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Swedish footballer (born 1997)

Simon Olsson
Olsson with Heerenveen in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-09-14) 14 September 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Linköping, Sweden
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team Heerenveen
Number 19
Youth career
0000 IK Östria Lambohov
2009–2012 Karle IF
2013 AFK Linköping
2014–2015 IF Elfsborg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013 AFK Linköping 10 (0)
2016–2022 IF Elfsborg 140 (13)
2022– Heerenveen 81 (3)
International career
2014 Sweden U17 2 (0)
2014–2016 Sweden U19 4 (1)
2024– Sweden 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:40, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:52, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Simon Olsson (born 14 September 1997) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club Heerenveen and the Sweden national team.

Olsson started his senior career with local fifth tier side AFK Linköping in 2013, before moving to the youth system of IF Elfsborg in 2014. He made his debut for Elfsborg's senior team in 2016, but his breakthrough came the following season in 2017. After making 170 appearances and scoring 13 times for Elfsborg across 6 years, he would leave for Eredivisie team Heerenveen in 2022.

Olsson represented numerous Swedish national teams at youth level, and made his senior debut in a friendly in 2024.

Club career

Early career

Born in Linköping, Olsson started with local team IK Östria Lambohov. He then moved to Karle IF, where he met fellow footballer Mohanad Jeahze. After Karle IF, he joined AFK Linköping in the fifth division, which was a newly formed merger club consisting of his former team IK Östria Lambohov and BK Kenty. He attracted interest from many Swedish teams, and trained with the likes of Jönköpings Södra and AIK, but chose to move to Allsvenskan team IF Elfsborg's youth team in 2014.

Elfsborg

Youth

While playing for Elfsborg's youth team, Olsson attended the Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet and was accommodated at the Gula Kulan student dormitory. He won the 2014 U17 SM with Elfsborg, winning 3–0 in the final against IF Brommapojkarna on 25 October 2014. The team also made good progress in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League, but ultimately lost in the Round of 16 against Real Madrid. He would get an apprenticeship in early 2016.

2016–17: Breakthrough

"Simon did very well. He has a fantastic sense of the game. This means that he rarely finds himself short of time. I am very pleased with how he performed. He showed that he is a true Elfsborg player and a player for the future."

Elfsborg manager Magnus Haglund following Olsson's debut against Falkenbergs FF.

Following his successful stint in the youth team, Olsson made his senior debut in a cup match against IK Gauthiod that finished in a 7–0 victory for Elfsborg, coming on for Simon Lundevall. His Allsvenskan debut came on 18 September 2016, starting in a 5–0 victory against Falkenbergs FF. After two more starts in the Allsvenskan he would be promoted permanently to the senior team on 30 September and given a first team contract.

Olsson would establish his starting place the following season, and signed a 4-year contract extension in April 2017. His first goal of his career came on 2 June in a 2–0 win over Häcken. His performance in a 3–0 victory on 17 July over Hammarby drew praise from teammate Samuel Holmén. Olsson was praised for his calmness and tenacity for his age, and was described as one of Elfsborg's most talented players. He started 25 matches and got 2 goal contributions that season, only missing 5 matches due to a thigh injury that also force him to withdraw from the national team. Olsson would also win the Elfsborg Breakthrough of the Year.

2018–2022

On January 2018, Elfsborg received a bid from an Italian team for Olsson which was ultimately rejected. Olsson missed the first match of 2018, a cup match against GAIS, due to an illness. He played his first match of the season on 8 April 2018, in a 1–0 loss against Kalmar. He was suspended for a match for amassing too many yellow cards over the season on 6 October, in a 4–2 defeat against Sirius.

Olsson played the full 90 minutes in Elfsborg's 2019 opening match, on 17 February, in a 5–1 cup victory against Hässleholms. He would play Elfsborg's first league match on 1 April in a 1–1 draw against Hammarby. He scored his first goal of the season and the second of his career on 8 July 2019 in a 1–1 draw against Helsingborg, described as a "dream goal".

After a preseason which included a tour in the USA, Olsson started the first match of 2020, a 3–0 victory against Brage in the cup on 22 February. However, the Allsvenkan Västderby season opener against Göteborg was postponed to 14 June due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Olsson would start the match which finished 1–0 to Elfsborg. He scored his first goal of the season 13 August, in a 4–2 win over Falkenbergs. Olsson scored again on 1 November in a 2–1 win against Norrköping, which moved Elfsborg up to second. Elfsborg would secure European places after a 1–1 draw against Sirius on 29 November. Olsson scored in a 2–2 draw against AIK on the last matchday on 6 December, securing second place in the league for Elfsborg. Olsson was recognized as one of the best players for Elfsborg in the 2020 season, and won Elfsborg Player of the Year.

Due to his contract expiring in 2021, Olsson began to attract interest from numerous clubs. However, on 12 March, Olsson decided to stay with Elfsborg, extending his contract with the club until 2025. He got a heel fissure in May and would not play again until August. He made his return on 8 August, in a 3–0 win over Degerfors. On 19 August, he made his European debut in a 5–0 defeat to Feyenoord in the Conference League qualifiers. His first start after the injury came on 26 August, in the second leg against Feyenoord which would finish 3–1 to Elfsborg. Elfsborg would finish 4th in the 2021 season, once again qualifying them for Europe.

