 Mellberg withF.C. Copenhagen in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Erik Olof Mellberg | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-09-03)3 September 1977 (age 47)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Gullspång, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | St. Louis City SC (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1996 | Gullspångs IF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Degerfors IF | 47 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | AIK | 17 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Racing Santander | 98 | (0) |
| 2001–2008 | Aston Villa | 232 | (8) |
| 2008–2009 | Juventus | 27 | (2) |
| 2009–2012 | Olympiacos | 71 | (7) |
| 2012–2013 | Villarreal | 29 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Copenhagen | 22 | (3) |
| Total | 543 | (22) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996–1999 | Sweden U21 | 27 | (4) |
| 2000–2012 | Sweden | 117 | (8) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2015–2017 | IF Brommapojkarna | ||
| 2019 | Fremad Amager | ||
| 2019–2020 | Helsingborgs IF | ||
| 2023–2024 | IF Brommapojkarna | ||
| 2024– | St. Louis City SC | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Erik Olof Mellberg (pronounced[ˈûːlɔfˈmɛ̂lːbærj]; born 3 September 1977) is a Swedishfootballmanager and former professional player who is the manager ofSt. Louis City inMajor League Soccer.
During his career, Mellberg played as adefender, with his longest spell being atPremier League clubAston Villa. He also played in Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece and Denmark, for clubs includingJuventus andOlympiacos.
Mellberg played forSweden at theWorld Cup in2002 and2006, as well as theEuropean Championship in2000,2004,2008 and2012. A formercaptain of the national team, he scored eight goals in117 caps between 2000 and 2012.
Mellberg began managingBrommapojkarna in 2015 and won two thethird andsecond divisions in consecutive seasons before managing them inAllsvenskan in a later spell. He also ledHelsingborg in his country's top flight.
Erik Olof Mellberg was born inGullspång, Sweden, on 3 September 1977 to parents Erik and Berit. Mellberg's mother Berit was aphysical education teacher who passed on her love of sport to her son.[2] As a youth, Mellberg enjoyed playing tennis and dreamed ofWimbledon rather than theWorld Cup. Mellberg was something of a tennis prodigy[3] and it was not until he was 14 that he began to focus on football.[2]
Mellberg played for local sideGullspång before being picked up byDegerfors of theAllsvenskan. After being relegated, he joined capital clubAIK, who won the league title in 1998. He then signed for Spanish clubRacing de Santander, where he played regularly over three seasons, ending with relegation fromLa Liga in2000–01.[4]
In July 2001, Mellberg signed a five-year contract withAston Villa of England'sPremier League, for an estimated fee of £5 million.[5] He made his debut on 18 August as the season began with a goalless draw away toTottenham Hotspur, in which he blocked a shot byLes Ferdinand and headed a chance against the crossbar.[6] On 27 September, he left on a stretcher with an ankle injury shortly before half time in aUEFA Cup first round elimination byNK Varteks of Croatia,[7]
On 16 September 2002, in theSecond City derby away toBirmingham City, Mellberg took a throw-in to his goalkeeperPeter Enckelman, and the ball rolled into the goal. RefereeDavid Elleray ruled that Enckelman made light contact with the ball as it rolled in, thereby making it a valid goal as a goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in; Birmingham City won 3–0. Mellberg criticised the decision in an interview with Sweden'sExpressen.[8] Mellberg scored his first goal for Villa on 26 October, a header against eventual champions Manchester United.[9]
In August 2003, Mellberg said that the atmosphere at the club was positive afterDavid O'Leary came in as manager to replaceGraham Taylor, who had droppedJuan Pablo Ángel andAlpay Özalan; he warned that some players would be disappointed to not be included in the season opener againstPortsmouth.[10] Mellberg himself was left out of that game, a 2–1 loss to the newly promoted side, and said that he was unhappy over what he saw as a lack of an explanation why.[11] He was then madecaptain by the Irishman, as Villa finished 6th in the league.[12]
On 12 December 2004, Villa lost the derby 2–1 at home to Birmingham City, in a match that Mellberg had attempted to build up by voicing his dislike of the opponents. Winning managerSteve Bruce said that Mellberg's insults motivated his team.[13] His season ended in April due to knee meniscus cartilage damage in a 3–0 win overNewcastle United.[14] In 2005–06, he missed five games over March and April due to a recurring hamstring injury;Gary Cahill made a breakthrough in his absence.[15]
In 2006, incoming managerMartin O'Neill took the captaincy from Mellberg and gave it toGareth Barry, who had signed a new contract after coming close to leaving the club.[16] On 19 August, in the first game of the season, Mellberg headed the opening goal of a 1–1 draw away toArsenal – the first competitive goal at theEmirates Stadium.[17]
