Viktor_Claesson
Viktor Claesson
Swedish footballer
Viktor Johan Anton Claesson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈvɪ̌kːtɔr ˈklɑ̌ːsɔn]; born 2 January 1992) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for the Danish Superliga club Copenhagen and the Sweden national team. He is known for his passing and set piece abilities.[2][3]
|
Claesson playing for Sweden in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Viktor Johan Anton Claesson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1992-01-02) 2 January 1992 (age 32) | ||
| Place of birth | Värnamo, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Copenhagen | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 0000–2008 | IFK Värnamo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2011 | IFK Värnamo | 71 | (29) |
| 2012–2016 | IF Elfsborg | 134 | (32) |
| 2017–2022 | Krasnodar | 114 | (32) |
| 2022– | Copenhagen | 59 | (18) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008 | Sweden U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Sweden U19 | 9 | (3) |
| 2011–2015 | Sweden U21 | 20 | (1) |
| 2012– | Sweden | 74 | (15) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:49, 20 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Early career
Claesson started his career with local club IFK Värnamo. After progressing through the youth ranks, he made his senior debut in 2009 in a Division 1 Södra match. After a breakthrough campaign during the 2011 Superettan season, Claesson join IF Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football.
Krasnodar
On 25 January 2017, Claesson signed a 3.5-year contract with Russian Premier League team FC Krasnodar.[4] He scored on his debut on 16 February 2017 in a 1–0 Europa League Round of 32 win against Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe, scoring a header on his first touch in any competitive Krasnodar game in the 4th minute. He was selected by UEFA as "Man of the Match".[5] He continued his form with two goals in a Russian Cup game against FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast on 28 February 2017[6] and a goal against Celta de Vigo in the first leg of Europa League Round of 16 on 9 March 2017.[7]
Claesson missed all of the 2019–20 season with a serious knee injury.[8]
2020–21 season
Out of action for over 14 months, Claesson returned from injury on 18 August 2020, playing the last 15 minutes of Krasnodar's 2–0 home win over Arsenal Tula in the Russian Premier League.[8] On 18 September, he scored his first two goals since his return from injury in a 7–2 thrashing of Khimki.[9] Four days later, Claesson scored from the penalty spot in the club's first-leg play-off round match against PAOK for qualification to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[10] Krasnodar would win the second leg against PAOK by the same scoreline and secure progression to the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.[11]
2021–22 season
On 3 March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Krasnodar announced that his contract was suspended and he would not train with the team, but the contract was not terminated and remained valid.[12] On 5 March 2022, his contract was terminated and he was released from the club.[13]
Copenhagen
On 30 March 2022, Claesson signed with Copenhagen in Denmark until the end of the season.[14] On 3 April, he scored the winning goal in his debut match for the club after coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute.
On 16 June 2022, Claesson signed an extension with Copenhagen until 2026.[15]
In May 2018, Claesson was named in Sweden’s 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[16] He was one of Sweden's main men for the duration of the tournament, in which the Blågult reached the quarterfinals.
In a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Spain on 10 June 2019, Claesson suffered a serious knee injury, rupturing the cruciate knee ligaments, after a clash with Jordi Alba.[8]
He was named in Sweden's UEFA Euro 2020 squad, and appeared in all four games as Sweden was eliminated in the round of 16 by Ukraine.[17] He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win against Poland in the group stage.[17]
Club
- As of match played 14 April 2024[18]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| IFK Värnamo | 2009 | Division 1 Södra | 16 | 5 | – | – | – | 16 | 5 | |||
| 2010 | Division 1 Södra | 25 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 28 | 11 | ||
| 2011 | Superettan | 29 | 13 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 13 | |||
| Total | 70 | 29 | 2 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | 74 | 29 | |||
| IF Elfsborg | 2012 | Allsvenskan | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | – | 33 | 7 | |
| 2013 | Allsvenskan | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8[lower-alpha 3] | 3 | – | 34 | 6 | ||
| 2014 | Allsvenskan | 26 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | – | 39 | 7 | ||
| 2015 | Allsvenskan | 29 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 6[lower-alpha 2] | 1 | – | 40 | 15 | ||
| 2016 | Allsvenskan | 29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 32 | 10 | |||
| Total | 134 | 32 | 18 | 7 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 45 | ||
| Krasnodar | 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | – | 18 | 5 | |
| 2017–18 | Russian Premier League | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | – | 34 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19 | Russian Premier League | 29 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 9[lower-alpha 2] | 2 | – | 42 | 15 | ||
| 2019–20 | Russian Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8[lower-alpha 4] | 2 | – | 33 | 8 | ||
| 2021–22 | Russian Premier League | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 3 | |||
| Total | 114 | 32 | 8 | 3 | 25 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 43 | ||
| Copenhagen | 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 10 | 1 | – | – | – | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | Danish Superliga | 30 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 8[lower-alpha 5] | 1 | – | 45 | 17 | ||
| 2023–24 | Danish Superliga | 19 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 11[lower-alpha 5] | 2 | – | 34 | 6 | ||
