SWEDEN

Nicknamed “The Iceman” for his composure on the pitch - a sobriquet he earned during his years at Old Trafford. Despite several challenging seasons, Lindelöf is as high as 56th on the all-time appearance list for Manchester United with 284 games, not bad for the boy from Västerås. Played as a right-back when Sweden became Under-21 European champions in 2015 – a tournament he wasn’t even supposed to play in. Lindelöf was not in the original squad but was called up as a late replacement for the injured Emil Krafth. A year later, he was a starter for the national team and Benfica. “It happened quickly, but I want to play at the highest level,” he says. Praised for his positive attitude by José Mourinho, among others, but he has had a fractious relationship with the Swedish media.

The Tottenham midfielder was seen as a super talent from a very young age. Throughout his upbringing, clips were often shared of him dominating games and when his Brommapojkarna youth team won the Gothia Cup, they were regarded as one of the best sides in Europe at that age group. “It was around 2019 [when Bergvall was 13] that people started noticing me and my team. Our BP team, with players born in 2006, won pretty much everything. We were often dominant.” Bergvall simply had to get used to the attention. Barcelona came close to signing him from Djurgården but it was Tottenham who won the race. “I think they [Barcelona] were extremely disappointed that he chose Tottenham,” says the Djurgården sporting director, Bosse Andersson. After a sensational 2024-25 season for Spurs, this campaign was interrupted by a knee operation but he returned to make a crucial substitute appearance for Sweden in the World Cup play-off against Poland in March.

“It was magical, they sang for me.” On 21 September 2016, Alexander Isak turned 17 and became a derby hero. He scored two goals against fierce rivals Djurgården (in a 3-0 win) and was serenaded with a birthday song by the supporters. A super talent who has gone from strength to strength and last year became the most expensive player in Premier League history. Despite being at the top, is described as a calm and humble person who hasn’t forgotten his roots. Thania Guanoluisa, his Spanish teacher in school, received a call from him when he was playing for Real Sociedad: “Alexander said: ‘Thania, it was you who gave me the foundations in Spanish.’ I was so happy that he remembered and appreciated it.” Enraged Newcastle fans after going on strike to force a move to Liverpool and his first campaign at Anfield has been one to forget because of injuries. Remains a key player for Sweden regardless.

The Arsenal forward with the characteristic goal celebration has given the Batman villain Bane a revival and is currently Sweden’s brightest star. When he fired Sweden to the World Cup, fans celebrated by singing his name and mimicking his goal celebration. “It’s hard to put into words exactly how you feel right now. It’s extremely nice and a relief,” he said after scoring to eliminate Poland in the play-off final. The star has had a winding road to the top, with limited minutes at Brighton, loan spells, and eventually a successful period at Sporting before earning a dream move to Arsenal. Improved gradually after his £64m move to north London after enduring some heavy criticism during the first part of the 2025-26 season.

Ayari had his breakthrough year for Sweden last season, having impressed at Brighton under Fabian Hürzeler. But it could all have been very different with Tunisia competing for his services. Ayari had no doubts, though. “I was born in Sweden and feel Swedish, and Sweden is the country I want to represent,” he says. The technically gifted all-rounder, who has been linked with a move away from Brighton, says he would one day like to play for Pep Guardiola. “I love him. My dream is to play in his team. That would be absolutely fantastic,” he says. Ayari is a close friend of Dejan Kulusevski and is in a relationship with the Spurs winger’s sister, Sandra.