In January 2008, Mellberg signed a pre-contract agreement for a three-year deal with Juventus, moving on aBosman transfer once his contract expired at the end of the season. O'Neill praised Mellberg for having adapted to playing at right-back during the season.[18] His final home game for Aston Villa was againstWigan Athletic on 3 May, being designated as Olof Mellberg Day in appreciation of his service to the club. On his final game for Aston Villa away atWest Ham United, as a leaving gift, Mellberg gave each of the 3,200 Villa fans atUpton Park either a home or an away shirt with his name and number on the back and the messageThanks 4 Your Support.[19]
Mellberg made his debut for Juventus on 26 August 2008 in aUEFA Champions League third qualifying round second leg away toArtmedia Petržalka of Slovakia, a 1–1 draw after having been left on the bench for the 4–0 win in the first leg.[20] On 18 January 2009, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw away toS.S. Lazio,[21] adding a second on 21 March also at theStadio Olimpico in a 4–1 win againstA.S. Roma.[22] He was a regular part of the team in his only season inTurin, as the club came runners-up inSerie A and reached the semi-finals of theCoppa Italia.[23]
On 23 June 2009, Mellberg moved toOlympiacos on a three-year contract for a fee of €2.5 million.[24] He wonSuper League Greece in hissecond season, securing the title on 20 March 2011 with three games to spare after a 6–0 home win overrivalsAEK Athens.[25]
The club fromPiraeus retained their title in 2011–12, again with three games remaining, oncePanathinaikos's points deduction for fan behaviour was upheld.[26] Olympiacos also won theGreek Football Cup, with Mellberg scoring the only goal of the two-legged semi-final againstOFI Crete in March.[27] He turned down a new deal at the end of the 2011–12 season, hoping to find a new challenge with his agent saying "we don't close any doors."[28]
On 8 August 2012, Mellberg signed a one-year contract with Spanish clubVillarreal.[29] Mellberg appeared 29 times for Villarreal in SpanishSegunda División, scoring twice, and was an important part of the squad that finished second in Segunda División and was promoted toLa Liga.
On 9 July 2013, Mellberg signed a two-year contract with Danish championsCopenhagen, but left after one season. He then retired.[30]
Mellberg made his debut againstAustria in March 2000.[31]
During an open team practice before the 2002 World Cup, Mellberg broke into a fight with his teammateFreddie Ljungberg after a robust tackle from Mellberg.[32] The two of them were quickly separated by teammates. Since then, the two of them have been known for not being the best of friends, and in the 2006 World Cup, Mellberg and Ljungberg, according to leak from inside the team, had a very fiery argument, after Sweden's draw withTrinidad and Tobago.[33] In 2003, he was selected as the best Swedish player of the year, winning theGuldbollen.[34]
During the penalty shoot-out after theEuro 2004 quarter-final againstNetherlands, Mellberg has a penalty saved byEdwin van der Sar, as the Netherlands won the shoot-out 5–4 and advanced to the semi-finals.[35]
During a2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Croatia in October 2005, Mellberg boxed the ball away with his hand in the Swedish penalty area. Croatia were awarded a penalty kick for this, whichDario Srna scored, and Sweden lost the match 0–1. After the2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Mellberg relinquished his captaincy and Ljungberg took his place as Sweden captain.[36]
On 4 September 2006, Mellberg, along withZlatan Ibrahimović andChristian Wilhelmsson, was sent home from the national squad for breaking an 11 pm team curfew ahead of aEuropean Championships qualifier againstLiechtenstein.[37] On 7 October, he returned to the lineup for their European Championships qualifier againstSpain, which they won 2–0.[38] In the 2012 European Championships, Mellberg was involved in two goals in their match againstEngland in the group stages to give Sweden a 2–1 lead, however, Sweden went on to lose 2–3[39] while Mellberg became "Man of the Match".[40] After the tournament, Mellberg decided to end his international career.[30]
During his career, Mellberg primarily played as acentral defender orright-back, although he was also capable of playing in aholding role inmidfield on occasion. In aSports Illustrated profile in the lead-up to Euro 2012, he was described as being "big, strong and exceptional in the air",[41] while aBBC profile ahead of the 2002 World Cup noted that "[h]e pressures attackers superbly and rarely comes off second best in a challenge."[42] Regarded as a promising defender in his youth, he later made a name for himself as a solid, dependable and hard-tackling centre-back. Although he was not very fast, he was strong, and had an excellent positional sense, and was also a good header of the ball, which made him a goal-threat on set-pieces.[43][44][45]
Mellberg was appointed manager of Swedish clubBrommapojkarna in November 2015, signing a two-year contract[46] and taking over following their recentrelegation to the third tier of Swedish football.