| Total | 59 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 3 | – | 89 | 24 | |||
| Career total | 377 | 111 | 39 | 13 | 70 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 488 | 141 | ||
- Includes Svenska Cupen, Russian Cup, Danish Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Two appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 19 November 2023[19]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2012 | 2 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 74 | 15 | |
- As of match played 19 November 2023.[20]
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Claesson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 January 2012 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar | 2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly | [21] |
| 2 | 28 March 2017 | Estádio do Marítimo, Funchal, Portugal |  Portugal | 1–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | [22] |
| 3 | 2–2 | ||||||
| 4 | 10 September 2018 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Turkey | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B | [23] |
| 5 | 23 March 2019 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Romania | 2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [24] |
| 6 | 26 March 2019 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Norway | 1–2 | 3–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [25] |
| 7 | 7 June 2019 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Malta | 2–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | [26] |
| 8 | 17 November 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  France | 1–0 | 2–4 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | [27] |
| 9 | 25 March 2021 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Georgia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [28] |
| 10 | 23 June 2021 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia |  Poland | 3–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 | [29] |
| 11 | 2 September 2021 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Spain |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [30] |
| 12 | 24 September 2022 | Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia |  Serbia |
1–0 | 1–4 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B | [31] |
| 13 | 19 November 2022 | Stadion, Malmö, Malmö, Sweden |  Algeria |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [32] |
| 14 | 9 September 2023 | Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia |  Estonia |
5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [33] |
| 15 | 19 November 2023 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | Estonia |
1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | [34] |
Elfsborg
Copenhagen
Sweden
Individual
- Allsvenskan top assist provider: 2015
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 2018
- Stor Grabb: 2018[37]
- Russian Premier League Left Winger of the Season: 2018–19[38]
- "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- "Viktor Claesson". Svenskfotboll.se. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- "Elfsborg.se". Elfsborg.se. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- "Краснодар укрепил рядыВиктором Клаэссоном". fckrasnodar.ru (in Russian). FC Krasnodar. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
- "Krasnodar-Fenerbahce game report". UEFA. 16 February 2017.
- "Ural-Krasnodar game report" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 28 February 2017.
- "Celta-Krasnodar game report". UEFA. 9 March 2017.
- ""It's like learning to walk again." Viktor Claesson returns after a year on the sidelines". Premier Liga. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Krasnodar thrash Khimki in a goal frenzy". Dugout. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- "Krasnodar 2-1 PAOK: Cabella edges hosts in front". UEFA. 22 September 2020.
- "Krasnodar, Midtjylland, Salzburg advance to Champions League". Washington Post. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ""КРАСНОДАР" ПРИОСТАНОВИЛ КОНТРАКТЫ С НЕСКОЛЬКИМИ ИГРОКАМИ" (Press release) (in Russian). FC Krasnodar. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ""Краснодар" расторг контракт с Виктором Классоном. Официальный сайт ФК "Краснодар"" (Press release) (in Russian). FC Krasnodar. 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- "VIKTOR CLAESSON BLIVER FCK-SPILLER RESTEN AF SÆSONEN" (Press release) (in Danish). Copenhagen. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- "Viktor Claesson signs until 2026". Copenhagen. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists". Goal.com. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- "Viktor Claesson - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- Viktor Claesson at Soccerway
- "Viktor Claesson". EU-Football.info. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- "Claesson, Viktor". National Football Teams. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- "Qatar - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Portugal - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Turkiet - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Rumänien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Norge - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Malta - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Frankrike - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Georgien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Polen - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Sverige - Spanien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- "Serbien - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- "FC Copenhagen win 14th Danish league title". www.dailytimes.com.pk. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- "FCK win 2022/23 Danish Cup". Copenhagen. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
- "Stora Grabbars Märke - Svensk fotboll". Svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- "Лауреаты сезона и список "33-х лучших игроков"". rfs.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- Profile at the F.C. Copenhagen website
- Viktor Claesson at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish) (archive)
- Viktor Claesson – UEFA competition record (archive)
