View source for Johan Mjällby

{{Short description|Swedish footballer and manager}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Johan Mjällby
| image = Johan Mjällby 2014-08-27 001.jpg
| caption = Mjällby in 2014
| full_name = Karl Johan Siward Mjällby
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1971|02|09}}
| birth_place = [[Järfälla]], Sweden
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=1}}
| position = [[Centre-back]]
| currentclub = 
| youthyears1 = 1976–1984
| youthclubs1 = [[Bele Barkarby FF|IK Bele]]
| youthyears2 = 1984–1989
| youthclubs2 = [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]]
| years1 = 1989–1998
| clubs1 = [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]]
| caps1 = 135
| goals1 = 8
| years2 = 1998–2004
| clubs2 = [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]
| caps2 = 144
| goals2 = 13
| years3 = 2004–2005
| clubs3 = [[Levante UD|Levante]]
| caps3 = 3
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2006
| clubs4 = [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]]
| caps4 = 1
| goals4 = 0
| totalcaps = 292
| totalgoals = 21
| nationalyears1 = 1990–1991
| nationalteam1 = [[Sweden national under-21 football team|Sweden U21]]
| nationalcaps1 = 7
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1997–2004
| nationalteam2 = [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]]
| nationalcaps2 = 49
| nationalgoals2 = 4
| manageryears1 = 2010–2014
| managerclubs1 = [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2014–2015
| managerclubs2 = [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton]] (assistant)
| manageryears3 = 2016–2017
| managerclubs3 = [[Västerås SK Fotboll|Västerås SK]]
| manageryears4 = 2018
| managerclubs4 = [[Gefle IF]]
| manageryears5 = 2019–2020
| managerclubs5 = [[FC Stockholm Internazionale]]
}}

'''Karl Johan Siward Mjällby''' ({{IPA|sv|ˈjûːan ˈmjɛ̌lːbʏ}}; born 9 February 1971) is a Swedish [[association football|football]] manager and former professional player who played as a [[centre-back]]. He represented [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]], [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], and [[Levante UD|Levante]] during a career that spanned between 1989 and 2006. A full international between 1997 and 2004, he won 49 [[Cap (sport)|caps]] and scored 4 goals for the [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden national team]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100523105902/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=168741/index.html FIFA Player Statistics|Johan MJALLBY] FIFA.com</ref> Mjällby was the team captain during the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]], and also took part in [[Euro 2000|UEFA Euro 2000]] and [[Euro 2004|2004]]. He has been assistant manager of [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] and [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], working alongside former [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] team-mate and manager [[Neil Lennon]].<ref name="celticboss">{{cite news | title = Neil Lennon and Johan Mjallby given chance to stake claim as Mowbray exits Celtic | url = http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/sport/Neil-Lennon-and-Johan-Mjallby.6182833.jp | publisher = [[The Scotsman]] | date = 26 March 2010 | access-date = 26 March 2010}}</ref>

==Playing career==

===Early career===
Early on in Mjällby's sporting career he played both football and tennis and had the choice to turn professional in either. He made the decision to prioritise football and was signed by [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]] in 1984 from [[Bele Barkarby FF|IK Bele]].

===AIK===
Mjällby spent the next fourteen years in [[AIK Fotboll|AIK]] and established himself in the side with solid performances as a no-nonsense tackling midfield player. His performances at club level were noticed and he soon broke through to the [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden national team]]. Although he was a squad member in 1992 when AIK won the league, he refused to accept the gold medal, stating that he felt he had not contributed enough. Therefore, it was a great day when lifelong AIK supporter Mjällby got his silverware in 1998 when he guided the club to a new league victory.