Olsson started the 2022 season with a cup match on 19 February against GIF Sundsvall, which finished 3–2 to Elfsborg. He also started the Allsvenskan premiere on 4 April, which ended in a 2–0 defeat to Mjällby AIF. On 11 April, Olsson drew the first away match 1–1 against Malmö, which Olsson scored the equalizer in, opening his tally for the season. In the Conference League qualifiers, Elfsborg would be drawn against Norwegian Molde. Olsson started the first leg on 21 July, which Elfsborg would lose 4–1. Olsson would also start the second leg on 29 July, which finished 2–1 to Molde, eliminating the team from the Conference League. In the summer of 2022, interest from abroad began to materialize for Olsson. These included Norwegian Rosenborg BK and Dutch sides SC Heerenveen and FC Utrecht. He would choose Heerenveen, one factor being the presence of his former teammates Rami Kaib and Ibrahim Drešević. By the time of his departure, Olsson had made 170 appearances and scored 13 times for Elfsborg in all competitions across his 6 seasons for the club.

Heerenveen

On 2 August 2022, it was announced that Olsson had signed a four-year deal with Heerenveen, and was given the number 19. The transfer fee was reported to be around 1.3 million euro. He made his debut on 5 August in a 0–0 draw against Sparta Rotterdam, coming on for Thom Haye. He started his first match on 10 September, in a 5–0 defeat against Ajax. He made his KNVB Cup debut on 18 October, in a 4–2 win against HSV Hoek. In his first season with Heerenveen, Olsson commonly played down the flank, which he was unhappy with. The club had qualified for European playoffs, and the first leg against FC Twente was to take place on 1 June 2023. Olsson would start the match but it ended 2–1 to Twente. Olsson was subbed on at the second half for the second leg, which ended in a 4–0 defeat. In his first season, he made 33 league appearances with 27 starts.

"I have clearly stated what I expect from Simon in the 'six' or the 'eight', I just expect more from him. And from that point of view I think Espen delivers more. For me, it is important that, as a midfielder, you make clear decisions in possession and are important for the team. And that you hold your own defensively, Simon still needs to make progress in that area."

Heerenveen manager Robin van Persie on Olsson's lack of playtime.

Olsson's first goal for Heerenveen came the following season on 16 September 2023, in a 6–1 defeat to Feyenoord. He played more matches in his preferred midfield position in the 2023–24 season. Olsson helped Heerenveen to their first league win of the season on 31 August 2024, contributing with a goal and an assist in a 4–0 win against NAC Breda. However, with the appointment of Robin van Persie as Heerenveen manager in May 2024, Olsson's starting place was under doubt. He was therefore linked with a return to Sweden, with Allsvenskan sides Djurgårdens and former team Elfsborg each submitting bids for Olsson for the following 2024–25 winter transfer window.

International career

Olsson made his national team debut for the Sweden U17 on 22 April 2014, in a 3–1 win over Belgium. After making another appearance, in a 2–1 win against Belgium again, he was called to a Sweden U19 camp in Bosön in June. He scored his first international goal with the U19 on 18 September, in a 1–1 draw against Slovakia. He was called up to the Sweden U21 in 2017 but had to withdraw and miss the upcoming U21 European Championship qualifiers.

Following the passing of his father, Leif Johansson, Olsson received the news that he would be selected for the senior Sweden national team to play in upcoming friendlies. He made his debut for the national team on 21 March 2024 in a friendly against Portugal, which would finish 5–2 to Portugal. His first start came in another friendly on 25 March, in a 1–0 win against Albania.

Style of play

Technical manager of Heerenveen Ferry de Haan said of Olsson, "He is a technically skilled, dynamic, and creative midfielder with good stamina, enabling him to regularly appear in the opponent's penalty area." Olsson has said he prefers to play at 10, but can also play at 6 or 8.

Career statistics

Club

As of matches played 2 January 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
AFK Linköping 2012 Division 3 Nordöstra Götaland 10 0 0 0 — — 10 0
IF Elfsborg 2016 Allsvenskan 4 0 1 0 — — 5 0
2017 Allsvenskan 25 1 5 0 — — 30 1
2018 Allsvenskan 22 0 2 0 — — 24 0
2019 Allsvenskan 26 2 3 0 — — 29 2
2020 Allsvenskan 29 4 6 0 — — 35 4
2021 Allsvenskan 19 2 3 0 3 0 — 25 2
2022 Allsvenskan 15 4 5 0 2 0 — 22 4
Total 140 13 25 0 5 0 – 170 13
Heerenveen 2022–23 Eredivisie 33 0 4 0 – 2 0 39 0
2023–24 Eredivisie 34 2 2 0 – – 36 2
2024–25 Eredivisie 12 1 2 0 – – 14 1
Total 79 3 8 0 – 2 0 89 3
Career total 229 16 33 0 5 0 2 0 269 16
  1. Includes Svenska Cupen, KNVB Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. Appearances in Eredivisie European play-offs

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 2024 3 0
Total 3 0

References

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External links

SC Heerenveen – current squad
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