Mikael Hellström

Mikael "Hella" Hellström (born 11 March 1972) is a Swedish retired footballer. Throughout his whole professional career he represented Hammarby IF, as a one club man.

Mikael Hellström
Personal information
Date of birth (1972-03-11) 11 March 1972
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender, Midfielder
Youth career
–1981 Västerhaninge IF
1982–1989 Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–2005 Hammarby IF 301 (18)
National team
1991 Sweden U20 1 (0)
1999 Sweden 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Mikael Hellström started playing football at the local club Västerhaninge IF, before joining Hammarby IF as a youth player in 1982, at age 10.[1] As a youngster, he mostly played a central defender.[2]

Club career

He advanced through the ranks at Hammarby and made his senior debut for the club in Allsvenskan in 1990, aged 18.[3] His first competitive appearance came as a substitute in a local derby on August 13 in a shocking 1-9 loss against Djurgårdens IF.[2]

He soon established himself as a regular starter during the 1990s, a period when Hammarby was known as a yo-yo club bouncing between the first and second tier. He usually played at a central midfield position, being known as a technically gifted player with a great set of leadership and work rate.[1]

During the later years of his career he repositioned himself playing as a left full back. His biggest achievement came in 2001 when Hammarby won Allsvenskan for the first time in the club's history.[4]

During the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League qualification stage, he featured in both games as Hammarby got knocked out by the Serbian side Partizan Belgrade in the second round (1-5 on aggregate).[2]

Mikael Hellström was forced into retirement in 2005, aged 33, due to a hip injury.[5] In total, he made 301 league appearances for Hammarby IF and scored 18 goals. Hellström also captained the side in the seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2002.[2]

In 2004, Hellström was voted as Hammarby Fotboll's twelfth biggest profile throughout the history of the club.[6] Between 2007 and 2008, he worked as a scout for said club during the reign of manager Tony Gustavsson and director of football (as well as former teammate) Lars Eriksson.[7]

International career

Hellström was a part of the Swedish under-20 national team during the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal. He won his first, and single cap, for the side in a 0-2 group stage loss against Brazil on 20 June in said tournament.[2]

In May 1999, he won a cap for the Swedish national team, playing the whole game in a 2–1 friendly win against Jamaica on Råsunda Stadium.[5]

Honours
Hammarby

References
  1. "Mikael Hellström från Hammarby 12 säsonger". Svenska Fans. July 15, 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  2. "Mikael Hellström" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  3. "Trotjänaren. Mikael Hellström är allsvenskans mest lojale spelare. Har gjort 22 säsonger i Hammarby". Dagens Nyheter. July 6, 2004. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  4. "Intervju: Guldmedaljören från 2001 Mikael "Hella" Hellström". Hammarby IF. January 23, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. "Hellström lägger skorna på hyllan". Sveriges Radio. September 10, 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  6. "Historik" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Archived from the original on 2011-03-26. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  7. "Hammarby kartlägger Sverige". Idrottens Affärer. March 10, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
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