===Celtic===
His solid performances for club and country caught the eye of [[Jozef Venglos]], coach at [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]. In November 1998 Mjällby signed for [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] for a fee of around £1,200,000 and was given 35 as his squad number, which he retained throughout his time at Celtic. Mjällby arrived at the club one year after compatriot and international team mate [[Henrik Larsson]] and they departed the club the same year in 2004. He made his debut for the Scottish side in the famous 5–1 victory over archrivals [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] in the role of central defence. The rest of season 1998–99 saw Mjällby play increasingly in the role of central defence, a role in which he grew to prominence.

The 1999–2000 season saw Venglos move into the role of a scout with [[John Barnes (footballer)|John Barnes]] coming in as head coach and [[Kenny Dalglish]] as director of football. Mjällby again took up his midfield role in Barnes' ill-fated 4–2–2–2 formation. He returned to his by now accustomed defensive role under Dalglish following the departure of Barnes in January 2000. It was under Dalglish that Mjällby won his first honour at Celtic in the [[Scottish League Cup|League Cup]] win over [[Aberdeen F.C.|Aberdeen]].

Season 2000–01 saw [[Martin O'Neill]] replace interim manager [[Kenny Dalglish]]. Mjällby found himself a mainstay on the left hand side of O'Neill's three-man defence alongside [[Joos Valgaeren]], [[Tom Boyd (Scottish footballer)|Tom Boyd]] and/or [[Bobo Baldé]]. He was to pick up a further three medals as Celtic won the Domestic Treble of the [[Scottish Premier League]], [[Scottish League Cup|League Cup]], and [[Scottish Cup]].

It was in 2001–02 that Mjällby experienced his first taste of [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] football in matches against [[FC Porto]], [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] and [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]. Another Scottish Premier League title was added to his growing medal haul.

2002–03 saw Celtic, with Mjällby as prominent figure reach the final of the [[UEFA Cup]]. They lost out to FC Porto 3–2 aet. Celtic also went on to lose the Scottish Premier League and League Cup to [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]].

Season 2003–04 was Mjällby's last at [[Celtic Park]]. After struggling with injury throughout most of the season, he decided to turn down Celtic's offer of a one-year deal.

Throughout his six years at Celtic Park he picked up 3 Scottish Premier League Winner's medals, 2 League Cup Winner's medals, 2 Scottish Cup Winner's medals, 2 Scottish Cup Runners Up medals, 1 League Cup Runners Up medal and 1 UEFA Cup Runners Up medal as well as featuring in the Champions League Competition of seasons, 2001–02 and 2002–03. During his time at Celtic, Mjällby captained the team on several occasions. Mjällby enjoyed a good relationship with the Celtic support in his time at the club and was often referred to as "Dolph" or "Big Dolph" given his perceived resemblance to his countryman, actor [[Dolph Lundgren]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Mjallby,+Johan|publisher=thecelticwiki.com|title=Johan Mjallby|access-date=1 May 2010}}</ref>

===Levante===
Mjällby was signed by newly promoted Spanish [[La Liga]] side [[Levante UD|Levante]], signing a two-year contract.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/3859541.stm |title=Mjallby joins Levante |date=2 July 2004 |access-date=27 December 2020 |work=[[BBC Sport]]}}</ref> However, he did not enjoy the same level of success as he had in Scotland and was forced to retire, having failed to recover from two operations on his knee.<ref>{{cite web |last=Acedo |first=Francisco |url=https://www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11850/2329057/mjallby-retirement-fears-grow |title=Mjallby retirement fears grow |date=9 March 2005 |access-date=27 December 2020 |work=[[Sky Sports]]}}</ref>

===Return to AIK and retirement===
Following his retirement Mjällby returned home to Sweden. After almost a year out of the game he made comeback and signed once again for his boyhood favourites AIK.

