Victor Lindelöf

Victor Jörgen Nilsson Lindelöf (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈlɪ̂nːdɛˌløːv]; born 17 July 1994) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester United and the Sweden national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back.[3]

Victor Lindelöf
Victor Lindelöf playing for Manchester United in September 2017
Personal information
Full name Victor Jörgen Nilsson Lindelöf[1]
Date of birth (1994-07-17) 17 July 1994
Place of birth Västerås, Sweden
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 2
Youth career
IK Franke
Västerås IK
2007–2009 Västerås SK
2012–2013 Benfica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2012 Västerås SK 50 (0)
2012–2015 Benfica B 96 (4)
2013–2017 Benfica 48 (2)
2017– Manchester United 99 (3)
National team‡
2010–2011 Sweden U17 5 (0)
2012–2013 Sweden U19 17 (0)
2014–2015 Sweden U21 13 (0)
2016– Sweden 38 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:26, 7 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:12, 17 November 2020 (UTC)

Lindelöf began his career in Sweden at Västerås SK, making his debut in October 2009. In December 2011, he agreed to move to Benfica in Portugal, initially representing the club at youth and B levels. After making his first-team debut in September 2013, he continued to appear for the club at B level, while also winning three Primeira Liga titles. He joined Manchester United in July 2017.

Lindelöf has represented Sweden at under-17, under-19, under-21, and senior levels. He was a member of the under-21 side that won the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his senior international debut in March 2016 and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Lindelöf played for numerous Västerås-based clubs in his youth such as IK Franke,[4] Västerås IK and Västerås SK.[5]

Västerås SK

In October 2009, at the age of 15, Lindelöf made his first-team debut for Västerås SK, when the team beat BK Forward 3–0 in the last round of the 2009 Division 1 Norra season.[6] In the following season, he helped his team advance a step higher in the Swedish league system, as they were promoted to the second highest league.[7] In 2011, he travelled to England to have a trial with Stoke City, but they did not make an offer for him.[5]

Benfica

On 1 December 2011, Lindelöf agreed to join Portuguese club Benfica in the summer of 2012,[8] and on 8 June 2015, the contract was extended until 2020.[9] In the 2012–13 season, he played for the youth team and won the Portuguese under-19 championship.[10] On 19 October 2013, he debuted for the first-team in a 1–0 Portuguese Cup win against CD Cinfães, playing the full match. In the 2013–14 season, he scored 2 goals in 33 matches for the reserve team.[10]

In the 2015–16 season, he returned to the first-team in a 1–0 win against Nacional in the Taça da Liga.[11] On 16 February 2016, he played the entire match for Benfica in a 1–0 home win against Zenit Saint Petersburg in the first leg of UEFA Champions League's round of 16.[12] Four days later, he scored his first goal for Benfica, in a 3–1 Primeira Liga victory at Paços de Ferreira.[13] On 28 May 2017, he played in the Taça de Portugal final, which Benfica won over Vitória de Guimarães (2–1).[14] By the time he was leaving Benfica he had won three Primeira Liga titles, two Taça de Portugal titles and one Taça da Liga title.

Manchester United
Lindelöf (right) with centre-back partner Chris Smalling playing against CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.

2017–18 season

On 10 June 2017, Manchester United announced that they had agreed a deal with Benfica to sign Lindelöf for a fee of €35 million (with a potential €10 million in add-ons),[15] pending the agreement of personal terms and the player passing a medical.[16] Lindelöf passed his medical at the Trafford Training Centre on 14 June, with the Swede signing a four-year contract with the option of an extra year; Manchester United announced that the contract would begin on 1 July.[17][18]

He made his official debut for the club against Real Madrid in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup; however, it was more than two months before his Premier League debut, brought on during added time against Liverpool on 14 October.[19] He was limited to just 17 premier league matches, starting 13 of them, due to Jose Mourinho's preference of playing a defensive partnership of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.[20]

2018–19 season

In the 2018-19 season, Lindelöf somehow became Mourinho's preferred central defender and was playing more often than he did in the previous season. He played the full 90 minutes in the first match of the season on 11 August 2011 against Leicester City, which ended in a 2–1 home win.[21] He further went on to start in 11 out of 13 league matches before Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018 and replaced with Ole Gunnar Solskjær.[20] Lindelöf scored his first goal for Manchester United on 29 January 2019, scoring their second goal in a 2–2 league draw at home to Burnley.[22]

2019–20 season

In September 2019, Lindelöf signed a new contract until 2024, with the option of a further year.[23] On 1 December 2019, he played 90 minutes and scored his only goal in the season in a league match against Aston Villa that ended 2–2 draw.[24] He ended the season making 35 out of 38 appearances and scoring one goal in the league, the second most in league appearances within the club that season coming behind Harry Maguire and David De Gea who both played all 38 matches, forming a defensive partnership with Maguire in the process.[25][26]

2020–21 season

On 20 December 2020, Lindelöf scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season in a 6–2 home win against Leeds United.[27] He played the full 90 minutes on 2 February 2021 in Manchester United's Premier League record-equalling 9–0 home win against Southampton.[28]

International career
Lindelöf playing for Sweden against Spain in 2019

Youth team

Lindelöf made his debut for the under-21 team on 14 October 2014, in the second leg of the qualification play-offs against France.

