Martin Olsson

Martin Tony Waikwa Olsson (born 17 May 1988) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left back for Helsingborgs IF and the Sweden national team.

For the American TV writer, see Martin Olson.
Martin Olsson
Olsson playing for Sweden at UEFA Euro 2012
Personal information
Full name Martin Tony Waikwa Olsson[1]
Date of birth (1988-05-17) 17 May 1988[2]
Place of birth Gävle, Sweden
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Playing position(s) Left back
Club information
Current team
 Helsingborgs IF
Number 13
Youth career
2005–2006 Högaborgs BK
2006–2007 Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2013 Blackburn Rovers 117 (3)
2013–2017 Norwich City 119 (3)
2017–2019 Swansea City 68 (2)
2020– Helsingborgs IF 10 (0)
National team‡
2006–2007 Sweden U19 13 (1)
2007–2010 Sweden U21 23 (1)
2010– Sweden 48 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 July 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 November 2018

Olsson signed for Blackburn Rovers from Högaborgs BK in January 2006. In 2013, Premier League side Norwich City signed him for an undisclosed fee. In January 2017, he left Norwich to join Swansea until 2019.

Club career

Blackburn Rovers

Olsson began his playing career in Sweden by playing for Högaborgs BK, where former national star Henrik Larsson began his career. Olsson was working his way through the youth setup at the club in 2005–06. His talent attracted the attention of football clubs in Europe and in January 2006 Premier League club Blackburn Rovers signed him for their youth academy.

He made his Blackburn debut in the UEFA Cup qualifier in the 2007–08 season as a late substitution for Stephen Warnock.[4][5]

He made his Premier League debut against Derby County in a 2–1 victory on 30 December 2007, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Morten Gamst Pedersen at Pride Park, in front of a crowd of 30,048 spectators and the referee was Peter Walton. He was voted Blackburn's Young Player of the Year for the season 2007–08.

In May 2008, Olsson signed a new four-year contract, keeping him at Blackburn until June 2012.

On 24 September 2008, Olsson scored his first Blackburn goal, scoring the winning goal in a League Cup tie against Everton. The goal turned out to be the only goal of the match. On 20 January 2010, he scored a spectacular overhead kick in a 6–4 League Cup semi-final defeat against Aston Villa in the 63rd minute at Villa Park.[6]

On 23 November 2009, Olsson was sent off for two yellow card offences on Tottenham Hotspur winger Aaron Lennon. He scored his first Premier League goal on 10 February against Hull City at Ewood Park in a 1–0 victory. Olsson made his 25th league appearance at home to Birmingham City on 24 March 2010 in a 2–1 win. On 28 March 2010, when he made his 40th appearance for Blackburn against Burnley in the East Lancashire derby at Turf Moor in the 1–0 victory, he caused controversy when he looked like he had dived inside Burnley's penalty area, consequently by winning a penalty after taking the ball round Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen. Subsequently, the penalty was scored by David Dunn.[7] On 29 March 2010, Olsson admitted to the dive, Rovers manager, Sam Allardyce defended Olsson by saying he was his man of the match and created havoc and chaos in and around the eighteen yard box all match.[8]

In June 2010, Olsson signed a new five-year-deal at Blackburn Rovers that would keep him at the club until summer 2015.[9] At the start of the 2010–11 season, Olsson acquired the number three jersey by manager Sam Allardyce, which he had for most of pre-season. He featured in Rovers' opening 2010–11 Premier League match against Everton at Ewood Park on 14 August 2010, playing the full 90 minutes on the left-wing in a 1–0 victory. He scored his first league goal for Blackburn against Liverpool inside 32 minutes on 5 January 2011 in a 3–1 victory at Ewood Park. On 12 February 2011, Olsson made his 50th Premier League appearance for the club when he started at left-back against Newcastle United playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw. On 30 April 2011, he scored with a left-foot shot on 20 minutes against local rivals Bolton Wanderers at home. On 22 May, Olsson started and played the full 90 minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3–2 win at Molineux which kept both teams up for another season in the Premier League. At the end of the season, he made 32 appearances for Rovers in total and scored two goals in all competitions.

Now considered a key player, Olsson started off the season at left back covering for Gaël Givet who himself was covering for various injuries at centre back. Olsson provided an assist in a 4–3 victory over Arsenal. After running from the half way line to the by-line, he pulled back a cross for Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny to score an own goal. After helping Sweden qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, Olsson returned from international duty to put in a Man of the Match performance on the left wing against Queens Park Rangers in a 1–1 draw at Loftus Road. At the end of the season, Olsson made 31 appearances in all competitions for Rovers as they were relegated after finishing in 19th place in the Premier League with just 31 points to their name.[10][11]

After picking up a minor injury in pre-season, Olsson made his comeback as an unused substitute on 28 August, against Milton Keynes Dons at Stadium mk in a 2–1 defeat as Blackburn were knocked out in the second round of the League Cup.