However, on 16 May 2006 he was forced to retire from professional football due to his injury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/sport/story/0,2789,826590,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827170109/http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/sport/story/0,2789,826590,00.html|url-status=dead|title=Johan Mjällby lägger av|archive-date=27 August 2006}}</ref>

==International career==

=== Early career ===
Mjällby made seven appearances for the [[Sweden national under-21 football team|Sweden U21]] team before making his senior debut for [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] on 12 March 1997 in a [[Exhibition game|friendly game]] against [[Israel national football team|Israel]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Johan Mjällby - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll|url=https://www.svenskfotboll.se/spelarfakta/johan-mjallby/b1ce5edd-71e2-4b18-856d-836d93230d87|access-date=3 August 2020|website=www.svenskfotboll.se.|language=sv}}</ref> He made his competitive debut for Sweden in a [[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying|UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier]] against [[England national football team|England]], in which he also scored his first international goal.<ref name=":0" />

=== UEFA Euro 2000 ===
At [[UEFA Euro 2000]], Mjällby scored for [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] in the opening match against [[Belgium national football team|Belgium]], taking the ball after an error by Belgian goalkeeper [[Filip De Wilde]]. Although reducing Belgium's 2–0 lead from [[Bart Goor]] and [[Emile Mpenza]] to 2–1, [[Swedish National Football Team|Sweden]] failed to score an equalising goal and lost the game.

=== 2002 FIFA World Cup ===
Mjällby captained Sweden at the [[2002 FIFA World Cup]] after fellow defender [[Patrik Andersson]] had to withdraw because of injury. Mjällby formed a solid partnership with [[Andreas Jakobsson]] when Sweden won [[2002 FIFA World Cup Group F|Group F]] ahead of England, [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]], and [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]], before being eliminated by [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]] in the [[2002 FIFA World Cup knockout stage|second round]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mjällby: Jag såg inte fram mot VM|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/wEO2E5|access-date=3 August 2020|website=Aftonbladet|date=20 July 2002 |language=sv}}</ref>

=== UEFA Euro 2004 and retirement ===
Two years later Mjällby was in the squad for [[UEFA Euro 2004]] but did not make any appearances. He made his last international appearance on 9 October 2004 in a [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification|2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier]] against [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]].<ref name=":0" /> In total Mjällby won a total of 49 [[cap (sport)|caps]], scoring 4 goals.<ref name=":0" />

==Coaching career==
On 25 March 2010, it was announced that Mjällby would assume the role of assistant manager at [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic Football Club]], alongside temporary boss, and former team-mate, [[Neil Lennon]].<ref name="celticboss" /> The appointment of Lennon and Mjällby was made after the sacking of [[Tony Mowbray]] as Celtic manager after a poor 2009–10 season for the club, culminating in a 4–0 defeat against [[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]].<ref>{{cite news|date=24 March 2010|title=St Mirren 4–0 Celtic|publisher=BBC Sport|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8583337.stm|access-date=26 March 2010}}</ref>

When asked about the appointment by reporters, Mjällby stated, "Neil is like myself. He has a will-to-win and that is what we are both looking to instill in the current Celtic team. We want our players to go out on the park, and on the training pitch, and to wear that Celtic jersey with pride."<ref>
[http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/165268/We-can-become-head-bhoys-says-Mjallby WE CAN BECOME HEAD BHOYS SAYS MJALLBY] Daily Express, 26 March 2010</ref> On 1 July 2010, Mjällby was confirmed as Neil Lennon's assistant manager at Celtic.<ref>{{cite news|date=1 July 2010|title=Celtic appoint Johan Mjallby and Garry Parker|work=[[BBC Sport]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8780796.stm|access-date=5 July 2010}}</ref>

On 22 April 2014, it was announced that Mjällby would leave Celtic at the end of the season to look for new challenges in football.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 April 2014|title=Celtic: Johan Mjallby to leave assistant manager's post|work=[[BBC Sport]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/27119507|access-date=22 April 2014}}</ref>

