Nils-Eric Claes Johansson (born 13 January 1980) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in Stockholm, Johansson signed with FC Bayern Munich in 1997. He then went on to represent 1. FC Nürnberg, Blackburn Rovers, and Leicester City before returning to his native Sweden and the club AIK in 2007. He made 371 appearances for AIK until his retirement from football in 2018 due to a heart condition. He won three caps for the Sweden national team in 2002.

Nils-Eric Johansson
Johansson with AIK in 2013
Personal information
Full name Nils-Eric Claes Johansson
Date of birth (1980-01-13) 13 January 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
0000–1994 IFK Viksjö
1995–1996 IF Brommapojkarna
1997 AIK
1997–1998 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2000 Bayern Munich II 54 (1)
1999–2000 Bayern Munich 2 (0)
2000–2001 1. FC Nürnberg 40 (2)
2001–2005 Blackburn Rovers 86 (0)
2005–2007 Leicester City 75 (1)
2007–2018 AIK 297 (16)
Total 554 (20)
International career
1995–1997 Sweden U17 28 (2)
1997–1999 Sweden U19 25 (6)
1999–2001 Sweden U21 21 (1)
2002 Sweden 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early career

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Initially on the books at IFK Viksjö, IF Brommapojkarna, AIK, and Bayern Munich, he moved to 1. FC Nürnberg in August 2000, before several clubs across Europe, including Blackburn Rovers, claimed special interest in the player.[1]

Blackburn Rovers

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He moved to Blackburn in October 2001 for a fee of £2,700,000, signing a four-year contract.[2] He made his debut in a 4–1 loss against Liverpool. His next match was a 7–1 victory against West Ham United. He made his 75th appearance for Blackburn during the 2003–04 season. However, following Mark Hughes' arrival as Blackburn manager, he found first team chances few and far between. In his time at Blackburn he started in the 2002 Football League Cup Final in which they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2–1. He scored twice during his spell at Blackburn: once against Manchester City in the League Cup[3] and once against Barnsley in the FA Cup.[4]

Leicester City

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He was released by Blackburn at the end of the 2004–05 season and joined Leicester City on a free transfer at the start of the 2005–06 season. His first goal for Leicester came in a 1–0 win against Cardiff in the League Cup.[5] Johansson's only league goal was a last minute winner against Preston in the 2006–07 season, which all but guaranteed Leicester's survival in the Championship.[6]

He was released by Leicester in May 2007 and shortly afterwards he signed for Swedish outfit AIK, where he was eligible from 1 July.[7] In 2009, he helped the team win Allsvenskan for the first time in 11 years.[1]

On 18 February 2018, it was announced that he would retire, effective immediately, due to a heart condition.[8] He played a total of 371 competitive games for the club.[9]

International career

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After having appeared for more than 70 times for the Sweden U17, U19, and U21 teams, Johansson made his full international debut for Sweden on 21 August 2002 in a friendly game against Russia in which he replaced Johan Mjällby in the 66th minute.[10][11] Later that year, he made two more appearances in friendly games against Portugal and the Czech Republic.[10]

After more than a ten-year absence from the national team, he was called up as a replacement for Oscar Wendt for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Austria and the Faroe Islands, but did not play.[10][12]

In total, Johansson won three caps for the Sweden.[10]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[13][14]
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bayern Munich 1998–99 Bundesliga 2 0 0 0 2 0
1999–2000 Bundesliga 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Total 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
Bayern Munich II 1998–99 Regionalliga Süd 27 0 0 0 27 0
1999–2000 Regionalliga Süd 26 1 0 0 26 1
Total 53 1 0 0 53 1
1. FC Nürnberg 2000–01 2. Bundesliga 32 2 0 0 32 2
2001–02 Bundesliga 8 0 0 0 8 0
Total 40 2 0 0 40 2
Blackburn Rovers 2001–02 Premier League 20 0 8 2 28 2
2002–03 Premier League 30 0 5 0 4 0 39 0
2003–04 Premier League 14 0 1 0 15 0
2004–05 Premier League 22 0 5 0 27 0
Total 86 0 19 2 4 0 109 3
Leicester City 2005–06 Championship 39 0 4 0 43 0
2006–07 Championship 36 1 2 0 38 1
Total 75 1 6 0 81 1
AIK 2007 Allsvenskan 15 0 5 0 20 0
2008 Allsvenskan 28 1 0 0 28 1
2009 Allsvenskan 29 3 5 1 34 4
2010 Allsvenskan 26 0 4 1 6 0 36 1
2011 Allsvenskan 28 2 1 0 29 2
2012 Allsvenskan 30 0 2 0 12 0 44 0
2013 Allsvenskan 29 3 3 0 32 0
2014 Allsvenskan 27 2 1 0 4 0 32 2
2015 Allsvenskan 29 3 4 1 6 0 39 4
2016 Allsvenskan 28 0 5 0 5 1 38 1
2017 Allsvenskan 28 2 4 0 5 1 37 3
2018 Allsvenskan
Total 297 16 34 3 38 2 369 21
Career total 553 20 59 5 43 2 655 27

Honours

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Bayern Munich

1. FC Nürnberg

Blackburn Rovers

AIK

References

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  1. ^ a b "En legendarisk karriär i bilder: Nils-Eric Johansson 1997-2018". Fotboll Sthlm (in Swedish). 12 November 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Rovers sign Swede". 5 October 2001. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Rovers beat 10-man City". BBC. 28 November 2001. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Blackburn dispatch Barnsley". BBC. 15 January 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  5. ^ "Cardiff 0–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. 26 October 2005. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
  6. ^ "Preston 0–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
  7. ^ "NILS-ERIC JOHANSSON KLAR FÖR AIK". News Powered by Cision (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  8. ^ Kurt, Nemrud (18 February 2018). "Nils-Eric Johansson slutar på grund av hjärtproblem". Sveriges Television (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Nils-Eric Johansson avslutar sin spelarkarriär". AIK Fotboll (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "Nils-Eric Johansson - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Ryssland - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  12. ^ ""Man tror att det är ett hyss"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Nils-Eric Johansson » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  14. ^ "N. Johansson". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  15. ^ "Cole strike stuns Spurs". BBC Sport. 24 February 2002. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
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