Christian Wilhelmsson

Christian Ulf Wilhelmsson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkrɪstɪjan ˈvɪl(h)ɛ(l)m.ˈsɔn]; born 8 December 1979), nicknamed Chippen, is a Swedish former footballer who played as a left winger.

After playing several seasons with Mjällby (three years), Stabæk (four) and Anderlecht (three), he played in quick succession for teams in France, Italy, England and Spain, before spending the better part of four years in the late 2000s in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal.

Wilhelmsson played 79 times with Sweden, representing the nation at the 2006 World Cup and in three European Championships.

Club career

Early years / Anderlecht

Born in Malmö, Wilhelmsson started his career with Mjällby AIF in 1997, playing in three second division seasons with the club. He then spent as many years in neighbouring Norway with Stabæk Fotball.

In the 2003 summer Wilhelmsson joined R.S.C. Anderlecht in Belgium, being an undisputed starter during his spell and scoring nine top division goals combined in the capital side's 2004 and 2006 league conquests.

Nantes and loans

In 2006, Wilhelmsson moved to French team FC Nantes. However, on 10 January of the following year, he joined A.S. Roma on loan until the end of the season, when the Italians had the option to buy for €3 millions. He made his Serie A debut on 14 January against FC Messina,^[1] but underwent criticism from teammates such as Christian Panucci for his lack of communication on the pitch, a derivative of his poor Italian language skills.

Roma opted against making Wilhelmsson's transfer permanent, preferring to sign Mauro Esposito and Ludovic Giuly instead, and he returned to Nantes, immediately starting seeking a new club following the Canaries' relegation from Ligue 1.^[2] Following speculation about a move to various Premier League clubs or Scottish club Celtic,^[3][4] he signed for Bolton Wanderers on a 12-month loan, with an option to make the deal permanent after 20 games.^[5]

Despite a disappointing spell with the Trotters – 13 appearances all competitions comprised, mostly as a substitute, his debut coming in a 1–3 away defeat against Portsmouth –^[6] Wilhelmsson was instrumental in closing the club's signing of countryman Johan Elmander for a record transfer fee, for 2008–09.

After failing to impress Bolton manager Gary Megson he was again loaned by Nantes, this time moving to Spain and Deportivo de La Coruña on 30 January 2008. He played his first La Liga match against Getafe CF, coming on as a substitute in a 1–1 home draw, and made his first start two rounds later, in a home fixture match against RCD Espanyol (2–0 home win).^[7]

Wilhelmsson scored his first goal for Depor on 1 March 2008, in a 2–1 home win against Sevilla FC,^[8] and finished the campaign firmly established in the side's starting XI – he would start in 13 of his league appearances – as the Galicians eventually finished ninth and qualified to the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Saudi Arabia

In 2008, Wilhelmsson signed a three-year contract with Saudi club Al-Hilal FC for about €9 million. He helped the club win the league title in his second year, scoring nine goals and making ten assists in 20 appearances; for his contributions he received the Player of the Season award, going on to win four additional major titles during his tenure, including two consecutive Saudi Crown Prince Cup where he scored in both finals.

Wilhelmsson spent the first half of 2011–12 on loan with Qatar's Al Ahli SC, as cover for departing Opoku Agyemang.^[9]

Wilhelmsson playing for Al Ahli in 2011.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Wilhelmsson was announced as a LA Galaxy player on 5 September 2012.^[10] He scored in his Major League Soccer debut nine days later, in a 2–0 win against the Colorado Rapids.

The American club opted not to renew Wilhelmsson's contract for the 2013 season.

Baniyas / Mjällby

On 14 January 2013, following his release by the Galaxy, Wilhelmsson signed a one-and-a-half-year deal with Baniyas SC. After a spell with former club Mjällby, the 35-year-old officially announced his retirement.^[11] However, in August 2015, he came out of retirement to help the latter team retain their status in the Superettan,^[12] which was eventually not avoided.

International career

Gaining his first cap in 2001, Wilhelmsson represented Sweden at UEFA Euro 2004, Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup, featuring in every one of the national team's four games in the latter tournament and starting in two.