On 12 October 2014, he was appointed as the Assistant Manager at [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] linking up again with his former Celtic colleagues Neil Lennon and Garry Parker.<ref>[http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/neil-lennon-appointed-bolton-wanderers-manager-12.10.14-2011942.aspx Neil Lennon appointed Bolton Wanderers manager] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018184023/http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/neil-lennon-appointed-bolton-wanderers-manager-12.10.14-2011942.aspx |date=18 October 2014 }} Bolton Wanderers FC, 12 October 2014</ref> In September 2015, he stepped down from his role at Bolton citing personal reasons and was replaced by [[Steve Walford]].<ref>{{cite web|date=18 September 2015|title=Steve Walford appointed Bolton Wanderers assistant manager|url=http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/steve-walford-appointed-bolton-wanderers-assistant-manager-2695780.aspx|access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref>

In February 2016, Mjällby became head coach of Swedish [[Division 1 (Swedish football)|Division 1]] team [[Västerås SK Fotboll|Västerås SK]].<ref>{{cite web|date=5 February 2016|title=Officiellt: Johan Mjällby blir manager i Västerås SK|url=http://fotbolltransfers.com/site/news/60122|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>

== Career statistics ==

=== Club ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition<ref>{{Cite web|title=500 AIK:are - Johan Mjällby|url=https://www.aik.se/sektioner/fotboll/historik/500aikare/johamjal.html|access-date=3 August 2020|website=www.aik.se}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}
! rowspan="2" |Club
! rowspan="2" |Season
! colspan="3" |League
! colspan="2" |National cup
! colspan="2" |League cup
! colspan="2" |Europe
! colspan="2" |Other
! colspan="2" |Total
|-
!Division
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
!Apps
!Goals
|-
| rowspan="11" |[[AIK Fotboll|AIK]]
|[[1989 Allsvenskan|1989]]
|[[Allsvenskan]]
|1
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|1
|0
|-
|[[1990 Allsvenskan|1990]]
|Allsvenskan
|14
|0
|2
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|16
|0
|-
|[[1991 Allsvenskan|1991]]
|Allsvenskan
|16
|0
|5
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|10{{efn|Appearances in [[Mästerskapsserien]]}}
|0
|31
|0
|-
|[[1992 Allsvenskan|1992]]
|Allsvenskan
|0
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|-
|[[1993 Allsvenskan|1993]]
|Allsvenskan
|7
|0
|2
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|2
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|11
|0
|-
|[[1994 Allsvenskan|1994]]
|Allsvenskan
|23
|0
|1
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|6
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|30
|0
|-
|[[1995 Allsvenskan|1995]]
|Allsvenskan
|19
|0
|4
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|23
|0
|-
|[[1996 Allsvenskan|1996]]
|Allsvenskan
|23
|5
|4
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|3
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|30
|5
|-
|[[1997 Allsvenskan|1997]]
|Allsvenskan
|7
|1
|3
|1
| colspan="2" |–
|4
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|14
|2
|-
|[[1998 Allsvenskan|1998]]
|Allsvenskan
|24
|2
|5
|1
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|29
|3
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
!134
!8
!26
!2
! colspan="2" |–
!15
!0
!10
!0
!185
!10
|-
| rowspan="7" |[[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]
|[[1998–99 Scottish Premier League|1998–99]]
|[[Scottish Premier League]]
|17
|1
|
|
|
|
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|17
|1
|-
|[[1999–2000 Scottish Premier League|1999–2000]]
|Scottish Premier League
|29
|2
|
|
|
|
|2
|1
| colspan="2" |–
|31
|3
|-
|[[2000–01 Scottish Premier League|2000–01]]
|Scottish Premier League
|35
|4
|
|
|
|
|6
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|41
|4
|-
|[[2001–02 Scottish Premier League|2001–02]]
|Scottish Premier League
|35
|3
|
|
|
|
|10
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|45
|3
|-
|[[2002–03 Scottish Premier League|2002–03]]
|Scottish Premier League
|14
|3
|
|
|
|
|7
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|21
|3
|-
|[[2003–04 Scottish Premier League|2003–04]]
|Scottish Premier League
|13
|0
|
|
|
|
|3
|0
| colspan="2" |–
|16
|0
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
!143
!13
!
!
!
!
!28
!1
! colspan="2" |–
!171
!14
|-
|[[Levante UD|Levante]]
|[[2004–05 La Liga|2004–05]]
|[[La Liga]]
|3
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|3
|0
|-
|AIK
|[[2006 Allsvenskan|2006]]
|Allsvenskan
|1
|0
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
| colspan="2" |–
|1
|0
|-
! colspan="3" |Career total
!281
!21
!26
!2
!
!
!43
!1
!10
!0
!360
!24
|}

