Jonatan Johansson (footballer)
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| Jonatan Lillebror Johansson | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 August 1975 | |
| Place of birth | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Height | 6'2" (190 cm) | |
| Position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Malmö FF | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| 1995-1997 1997 1997-2000 2000-2005 2005-2006 2006 - |
TPS Turku FC Flora Tallinn Rangers Charlton Athletic Norwich City FC (loan) Malmö FF |
32 (6) 9 (9) 47 (14) 148 (27) 12 (3) 13 (11) |
| National team** | ||
| 1996- | Finland | 73 (13) |
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
Jonatan Lillebror Johansson (born August 16, 1975) is a Finnish footballer who currently plays for Malmö FF in Sweden's national football league Allsvenskan. He plays in the position of a striker and is a regular in the Finnish national team .
[edit] Player Profile
Johansson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and started his career in Finland in his hometown club Pargas IF. In 1995 he moved on to the Veikkausliiga club 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. In 1997 he transferred to FC Flora Tallinn, 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) with national team supporters - scoring his first goal in a 1-0 win over Kuwait.
He subsequently made a move to Scotland to join Scottish club Rangers FC for £500,000 the same year but found it difficult to get into manager Walter Smith's side. A change of boss, with Dutchman Dick Advocaat coming in, gave him more chances and he responded by scoring 17 goals in the 1998–1999 season, including eight in the Scottish Premier League and five in the UEFA Cup, and a further seven the following term, taking his overall tally to 24 in just 37 starts, plus 38 substitute appearances.
Johansson signed for English Premiership club Charlton in the summer of 2000 as Alan Curbishley sought to strengthen his forward-line for the club's return to the Premiership. Charlton paid UK£3.25 million for the striker with a further £250,000 owed if Johansson makes 25 appearances and Charlton avoid 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. Johansson moved to Norwich on loan for the rest of the season in the January 2006 transfer window wanting more chances for first team football and was officially released by Charlton at te end of the season. He started his tenure at Norwich promisingly, netting against Ipswich, Derby and Stoke. In July of 2006 he signed with Swedish club Malmö FF for a transfer fee of 1,1 million €, where he is currently playing alongside fellow Finn Jari Litmanen. He has proven to be an instant success at the Swedish club, netting 8 goals in his first 7 matches.
Johansson made his debut for the Finnish national team on March 16, 1996 against Kuwait. He is a regular member of the Finland squad.
