] He then assumed the position of director of sports in the club.
He played a total of 459 matches over 18 years for IFK Göteborg, and is regarded as one of the club's greatest players ever not only due to his work on the field, but also for his club spirit, leader qualities and work ethics.[2] He has only represented one Swedish club on higher levels, and statements such as "IFK is my home"[3] and "IFK has always meant so much to me that it sometimes has become a problem"[4] has only cemented the view on him amongst supporters as one of the greatest.
International career
editHe played 74 games for the Sweden national team, scoring eight goals, and besides participation in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1992 Summer Olympics, he also played in Euro 2000.[5]
Personal life
editIn 2001, he did a running test called the Pacer test and scored a record high of 19.2 which is the best ever recorded.
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| IFK Göteborg | 1988 | Allsvenskan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1989 | Allsvenskan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | 12 | 1 | ||
| 1990 | Allsvenskan | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 21 | 3 | 41 | 4 | ||
| 1991 | Allsvenskan | 28 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4[8] | 0 | 20 | 4 | 58 | 6 | |
| 1992 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6[9] | 1 | 18 | 1 | 52 | 4 | |
| 1993 | Allsvenskan | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4[9] | 0 | 17 | 4 | 43 | 9 | |
| Total | 96 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 89 | 13 | 208 | 24 | ||
| Servette | 1993–94 | Nationalliga A | 11 | 1 | – | 11 | 1 | |||||
| 1994–95 | Nationalliga A | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||||
| IFK Göteborg | 1995 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 3 |
| 1996 | Allsvenskan | 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2[9] | 0 | 8 | 1 | 27 | 5 | |
| Total | 23 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 43 | 8 | ||
| Real Sociedad | 1996–97 | La Liga | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98 | La Liga | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 0 | |||
| Total | 49 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 53 | 1 | |||
| IFK Göteborg | 1998 | Allsvenskan | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3[10] | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| 1999 | Allsvenskan | 21 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5[10] | 1 | 6 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Allsvenskan | 23 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 7 | |
| 2001 | Allsvenskan | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 | |
| Total | 66 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 100 | 16 | ||
| Wimbledon | 2001–02 | First Division | 9 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2002–03 | First Division | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 9 | 0 | ? | ? | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||||
| IFK Göteborg | 2002 | Allsvenskan | 8[11] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2003 | Allsvenskan | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Allsvenskan | 23 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3[12] | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Allsvenskan | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14[13] | 2 | 10 | 1 | 43 | 5 | |
| Total | 67 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 108 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 348 | 29 | 40 | 10 | 42 | 4 | 129 | 18 | 571 | 61 | ||
International
edit| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1991 | 6 | 1 |
| 1992 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 1 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 11 | 2 | |
| 1995 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1996 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 74 | 8 | |
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mild goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 April 1991 | Neas Philadelphias, Nea Filadelfeia, Greece |  Greece
|
2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly | [14] |
| 2 | 10 November 1993 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Leopoldstadt, Austria |  Austria
|
1–0 | 1–1 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier | [15] |
| 3 | 24 February 1994 | Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, California, United States |  Mexico
|
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly | [16] |
| 4 | 16 July 1994 | Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, United States |  Bulgaria
|
2–0 | 4–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup | [17] |
| 5 | 8 June 1995 | Elland Road, Leeds, England |  England
|
1–0 | 3–3 | Umbro Cup | [18] |
| 6 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 7 | 28 February 2001 | National Stadium Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta |  Malta
|
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | [19] |
| 8 | 10 November 2001 | Old Trafford, Manchester, England | England
|
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | [20] |
Honours
editIFK Göteborg
- Allsvenskan: 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996
- Svenska Cupen: 1991
- Royal League runner-up: 2004–05
Sweden
- FIFA World Cup third-place: 1994
Individual
- Årets Ärkeängel: 1999[21]
References
edit- Göransson, Mattias (2005). Blåvit gryning. Göteborg: Offside Fanatik. ISBN 91-85279-03-X
- UEFA.com (2005). IFK hero Mild gets his due. Retrieved 27 June 2006.
- Fagerlin, Hans (July 2006). Överkörd på mitten av Mild. Blått&Vitt, 6.
- Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Håkan Mild". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011.
Notes
edit- ^ Göransson, p. 108.
- ^ a b Uefa.com, IFK hero Mild gets his due
- ^ Fagerlin, p. 22
- ^ Göransson, p. 97.
- ^ a b "Håkan Mild - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Håkan Mild » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Håkan Mild - ifkdb.se". ifkdb.se. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ European Cup matches only.
- ^ a b c UEFA Champions League matches only.
- ^ a b UEFA Cup matches only.
- ^ Allsvenskan (6 matches, 1 goal) and Allsvenskan qualification play-off (2 matches, 0 goals).
- ^ Royal League matches only.
- ^ Royal League (10 matches, 2 goals) and UEFA Intertoto Cup (4 matches, 0 goals).
- ^ "Grekland - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Österrike - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Mexiko - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Sverige - Bulgarien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "England - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Malta - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "England - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- ^ "Alla 47 ärkeänglar | ifkdb.se". ifkdb.se. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
External links
edit- Håkan Mild at WorldFootball.net
- Håkan Mild at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish)
- Håkan Mild at IMDb
- Håkan Mild at ifkdb.com
