Jonatan Johansson (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Jonatan Lillebror Johansson (born 16 August 1975 in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , 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....

) is a retired Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 footballer. He last played for TPS
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

 in Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...

. His main position was a striker and he was a regular in the Finnish national team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

.

Early career

Johansson was born in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , 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....

, and started his career in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 in his hometown club Pargas IF
Pargas Idrottsförening
Pargas Idrottsförening, or PIF for short, is a sports club based in the city of Pargas, Finland. The club has over 1,500 members and is known, especially for handball, football and orienteering. It also makes provision for cross-country skiing, floorball, gymnastics and athletics...

. In 1995 he moved on to the Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...

 club TPS Turku
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

. He went on to score six goals in 32 league appearances in his first season and was chosen to play in the Finland Under-21 team
Finland national under-21 football team
The Finnish national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Finland. The team qualified for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship final tournament in 2009.-UEFA U-21 Championship Record:...

. In 1997 he transferred to FC Flora Tallinn
FC Flora Tallinn
MTÜ JK FC Flora is an Estonian football club that was founded in 1990. FC Flora are a multiple winner of the Meistriliiga title and the Estonian Cup. They have for years been raising the most number of players for the national team, and have also grown players from their successful youth system...

, becoming the first Finnish player to move to an Estonian club. During this time he broke into the senior Finland team - his blond, curly locks earned him the nickname 'Tintti' (Tintin
Tintin (character)
Tintin is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Tintin is the protagonist of the series, a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy....

) with national team supporters.

Rangers

He subsequently made a move to Scotland to join top Scottish club Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

 for £500,000 the same year but found it difficult to get into manager Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...

's side. A change of boss, with Dutchman
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 Dick Advocaat
Dick Advocaat
Dirk Nicolaas "Dick" Advocaat is a Dutch football manager and former player currently the manager of the Russia national football team.He has been moderately successful as a football player and as a coach, which included two stints with the Dutch national football team...

 coming in, gave him more chances and he responded by scoring 17 goals in the 1998/99 season, including eight in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

 and five in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

. He scored seven goals the following term, taking his overall tally to 24 in just 37 starts, plus 38 substitute appearances. In his time at the club he was part of the squad that won the domestic treble and double in Advocaat's first two seasons.

Charlton Athletic

Johansson signed for English Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...

 club Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

 in the summer of 2000 as Alan Curbishley
Alan Curbishley
Llewellyn Charles "Alan" Curbishley is an English football manager and former professional player....

 sought to strengthen his forward-line for the club's return to the Premier League. Charlton paid £3.25 million for the striker with a further £250,000 owed if Johansson made 25 appearances and Charlton avoided relegation. Johansson scored 14 goals in his first season for Charlton even with an injury in the end of the season.
He was never able to repeat this form in later seasons, and subsequently had to settle for role as a squad player.

Loan to Norwich City

Johansson moved to Norwich on loan for the rest of the season in the January 2006 transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...

 wanting more chances for first team football and was officially released by Charlton at the end of the season. He started his tenure at Norwich promisingly, netting against Ipswich
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....

, Derby
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 and Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

.

Malmö

In July 2006 he signed with Swedish club Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...

 for a transfer fee of €1.1 million, where he played alongside fellow Finn Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for HJK. He is the current vice-captain of Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008...

. He proved to be an instant success at the Swedish club. During his first season he scored 11 goals in 14 matches, creating a dangerous offensive line with teammate Júnior
José Júnior
José Luiz Guimarães Sanabio Júnior, or simply Júnior, is a Brazilian football striker playing for Esporte Clube Bahia of the Brazilian Série A.-Biography:...

.

Hibernian

On 13 November 2008, Johansson signed a pre-contract agreement with Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...

 side Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

. He agreed an 18 month contract with Hibs, after his contract with Malmö FF expired at the end of the 2008 summer season in Sweden. Johansson was unable to sign for Hibs until 1 January due to the transfer window
Transfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...

 rules, but he began training with the Hibs squad in December 2008. He made his debut on 3 January 2009 against Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 in the Edinburgh derby
Edinburgh derby
The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any football match played between Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian , the two professional clubs based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The two clubs have a fierce rivalry that dates back to the clubs being founded in the mid-1870s, which...

. Johansson scored his first goal for Hibs seven months after signing at East End Park
East End Park
East End Park is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of 11,380.The stadium plays host to the home matches of Scottish Premier League side, Dunfermline Athletic F.C. It currently comprises four stands: East Stand, Main Stand, SGM Stand and the Norrie...

 against Dunfermline
Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They currently compete in the Scottish Premier League....

 in a 4–0 friendly win, but he was expected to leave Hibernian due to the increased competition for places. His departure was confirmed on 1 September 2009.

