Hans Eskilsson

Hans Eskilsson
Personal information
Full nameHans Vimmo Eskilsson
Date of birth23 January 1966
Place of birthÖstersund, Sweden
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionStriker
Youth career
1973–1975Ope IF
1976–1983IFK Östersund
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1983–1984IFK Östersund28(20)
1985–1987Norrköping57(7)
1988Hammarby15(1)
1988–1989Sporting CP7(1)
1989–1990Braga22(2)
1991AIK12(1)
1991Estoril4(0)
1992–1995Hammarby73(47)
1995Vasalunds10(8)
1995–1996Hearts11(2)
1996–2001Hammarby97(11)
2002–2003Östersunds FK5(0)
Total341(100)
National team
?–?Sweden U2112(?)
1988–1990Sweden8(2)
Teams managed
2002–2003Östersunds FK
2004Enköping
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Hans Vimmo Eskilsson (born 23 January 1966) is a Swedish retired footballer who played mainly as a striker.

He played in 168 games in the Allsvenskan, scoring 19 goals. He also competed three seasons in Portugal and represented Hearts in Scotland, during a 20-year career.

Club career

Early years / Portugal

Eskilsson was born in Östersund, Jämtland County. After starting in the lower leagues with local IFK Östersund, he moved in 1985 to the top division with IFK Norrköping, then competed in the 1988 season with fellow league side Hammarby IF.

Eskilsson moved to Portugal at the age of 22, joining Sporting Clube de Portugal as an electoral asset of future president Jorge Gonçalves:[1] during the better part of the following three seasons in the country – with a brief spell in his country with AIK Fotboll in between[2]– he only scored three goals for as many teams, also representing S.C. Braga[3] and G.D. Estoril Praia.

Hammarby / Hearts

In 1992 Eskilsson returned to former club Hammarby, netting 40 goals in his first two campaigns combined and promoting to the top level in the second. In early November 1995, after a short stint at Solna-based Vasalunds IF, he moved to Scotland to play for Heart of Midlothian in the Premier Division, being sparingly played during the season and being released as his contract was not renewed.

Aged 30, Eskilsson joined Hammarby for a third spell in 1996, again finding the side in division two and again helping it achieve promotion. He also began featuring regularly as a central defender, forming an efficient partnership with Pétur Marteinsson; late into his final stint, however, he suffered a severe leg injury after a two-footed challenge by Daniel Hoch in a derby game against AIK, having to retire from professional football.

International career

Eskilsson gained eight caps for Sweden during two years, his debut coming in 1988.

Also in that year, he played Olympic football in Seoul, appearing in two matches for the eventual quarterfinalists.[4]

International goals

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1. 2 April 1988 Olympiastadion, West Berlin, West Germany  Soviet Union 1–0 2–0 1988 Four Nations Tournament [5]
2. 27 April 1988 Råsunda, Solna, Sweden  Wales 4–1 4–1 Friendly [6]

Post-retirement

Shortly after retiring, Eskilsson had a short spell as a manager, coaching lowly outfits Östersunds FK and Enköpings SK. He subsequently became a professional poker player.[7] He married Swedish international footballer Malin Swedberg, and the couple have two children.[8]

References

  1. Eskilsson; Estrelas Leoninas, 21 February 2007 (Portuguese)
  2. Hans Eskilsson – Varen 1991 i AIK; AIK's official website (Swedish)
  3. Época 1989/90: Primeira Divisão (1989/90 Season: First Division); Arquivos da Bola, 29 July 2007 (Portuguese)
  4. Hans EskilssonFIFA competition record
  5. "Sweden upset the Soviets". New Straits Times. 4 April 1988. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  6. "Holmqvist skoraðl tvfvegis" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Timarit. 28 April 1988. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  7. Hans Eskilsson: "Jag ser pokern som ett yrke"; Pokerspel (Swedish)
  8. Ashdown, John (7 October 2009). "Which footballers have played two matches on the same day?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2013.

External links