On 4 September 2006 he was one of three international players sent home for breaking a curfew during a night out, the other two being Olof Mellberg and Zlatan Ibrahimović.^[13] In March 2011, he was involved in a training ground scuffle with the latter.^[14]

Wilhelmsson scored his first brace for Sweden in a Euro 2012 qualifier against San Marino on 6 September 2011 (5–0 away win), for his seventh and eighth international goals.^[15] He was also selected for the finals in Poland and Ukraine by manager Erik Hamren, collecting three bench appearances in an eventual group stage exit.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	13 October 2004	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	4–0	4–1	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	4 June 2005	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Malta	3–0	6–0	2006 World Cup qualification
3.	11 October 2006	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	2–1	2–1	Euro 2008 qualifying
4.	13 October 2007	Rheinpark, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	2–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualifying
5.	2 June 2010	Dynama Stadium, Minsk, Belarus	Belarus	1–0	1–0	Friendly
6.	2 September 2011	Ferenc Puskás, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	1–1	1–2	Euro 2012 qualifying
7.	6 September 2011	Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino	San Marino	2–0	5–0	Euro 2012 qualifying
8.				5–0
9.	30 May 2012	Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Iceland	3–1	3–2	Friendly

Personal life

Wilhelmsson married Russian-born model Oksana Andersson in May 2010, in Las Vegas.^[16]

Club statistics

^[17]

Honours

Club

Anderlecht

• Belgian Pro League: 2003–04, 2005–06

Roma

• Coppa Italia: 2006–07

Al-Hilal

• Saudi Professional League: 2009–10, 2010–11
• Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12

Los Angeles Galaxy

• MLS Cup: 2012

Baniyas

• GCC Champions League: 2012–13

International

Sweden

• King's Cup: 2003

Individual

• Saudi Professional League: Silver Boot 2009–10, 2010–11

References

External links

• Christian Wilhelmsson career statistics at Soccerbase
  
• Christian Wilhelmsson profile at BDFutbol
• Christian Wilhelmsson at National-Football-Teams.com
• Christian Wilhelmsson – FIFA competition record
• MLS player profile

Sweden squads
Sweden squad – UEFA Euro 2004 1 Isaksson 2 Lučić 3 Mellberg (c) 4 Mjällby 5 Edman 6 Linderoth 7 Nilsson 8 Svensson 9 Ljungberg 10 Ibrahimović 11 Larsson 12 Hedman 13 Hansson 14 Östlund 15 Jakobsson 16 Källström 17 Andersson 18 Jonson 19 Farnerud 20 Allbäck 21 Wilhelmsson 22 Wahlstedt 23 Kihlstedt Coach: Lagerbäck & Söderberg Sweden squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Isaksson 2 Nilsson 3 Mellberg (c) 4 Lučić 5 Edman 6 Linderoth 7 Alexandersson 8 A. Svensson 9 Ljungberg 10 Ibrahimović 11 Larsson 12 Alvbåge 13 Hansson 14 Stenman 15 K. Svensson 16 Källström 17 Elmander 18 Jonson 19 Andersson 20 Allbäck 21 Wilhelmsson 22 Rosenberg 23 Shaaban Coach: Lagerbäck Sweden squad – UEFA Euro 2008 1 Isaksson 2 Nilsson 3 Mellberg 4 Hansson 5 Stoor 6 Linderoth 7 Alexandersson 8 Svensson 9 Ljungberg (c) 10 Ibrahimović 11 Elmander 12 Shaaban 13 Wiland 14 Majstorović 15 Granqvist 16 Källström 17 H. Larsson 18 S. Larsson 19 Andersson 20 Allbäck 21 Wilhelmsson 22 Rosenberg 23 Dorsin Coach: Lagerbäck Sweden squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Isaksson 2 Lustig 3 Mellberg 4 Granqvist 5 M. Olsson 6 Elm 7 Larsson 8 Svensson 9 Källström 10 Ibrahimović (c) 11 Elmander 12 Wiland 13 J. Olsson 14 Hysén 15 Antonsson 16 Wernbloom 17 Safari 18 Holmén 19 Bajrami 20 Toivonen 21 Wilhelmsson 22 Rosenberg 23 Hansson Coach: Hamrén