1. Early Life and Background
Karl-Johan Anton Johnsson was born on 28 January 1990 in Ränneslöv, within the Laholm area of Halland County, Sweden. He began his football career at the local club Ränneslövs GIF. In 2005, at the age of 15, Johnsson transitioned to the youth system of Halmstads BK.
2. Club Career
Karl-Johan Johnsson's club career spans multiple European leagues, beginning in Sweden and progressing through the Netherlands, Denmark, and France, where he has played for several prominent teams.
2.1. Halmstad BK
Johnsson joined the youth ranks of Halmstads BK in 2005 when he was 15 years old. He made his senior team debut on 24 August 2008 in a match against Djurgårdens IF. He entered the game as a substitute during halftime due to an injury to the starting goalkeeper, Magnus Bahne. Following the departure of Conny Johansson and Marcus Sahlman, Johnsson was promoted to second-choice goalkeeper for the 2009 season. In November 2008, he had the opportunity to train with English club Manchester City for a week.
During the 2010 season, Johnsson remained the second-choice goalkeeper, behind Robin Malmqvist. The 2011 season proved to be a turbulent period for Halmstads BK. After Josep Clotet Ruiz was appointed as the new manager, changes were made among the goalkeepers, with Malmqvist being loaned out and Spanish goalkeeper Nauzet Pérez brought in as the first choice. However, Pérez struggled to adapt to the Swedish lifestyle and left the club before the season's halfway point. With Pérez's departure, Johnsson was appointed as the club's first-choice goalkeeper. Despite Halmstads BK's poor performance that season, which resulted in their relegation, Johnsson's individual displays earned him a call-up to the national team.
2.2. NEC Nijmegen
On 5 November 2012, Halmstads BK announced that Johnsson would leave the club as a Bosman player. He officially joined the Dutch club NEC on 1 January 2013, when the transfer window opened.
2.3. Randers FC
On 11 July 2014, Johnsson signed a three-year contract with the Danish Superliga team Randers FC. During the 2015-16 season, he also made 4 appearances in the UEFA Europa League.
2.4. Guingamp
Johnsson moved to France on 28 June 2016, signing with Ligue 1 team Guingamp. A notable moment during his tenure came in the 2018-19 Coupe de la Ligue quarter-finals, where he played the full 90 minutes. Guingamp eliminated PSG in that match, thereby ending PSG's impressive 43-game unbeaten streak. Johnsson was an unused substitute in the 2019 Coupe de la Ligue final.
2.5. Copenhagen
On 12 July 2019, Copenhagen confirmed the signing of Johnsson on a four-year contract. In the 2019-20 season, Johnsson made 12 European appearances, comprising 11 in the UEFA Europa League and 1 in the UEFA Champions League. On 10 August 2020, in a 2019-20 UEFA Europa League quarter-final match against Manchester United, Johnsson made 13 saves in a 1-0 loss. This performance marked the most saves by a goalkeeper in a Europa League game since 2009. He added 3 appearances in the UEFA Europa League during the 2020-21 season. In the 2021-22 season, he played 3 matches in the UEFA Europa Conference League. His departure from the club was confirmed on 3 June 2023.
2.6. Bordeaux
Following his time with Copenhagen, Johnsson joined Bordeaux in Ligue 2 for the 2023-24 season. During this period, he made 22 league appearances for the club.
2.7. RC Strasbourg
Johnsson joined Strasbourg for the 2024-25 season. He currently wears the jersey number 30 for the team.
3. International Career
Karl-Johan Johnsson has represented Sweden across various youth levels before making his debut for the senior national team and participating in major international tournaments.
3.1. Youth Career
Johnsson represented Sweden at U19 level from 2007 to 2009, making 4 appearances. He then progressed to the Sweden U21 team, for which he debuted in 2009 against the Slovakian U21 team. Over time, Johnsson established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for the U21 team, making 17 appearances between 2009 and 2012.
3.2. Senior Career
Despite Halmstads BK's relegation in the 2011 Allsvenskan, Johnsson's performances earned him a call-up to the Sweden national team for their 2012 January tour, which included matches against Qatar and Bahrain. He made his senior team debut on 23 January 2012, coming on as a substitute at halftime in the match against Qatar. His senior international career spanned from 2012 to 2021, during which he accumulated 9 appearances.
3.3. Major Tournament Appearances
In May 2018, Johnsson was included in Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. He was also named in Sweden's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020.
4. Career Statistics
The following tables provide a detailed statistical breakdown of Karl-Johan Johnsson's professional club and international career.
4.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Halmstad | 2009 | Allsvenskan | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | Allsvenskan | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | Allsvenskan | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2012 | Superettan | 30 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||
| Total | 67 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 74 | 0 | |||
| NEC | 2012-13 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2013-14 | Eredivisie | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |||
| Randers | 2014-15 | Danish Superliga | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2015-16 | Danish Superliga | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 37 | 0 | ||
| Total | 64 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 70 | 0 | |||
| Guingamp | 2016-17 | Ligue 1 | 37 | 0 | 5 | 0 | - | - | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2017-18 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2018-19 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 0 | |||
| Total | 92 | 0 | 11 | 0 | - | - | 103 | 0 | ||||
| Copenhagen | 2019-20 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | - | 42 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | Danish Superliga | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2021-22 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022-23 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 56 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | - | 78 | 0 | |||
| Bordeaux | 2023-24 | Ligue 2 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 24 | 0 | ||
| Strasbourg | 2024-25 | Ligue 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 336 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 393 | 0 | ||
4.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2012 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |
5. Honours
Karl-Johan Johnsson has achieved several team titles and individual accolades throughout his professional football career.
5.1. Team Honours
- Guingamp
- Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2018-19
- Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2021-22
- Danish Cup: 2022-23
5.2. Individual Honours
- Tipsbladet Det Gyldne Bur: 2015
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2019-20