{{notelist}}

=== International ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name=":0" />
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="8"|[[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]]
|1997
|1
|0
|-
|1998
|7
|1
|-
|1999
|7
|1
|-
|2000
|11
|2
|-
|2001
|5
|0
|-
|2002
|10
|0
|-
|2003
|3
|0
|-
|2004
|5
|0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!49
!4
|}

:''Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mjällby goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Johan Mjällby
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
|style="text-align:center"|1
|5 September 1998
|[[Råsunda Stadium]], [[Solna Municipality|Solna]], Sweden
|{{fb|England}}
|style="text-align:center"|2–1
|style="text-align:center"|2–1
|[[UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying|UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier]]
|-
|style="text-align:center"|2
|27 March 1999
|[[Ullevi]], [[Gothenburg]], Sweden
|{{fb|Luxembourg}}
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|style="text-align:center"|2–0
|UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier
|-
|style="text-align:center"|3
|10 June 2000
|[[King Baudouin Stadium]], [[Brussels]], Belgium
|{{fb|Belgium}}
|style="text-align:center"|1–2
|style="text-align:center"|1–2
|[[UEFA Euro 2000]]
|-
|style="text-align:center"|4
|16 August 2000
|[[Laugardalsvöllur]], [[Reykjavík|Reykjavik]], Iceland
|{{fb|Iceland}}
|style="text-align:center"|1–0
|style="text-align:center"|1–2
|[[2000–01 Nordic Football Championship]]
|}

==Honours==
'''AIK'''
*[[Allsvenskan]]: [[Allsvenskan 1992|1992]], [[Allsvenskan 1998|1998]]
*[[Svenska Cupen]]: [[1995–96 Svenska Cupen|1995–96]], [[1996–97 Svenska Cupen|1996–97]]

'''Celtic'''
*[[Scottish Premier League]]: [[2000–01 Scottish Premier League|2000–01]], [[2001–02 Scottish Premier League|2001–02]], [[2003–04 Scottish Premier League|2003–04]]
*[[Scottish League Cup]]: [[1999–2000 Scottish League Cup|1999–2000]], [[2000–01 Scottish League Cup|2000–01]]
*[[Scottish Cup]]: [[2000–01 Scottish Cup|2000–01]], [[2003–04 Scottish Cup|2003–04]]
*[[UEFA Cup]] runner-up: [[UEFA Cup 2002-03|2002–03]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{navboxes
|title=Sweden squads
|bg=#FFF01C
|fg=#005B99
|bordercolor=#005B99
|list1=
{{Sweden UEFA Euro 2000 squad}}
{{Sweden Squad 2002 World Cup}}
{{Sweden Squad 2004 Euro}}
}}
{{Gefle IF managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mjallby, Johan}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Stockholm]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Swedish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Sweden men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Celtic F.C. players]]
[[Category:AIK Fotboll players]]
[[Category:Levante UD footballers]]
[[Category:Scottish Premier League players]]
[[Category:Allsvenskan players]]
[[Category:La Liga players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2000 players]]
[[Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Spain]]
[[Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Spain]]
[[Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in England]]
[[Category:Swedish expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Celtic F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland]]
[[Category:Expatriate association football managers]]
[[Category:Swedish football managers]]
[[Category:Gefle IF managers]]
[[Category:Västerås SK Fotboll managers]]