Sven Olof Fredrik Söderström (born 30 January 1973 in
LudvikaLudvika is a bimunicipal locality and the seat of Ludvika Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 14,018 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:The conurbation of Ludvika extends over the border of Smedjebacken Municipality, where about 400 inhabitants live....
) is a retired
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
footballer who played as a
midfielderA midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Club career
Söderström started his professional career with lowly
IK BrageIK Brage is a Swedish football club located in Borlänge. The club, formed 1925, has played 18 seasons in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan. The 2010 season will be played in the second highest Swedish league, Superettan...
. In January 1997, he moved to Vitória de Guimarães in
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where his stellar performances attracted the attention of league giants F.C. Porto.
He played 24 matches in his first season, but went on to serve consecutive loans for the remainder of his contract, mainly in that country, as the
northernersPorto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
achieved consecutive
European competitionThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
accolades.
In January 2005, at 32 and having appeared in more than 200 overall games in Portugal, Söderström left for
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he represented
Córdoba CFCórdoba Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Córdoba, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1954, it plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, with a capacity of 18,280 seats....
and
UD LanzaroteUnión Deportiva Lanzarote is a Spanish football team based in Arrecife, in the autonomous community of Canary Islands. Founded in 1970, it plays in Tercera División - Group 12....
, in the country's
secondThe Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
and
third levelsSegunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
. He returned to his country in 2008 after 11 years, signing with
Hammarby IFHammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...
.
Söderström announced his retirement from football on 20 February 2011 at the age of nearly 38, after being released by Hammarby on a free transfer.
International career
Söderström played five games for the
Swedish national teamThe Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
over a period of five years, but never appeared in any major international tournament.
External links