Brommapojkarna won theDivision 1 title during Mellberg's first season in charge and won their second successivepromotion the following year, in October 2017, to return to the top flight,Allsvenskan. After the season, Mellberg chose not to renew his expiring contract with Brommapojkarna.[47]
On 1 July 2019Fremad Amager of theDanish 1st Division announced that Mellberg had joined the club as their new manager.[48] After only two months in charge, he left to become the manager ofHelsingborgs IF in the Allsvenskan.[49] After the club were relegated in December 2020, he resigned with one year remaining of his contract.[50]
Mellberg returned to Brommapojkarna in December 2019, as promotion-winning managerChrister Mattiasson had left forIK Sirius.[51] In his first season back, the club finished in the relegation play-off place, but defeatedUtsiktens BK 7–0 with all goals scored in the away first leg.[52]
On 26 November 2024, Mellberg was announced as the new head coach ofMajor League Soccer clubSt. Louis City.[53] On his debut in the season opener on 23 February, the team drew 0–0 at home toColorado Rapids.[54]
According to Mellberg's mother, he wished to become a lawyer, but a career in professional football then became viable. In the same 2006 interview, she said that he intended to go to university after retiring, like his scientist brother.[55]
Mellberg's sonJohn (born 2006) also became a professional defender.[56]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Degerfors | 1996 | Allsvenskan | 22 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 0 | ||||
| 1997 | Allsvenskan | 25 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 47 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 0 | ||||||
| AIK | 1998 | Allsvenskan | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| Racing Santander | 1998–99 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 1999–2000 | La Liga | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2000–01 | La Liga | 36 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | |||
| Total | 98 | 0 | 15 | 1 | — | — | 113 | 1 | ||||
| Aston Villa | 2001–02 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | ||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 34 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| Total | 232 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 260 | 8 | ||
| Juventus | 2008–09 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 7[c] | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| Olympiacos | 2009–10 | Super League Greece | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 12[c] | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2010–11 | Super League Greece | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[d] | 0 | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | Super League Greece | 23 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 9 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| Total | 71 | 7 | 8 | 2 | — | 24 | 0 | 103 | 9 | |||
| Villarreal | 2012–13 | Segunda División | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||
| Copenhagen | 2013–14 | Danish Superliga | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[c] | 1 | 29 | 4 | |
| Career total | 543 | 21 | 38 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 636 | 26 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2000 | 10 | 0 |
| 2001 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 117 | 8 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 September 2003 | Silesian Stadium,Chorzów, Poland |  Poland | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2004 qualifier |
| 2 | 3 September 2005 | Råsunda Stadium,Solna, Sweden |  Bulgaria | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 3 | 6 June 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden |  Iceland | 3–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 4 | 17 October 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 5 | 5 September 2009 | Ferenc Puskás Stadium,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 6 | 14 October 2009 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden |  Albania | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 7 | 3–0 | |||||
| 8 | 15 June 2012 | Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex,Kyiv, Ukraine |  England | 2–1 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2012 |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Brommapojkarna |  | 27 November 2015 | 21 November 2017 | 67 | 44 | 14 | 9 | 140 | 58 | +82 | 065.67 | [59] |
| Fremad Amager |  | 1 July 2019 | 3 September 2019 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | +0 | 037.50 | [60] |
| Helsingborg | | 3 September 2019 | 31 December 2020 | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 021.05 | [61] |
| Brommapojkarna | | 1 January 2023 | 26 November 2024 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 029.41 | [62] |
| St. Louis City |  | 26 November 2024 | Present | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 040.00 | |
| Total | 152 | 67 | 34 | 51 | 243 | 188 | +55 | 044.08 | — | |||
AIK
Aston Villa
Olympiacos
Copenhagen
Individual
Brommapojkarna
