1. Overview
Albin Ekdal (Albin Ekdalˈǎlːbɪn ˈêːkdɑːlSwedish; born on July 28, 1989) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Allsvenskan club Djurgårdens IF. Throughout his career, Ekdal has predominantly played in Italy, where he has accumulated over 300 appearances in Serie A for clubs including Cagliari, Juventus, Siena, Bologna, Sampdoria, and Spezia. He also spent three years in Germany's Bundesliga with Hamburger SV. A full international from 2011 to 2023, Ekdal earned 70 caps for the Sweden national team, representing his country at UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.
2. Early Life and Background
Albin Ekdal was born on July 28, 1989, in Stockholm, Sweden. He grew up in Höglandet, an affluent suburb located in Västerort, Stockholm.
2.1. Childhood and Youth Career
Ekdal began his football journey in the youth ranks of IF Brommapojkarna. He spent a total of four seasons with the club, including his time in their youth teams. His formative years at Brommapojkarna laid the foundation for his professional career.
Albin Ekdal comes from a family with a strong public presence. His father is Lennart Ekdal, an award-winning Swedish journalist, television personality, and newscaster. Lennart Ekdal is recognized for his work with the newspaper Dagens Nyheter and the financial magazine Veckans Affärer, as well as for hosting various television shows such as Kalla fakta, Halvtid för Reinfeldt (alongside Fredrik Reinfeldt), Kvällsöppet med Ekdal & Hakelius, and Hetluft. Albin's younger brother, Hjalmar Ekdal, is also a professional footballer, currently playing for Premier League club Burnley and representing the Sweden men's national football team.
3. Club Career
Albin Ekdal's club career has seen him play across Sweden, Italy, and Germany, making a significant impact as a midfielder. He has appeared for several prominent clubs, including Juventus, Cagliari, and Hamburger SV, before his return to Swedish football.
3.1. IF Brommapojkarna
Albin Ekdal started his professional playing career with his youth club, IF Brommapojkarna, at the beginning of the 2007 Allsvenskan season. During his time there, he primarily played as a central midfielder, but also demonstrated versatility by featuring as an attacking midfielder or a right midfielder. He made 24 appearances for the club before moving to Italy.
3.2. Juventus and Loan Spells
On May 23, 2008, Ekdal signed a four-year contract with Juventus, a prominent club in Italy's Serie A. His Serie A and club debut for Juventus occurred on October 18, 2008, in a 2-1 away defeat to Napoli, where he came on as a substitute in the 75th minute, replacing Christian Poulsen.
During his time at Juventus, Ekdal also experienced loan spells to gain more playing time and experience. On July 15, 2009, he was loaned to fellow Italian top-flight club Siena for a season. While at Siena, he made 27 appearances and scored his first Serie A goal on January 9, 2010, in a 4-3 loss away to eventual treble winners Inter Milan. Siena was ultimately relegated at the end of that season.
Following his loan to Siena, Juventus sold 50% of their ownership rights for Ekdal to Bologna on June 28, 2010. This co-ownership deal meant that the two clubs would decide annually who would hold his registration for the upcoming season. He played 23 games in total for Bologna, scoring a goal on January 9, 2011, the anniversary of his goal for Siena, which opened a 2-0 victory at Bari. Juventus later repurchased the remaining ownership rights from Bologna in June 2012.
3.3. Cagliari
On August 23, 2011, Ekdal was fully sold to another Serie A team, Cagliari, on a three-year deal for a transfer fee of 3.00 M EUR. His tenure at Cagliari saw significant individual achievements. On September 28, 2014, Ekdal scored a career-first hat-trick as Cagliari secured a remarkable 4-1 victory against Inter Milan at the San Siro. On June 22, 2012, Cagliari acquired full ownership of Ekdal for an additional 1.20 M EUR. He spent four years at Cagliari, making 116 league appearances and scoring 8 goals.
3.4. Hamburger SV
On July 18, 2015, German club Hamburger SV signed Ekdal from Cagliari on a four-year deal. The transfer fee was 4.50 M EUR, with his wages set at 600.00 K EUR per season. He was assigned the number 20 shirt.
Ekdal played 57 games for Hamburger SV in total. His three years with the team were marked by consistent struggles against relegation in the Bundesliga, ultimately ending with the club's descent into the 2. Bundesliga in 2018, marking their first relegation from the top flight. He scored one goal for the team from Hamburg, which was the decisive goal in a 1-0 home win against Hertha BSC on March 5, 2017. On January 21, 2017, Ekdal received the first red card of his professional career, occurring 33 minutes into a 1-0 loss against VfL Wolfsburg.
3.5. U.C. Sampdoria
Following Hamburger SV's relegation from the Bundesliga, Ekdal returned to Serie A by signing for Sampdoria on August 14, 2018. He spent four seasons with Sampdoria, becoming a regular fixture in their midfield.
3.6. Spezia
On July 13, 2022, Ekdal signed a two-year contract with Spezia, another club in Serie A. He played for Spezia during the 2022-2023 season, making 33 appearances.
3.7. Djurgårdens IF
After 16 years playing abroad, Ekdal made a return to his home country of Sweden and his childhood city of Stockholm. On December 30, 2023, he signed with Djurgårdens IF, the club he had supported since he was a child.
4. International Career
Albin Ekdal had a significant international career with the Sweden men's national football team, spanning over a decade and including participation in several major tournaments before his retirement in 2023.
Ekdal made his debut for the Sweden national team on August 10, 2011, in a friendly match played away against Ukraine in Kharkiv. He entered the game as a 60th-minute substitute for Sebastian Larsson in a match that Sweden won 1-0.
He was included in Sweden's 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France. His involvement in the tournament was initially at risk due to a deep cut on his back sustained while celebrating Hamburger SV's recent Bundesliga survival. Despite the injury concern, he participated in every match, though Sweden ultimately finished at the bottom of their group.
In June 2018, Ekdal was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. He played in all five of Sweden's matches as the team made a strong run to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Ekdal was also part of Sweden's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020.
After Sweden failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, Albin Ekdal announced his retirement from international football. His final appearance for the national team was on November 20, 2023, in a qualifier match against Estonia in Stockholm. In this farewell match, he captained the team and played for 72 minutes before being substituted to a standing ovation from the crowd at Friends Arena. He accumulated a total of 70 caps for the Sweden national team.
5. Career Statistics
This section provides detailed statistical records of Albin Ekdal's professional football career, encompassing his appearances and goals for various clubs and the Sweden national team.
5.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brommapojkarna | 2007 | Allsvenskan | 15 | 0 | - | - | - | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2008 | Superettan | 9 | 0 | - | - | - | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Juventus | 2008-09 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009-10 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Siena (loan) | 2009-10 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | ||
| Bologna | 2010-11 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 1 | ||
| Cagliari | 2011-12 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2012-13 | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2013-14 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2014-15 | Serie A | 33 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 5 | |||
| Total | 116 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 9 | ||
| Hamburger SV | 2015-16 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 0 | ||
| 2016-17 | Bundesliga | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2017-18 | Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 19 | 0 | |||
| Total | 54 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 1 | ||
| Sampdoria | 2018-19 | Serie A | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2019-20 | Serie A | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2020-21 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2021-22 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | |||
| Total | 122 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 3 | ||
| Spezia | 2022-23 | Serie A | 31 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| Career total | 376 | 14 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 394 | 15 | ||
5.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | 0 | |
6. Honours
6.1. Individual
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015
- Stor Grabb: 2016