Norwich City

On 10 July 2013, Olsson was signed by Premier League side Norwich City for an undisclosed fee.[12] He signed a four-year deal at Carrow Road.[13] He scored his first goal for the club against Bury in the League Cup on 27 August 2013.[14] Olsson made 37 appearances in all competitions but could not prevent his new team from relegation in his return to Premier League football.[15][16]

On the opening day of the 2014–15 season, Olsson was sent off for two bookable offences in a 1–0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship. He was later charged with improper conduct by the FA for allegedly making physical contact with referee Simon Hooper.[17] On 18 August, Olsson's ban was extended by a further three matches after the FA found him guilty of improper conduct, which Norwich announced they would not contend. He was also fined £3,000.[18] He returned from suspension for the match away at Cardiff City where, with Norwich two goals down, he scored the first goal in a comeback that saw Norwich win the match 4–2.[19] From then on, he would be a permanent feature in the Norwich team, appearing in 42 of the 46 league matches, as the team finished third in the league to qualify for the Championship play-offs. Olsson played in all three matches including the 2–0 victory over Middlesbrough in the final at Wembley Stadium, which saw Norwich return to the Premier League at the first attempt.[20][21]

Olsson would however make fewer appearances in the 2015–16 Premier League season, only appearing in 24 of the 38 league matches, including four appearances as a substitute, with Robbie Brady often being preferred at left-back. He would however score a dramatic winner on 2 April 2016 against Newcastle United. With the match 2–2 going into stoppage time, Olsson scored with a long distance shot to give Norwich a 3–2 win.[22] The win was ultimately in vain however, as Norwich were relegated to the Championship again at the end of the season. The relegation was confirmed after Sunderland won 3–0 against Everton where the Canaries were four points off safety.[23]

For the 2016–17 season, Olsson was given the number 3 shirt[24] and would once more be a regular in the side, appearing in 19 of the first 26 league matches. He scored another goal for Norwich, the first in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion,[25] and also receive another red card two minutes into a match against Queens Park Rangers when he handled to prevent a goal. Although QPR missed the resulting penalty, Norwich ultimately lost the match 2–1.[26] His last appearance for Norwich was in a 2–2 draw against Southampton in the FA Cup.[27]

Swansea City

On 17 January 2017, it was announced that Olsson had signed for Premier League club Swansea City for around £4 million.[28] Olsson scored his first goal on 12 February 2017 in a match against reigning champions Leicester City[29] in a 2–0 victory for the Welsh club.[30]

Olsson became a first team regular in the 2017–18 season, making a total of 36 appearances,[31] but could not prevent the club with relegation at the end of that season.[32] This meant that Olsson was set for a fourth Premier League relegation, same as Robert Green and former Norwich teammate Sébastien Bassong, but one off the current record holders Hermann Hreiðarsson and Nathan Blake.[33]

The club confirmed on 18 May 2019 that he will be released upon expiry of his contract.[34]

International career
Olsson playing for Sweden in 2015

Olsson has played several matches for Sweden's under 18 and under 21 national squads.[35][36]

He was selected to be part of the senior 23-man squad that would face Bosnia and Herzegovina on 29 May and Belarus on 2 June 2010.[37] Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Olsson put Sweden back in front from close range in the 68th minute, two minutes after coming on as a substitute, and added his second in the 82nd from Marcus Berg's center.[38][39][40] On 6 September 2011, he made his first start for the national team, playing at left back, and scored Sweden's third goal in the 81st minute of the 5–0 victory over San Marino after a clever reverse pass by Zlatan Ibrahimović in a Group E Euro 2012 qualifying fixture. In May 2012, Olsson was named in the 23-man squad to compete for Sweden at UEFA Euro 2012 and was given the number 5 shirt.

In May 2018 he was named in Sweden’s 23 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[41]

Personal life

Olsson was born in Gävle, Sweden,[42] to a Swedish father and Kenyan mother.[43] He has a twin brother, Marcus, who also is a professional footballer. His brother-in-law is former Dallas Mavericks basketball player Dirk Nowitzki, who is married to Martin's sister Jessica Olsson.[44]

His agent used to be the former Sweden international player Stefan Schwarz. Controversial agent Rune Hauge has also worked for Olsson, after being introduced to him by former Blackburn Rovers teammate Morten Gamst Pedersen.[45]

