Johan Mjällby

Johan Mjällby (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjuː.ˈan ˈmjɛlbʏ]) (born 9 February 1971) is a Swedish former footballer. He made his debut for the national team in 1997, and played 49 matches scoring 4 goals as a centre back. Mjällby was the team captain during the 2002 World Cup. He also took part in Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. He was most recently the assistant manager of Bolton Wanderers, working alongside former Celtic team-mate and manager Neil Lennon.

Playing career

Early career

Early on in Johan's sporting career he played both football and tennis and had the choice to turn professional in either. He made the decision to prioritise football and was signed by AIK in 1984 from IK Bele.

Making a name

Johan spent the next fourteen years in AIK and established himself in the side with solid performances as a no-nonsense tackling midfield player. His performances at club level were noticed and he soon broke through to the Swedish national team. Although he was a squad member in 1992 when AIK won the league, he refused to accept the gold medal, stating that he felt he hadn't contributed enough. Therefore, it was a great day when lifelong AIK supporter Mjällby got his silverware in 1998 when he guided the club to a new league victory.

Mjällby

Mjällby is a locality situated in Sölvesborg Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 1,254 inhabitants in 2010. It is located on the Listerlandet peninsula.

The town has traditionally lived of fishing. The nearby harbour of Nogersund is the third largest fishery harbour in Sweden. The fishery industry is also dominant on the peninsula. Listerlandet is also the fur farming centre of Sweden. Fur farming is currently under heavy political debate in Sweden.

Mjällby is known for its football team which has played in the Swedish national football league a few times. Among footballfans in Sweden the team of Mjällby AIF is known as "the team that always returns". In September 2009 the team once again qualified for the highest division and played five season in Allsvenskan before being relegated at the end of the 2014 season.

The mathematician Lars Hörmander was born in Mjällby.

References