St. Johnstone

It only became apparent that Johansson had signed for St. Johnstone on 27 October 2009 when he was named in the starting line-up for their Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...

 quarter-final tie at home to Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...

. He had previously been training with the club to maintain his fitness ahead of Finland's international matches earlier in the month. Johnasson has signed a short term contract which runs until January 2010. Johansson scored a winning goal for St. Johnstone against Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...

 on 21 November 2009, which was his first competitive goal in Scotland for ten years, when he was with Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

. St. Johnstone did not renew his short term contract and Johansson left the club.

Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....

 and an unnamed German club have since made Johansson contract offers, and Johansson has rejected Morton's offer.

Return to TPS

It was announced on 8 February 2010 that Johansson would return to his former
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

 club after spending 14 years abroad He scored his first goal (a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

) for TPS in a Veikkausliga game against VPS Vaasa on 7 May. He also scored twice in the next match, against Inter, in the local derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...

 of Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

. He also won the 2010 Finnish Cup
2010 Finnish Cup
2010 Finnish Cup was the 56th season of the main annual football cup competition in Finland. It was organized as a single-elimination knock–out tournament....

, as TPS won 2–0 against HJK
HJK Helsinki
Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi , internationally known as HJK Helsinki, is a Finnish football club, based in the capital Helsinki...

 in the final. He finished the season with 10 goals, being the clubs second best goalscorer, only two goals behind Roope Riski
Roope Riski
Roope Riski is a Finnish footballer currently playing for TPS Turku, on loan from Italian Serie A club Cesena. He is known as a clinical, well positioned forward who can get into the right place at the right time. In the middle of the 2010 season, Riski was selected to the opening squad for the...

. Johansson announced his retirement from professional football on 23 March 2011.

International career

Johansson made his debut for the Finnish national team
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....

 on 16 March 1996 against Kuwait
Kuwait national football team
The Kuwait National Football Team is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. They made one World Cup Finals appearance, in 1982, managing a draw with Czechoslovakia but losing to England and France. During the match against France, France scored a goal...

, scoring the game's only goal. He is a regular member of the Finland squad and earned his 100th cap in October 2009. As of 30 September 2010, Johansson has made 105 appearances for Finland and has scored 22 times. Only Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish footballer, currently playing for HJK. He is the current vice-captain of Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008...

 has made more appearances and more goals than Johansson.

After scoring the opening goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

, Johansson was the subject of verbal criticism by Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...

, who claimed that:

International goals

As of 30 September 2010.
Finland's score first.

Personal life

Johansson married his longtime girlfriend, former Scottish television presenter Jean Anderson who is from Port Glasgow, in June 2008.

Career statistics

Club record:
Club Season League Cup League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
TPS
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

1995–1996
Total 32 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 38 6
Flora Tallinn 1996–1997
Total 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9
Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

1997-1998 6 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 8 0
1998-1999
1998-99 in Scottish football
The 1998–99 season was the 102nd season of Scottish league football.-Summary:The 1998–99 SPL season was one that ended in success for Rangers. Dutchman Dick Advocaat was brought in to replace Walter Smith at Rangers and made major changes, bringing in many players.Rangers were...

25 8 3 3 2 1 7 5 37 18
1999-2000 16 6 0 0 2 0 8 1 26 7
Total 47 14 5 3 4 1 16 6 71 25
Charlton
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

2000-2001 31 11 0 0 2 3 1 0 34 14
2001-2002 30 5 2 0 2 0 0 0 34 5
2002-2003 31 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 34 3
2003-2004 26 4 1 0 2 0 0 0 29 4
2004-2005 26 4 3 0 2 0 0 0 29 4
2005-2006 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 6 1
Total 148 27 10 3 9 3 1 0 168 33
Norwich 2005-2006 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3
Total 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3
Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...

2006–2008 55 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

2009
2008-09 in Scottish football
The 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the...

9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
Total 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
St Johnstone
2009-2010 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 1
Total 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 1
TPS
Turun Palloseura
Turun Palloseura, TPS for short and nicknamed Tepsi, is a Finnish football club based in Turku. The club was founded in 1922. TPS currently play in the Veikkausliiga, the highest level of Finnish football. They play their home matches at the 9,372 seater Veritas Stadion, Turku.-History:FC TPS Turku...

2010
2010 Veikkausliiga
The 2010 Veikkausliiga was the eightieth season of top-tier football in Finland. It began on 16 April 2010 and ended on 23 October 2010.-Teams:...

19 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 19 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 337 93 23 6 13 4 17 6 371 99

External links

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