Career statistics

Club
As of 22 August 2018
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Blackburn Rovers 2007–08[46] Premier League 2000101[lower-alpha 1]040
2008–09[47] Premier League 903031—151
2009–10[48] Premier League 2111051—272
2010–11[49] Premier League 2921020—322
2011–12[10] Premier League 2701030—310
2012–13[50] Championship 2904000—330
Total 1173100142101425
Norwich City 2013–14[16] Premier League 3401021—371
2014–15[20] Championship 42100003[lower-alpha 2]0451
2015–16[51] Premier League 2411020—271
2016–17[52] Championship 1911000—201
Total 11933041301294
Swansea City 2016–17[52] Premier League 152———152
2017–18[31] Premier League 3604030—430
2018–19 Championship 400000—40
Total 5524030—622
Career total 29181702134033311
  1. Appearance in UEFA Cup
  2. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International
As of match played 20 November 2018[53]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden 201012
201162
201270
201381
201440
201570
201670
201710
201870
Total485

International goals
As of match played 24 March 2018. Sweden score listed first, score column indicates score after each Olsson goal.[53]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 29 May 2010Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden1 Bosnia and Herzegovina2–14–2Friendly
2 3–1
3 6 September 2011Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino4 San Marino3–05–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
4 7 October 2011Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland5 Finland2–12–1
5 11 October 2013Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden19 Austria1–12–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Norwich City

  • Football League Championship play-offs: 2015[54]
gollark: Lots of simple, terrible things are unreasonably powerful.
gollark: PRs welcome!
gollark: C is actually bad, though.
gollark: I mean, it could plausibly say "[deleted] bee message bee message", it just doesn't.
gollark: As firecubez said, no, how would that work.

References
  1. "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  2. "Martin Olsson". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. "2018 FIFA World Cup: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 30 June 2018. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City : Archived 6 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Martin Olsson". ESPN FC. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  6. "Blackburn 1–0 Everton". BBC Sport. 24 September 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  7. "Burnley 0–1 Blackburn". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  8. Torgerson, Richard. "Olsson admits to dive". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  9. "New Five Year Deal For Olsson". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 19 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  10. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  11. "Premier League end of season table for 2011–12 season". 11v11.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  12. "Norwich City". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  13. "Norwich complete deal for Blackburn Rovers defender Martin Olsson". The Independent. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  14. "Norwich 6–3 Bury". BBC Sport. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  15. "Premier League: Norwich lost 2–0 to Arsenal at Carrow Road to confirm relegation". Sky Sports. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  16. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  17. "Norwich City left-back Martin Olsson charged with misconduct". BBC Sport. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  18. "MARTIN OLSSON GIVEN THREE GAME SUSPENSION". Norwich City FC. 18 August 2014.
  19. "Cardiff City 2–4 Norwich City". BBC Sport. 13 September 2014.
  20. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  21. "Middlesbrough 0–2 Norwich City". BBC Sport. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  22. "Norwich City 3–2 Newcastle United". BBC Sport. 2 April 2016.
  23. Hafez, Shamoon (11 May 2016). "Norwich 4–2 Watford". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  24. "Norwich City have announced their squad numbers for the 2016–17 Sky Bet Championship season". Norwich City FC. 5 August 2016.
  25. "Norwich City 3–1 Burton Albion". BBC Sport. 24 September 2016.
  26. "Queens Park Rangers 2–1 Norwich City". BBC Sport. 19 November 2016.
  27. "Norwich City 2–2 Southampton". BBC Sport. 7 January 2017.
  28. "Martin Olsson: Swansea City sign Norwich's Swedish left-back". BBC Sport. 17 January 2017.
  29. "45+3: GOAL! @martinolsson hammers home his first for the club and our second of the game! It's 2–0!". Twitter.
  30. Pritchard, Dafydd (12 February 2017). "Swansea City 2–0 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  31. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  32. "Swansea 1–2 Stoke". BBC Sport. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  33. "Premier League's most relegated XI". HITC. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  34. Coleman, Tom (18 May 2019). "The full Swansea City retained list as captain Leroy Fer and other big names leave the club". Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  35. "ESPNsoccernet: Martin Olsson".
  36. "U21: Inför Turkiet – Sverige". Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  37. "Ingen Zlatan i Hamréns landslag". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  38. "Olssons succé: "Nu kan jag skryta lite..."". Expressen. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  39. "Olssons succé: "Nu kan jag skryta lite..."". Expressen. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  40. "Sweden 4–2 Bosnia & Herzegovina: Olsson Brace Propels Blagult To Victory". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  41. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced? - Goal.com".
  42. "Martin Olsson". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  43. "Olsson sets his sights on regular Blackburn Rovers spot". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  44. "NBA Star, Dirk Nowitzki, Weds Fiancee Jessica Olsson in Kenyan Traditional Ceremony". Munaluchi Bride. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  45. "17-årig svensk till Blackburn". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  46. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  47. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  48. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  49. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  50. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  51. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  52. "Games played by Martin Olsson in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  53. "Olsson, Martin". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  54. Shepka, Phil (25 May 2015). "Middlesbrough 0–2 Norwich City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2018.


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