Forsberg carries Swedish World Cup hopes

STOCKHOLM: Midfielder Emil Forsberg, known for his knack of cracking open a defence with the perfect pass, carries Swedish hopes into the 2018 World Cup following his exceptional season with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

Football runs in the 26-year-old’s family: his grandfather Lennart Forsberg played for Sundsvall in eastern Sweden, and his father Leif was a legend at the same club, scoring 143 goals in more than 400 games between 1980 and 1990.

After initially playing other sports, including hockey, Forsberg continued the family tradition and signed up for Sundsvall in 2009 at the age of 17. “I think I got the best of football on both sides: my father’s speed and my grandfather’s technical skills,” he told German newspaper Bild in 2015.

After almost 100 matches with his hometown team, in 2013 Forsberg signed for Malmo FF, going on to win the Swedish championship twice (2013 and 2014) and later played in the Champions League (2014-2015).

In 2014, he made his international debut against Moldova and in the same year caught the attention of Ralf Rangnick, sporting director of Salzburg, the Austrian sister club of RB Leipzig.