Although Lindelöf was not named in the final squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, on 15 June 2015 he replaced defender Emil Krafth who was ruled out of the tournament after a back injury.[29] He made his debut in the tournament in the first game against Italy. On 30 June 2015 he successfully converted Sweden's fifth and last penalty against Portugal in a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory in the final to become European under-21 champion.[30] He was named in the Team of the Tournament.[31]

Senior team

Lindelöf received his first call up to the senior Sweden squad in March 2016 for friendlies against Turkey and Czech Republic.[32] He debuted for the country in a 2–1 away loss to Turkey on 24 March 2016.[33]

Lindelöf playing for Sweden against Spain in a UEFA EURO qualifier in 2019

He was selected in Sweden's squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, where he started all three of their group games, although Sweden failed to progress to the round of 16. Lindelöf was also selected in Sweden's 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,[34] but was prevented from participating in the tournament by his club Benfica, who believed that the involvement of their players in the Olympics would harm their chances for the following season.[35]

Lindelöf scored his first international goal for Sweden in a 3–0 win over Bulgaria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Friends Arena in Stockholm on 10 October 2016.[36]

In May 2018, he was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.[37] Lindelöf missed the first game against South Korea due to illness, but was a regular starter in defense alongside fellow central defender Andreas Granqvist for the remainder of the tournament.[38] Lindelöf and Sweden were eliminated in the quarter final against England.[39]

In March 2019, Lindelöf was called up for Sweden's UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Romania and Norway. However, he chose to withdraw from the squad, citing personal reasons, namely the birth of his first child. He was replaced by Anton Tinnerholm.[40]

Personal life

Following his move to Manchester United in 2017, Lindelöf announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend Maja Nilsson.[41] They got married at the end of May 2018, in Sweden.[42] In March 2019, their first child was born.[43]

While in his home city in August 2020, Lindelöf witnessed the robbery of a 90-year-old woman by a man on a bicycle; Lindelöf chased the thief on foot and managed to catch him, holding him until the police arrived. The police later thanked Lindelöf for his "quick and wise intervention".[44]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 6 February 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe[lower-alpha 3] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Västerås SK 2009[45] Division 1 Norra 10————10
2010[45] Division 1 Norra 90————90
2011[45] Superettan 2701[46]0———280
2012[45] Division 1 Norra 130————130
Total 50010———510
Benfica B 2012–13[47] Segunda Liga 150————150
2013–14[47] Segunda Liga 332————332
2014–15[47] Segunda Liga 412————412
2015–16[47] LigaPro 70————70
Total 964————964
Benfica 2013–14[47] Primeira Liga 10100000—20
2014–15[47] Primeira Liga 001000000010
2015–16[47] Primeira Liga 15100404000231
2016–17[47] Primeira Liga 3214020801[lower-alpha 4]0471
Total 482606012010732
Manchester United 2017–18[48] Premier League 1703030501[lower-alpha 5]0290
2018–19[49] Premier League 301300070—401
2019–20[50] Premier League 351503040—471
2020–21[51] Premier League 171102050—251
Total 99312080210101413
Career total 2939190140330203619
  1. Includes the Svenska Cupen, the Taça de Portugal and the FA Cup
  2. Includes the Taça da Liga and the EFL Cup
  3. Includes the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearance in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  5. Appearance in the UEFA Super Cup

International
As of match played 17 November 2020[52]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden
2016111
201770
2018111
201941
202050
Total383

International goals
As of match played 17 November 2020. Sweden score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lindelöf goal.[52]
International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 10 October 2016Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Bulgaria3–03–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 20 November 2018 Russia1–02–02018–19 UEFA Nations League B
3 5 September 2019Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands Faroe Islands3–04–0UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

Club

Västerås SK

Benfica[53]

International

Sweden

Individual

References
  1. "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 19 June 2018. p. 29. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  3. Gholam, Simeon (15 June 2017). "Who is Victor Lindelof? Manchester United's new signing assessed". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  4. "Victor Nilsson Lindelöf vann årets back" [Victor Nilsson Lindelöf won defender of the year] (in Swedish). IK Franke. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  5. Österdahl, Mikael (17 July 2017). "Allt du behöver veta om Victor Nilsson Lindelöf" [Everything you need to know about Victor Nilsson Lindelöf]. muss.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. "Har haft ett bra år i VSK" [Have had a good year in VSK]. VSK Fotboll (in Swedish). 26 October 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  7. "VSK Fotboll till Superettan!" [VSK Football to Superettan!]. VSK Fotboll (in Swedish). 17 October 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. "Storklubb värvar svensk 17–åring". Sportbladet. 1 December 2011.
  9. "Victor Lindelöf renova contrato" [Victor Lindelöf renews contract] (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  10. "Lindelöf preparado para travar Bernardo Silva" [Lindelöf prepared to stop Bernardo Silva] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  11. "Taça da Liga – 3ª Fase". ForaDeJogo.net.
  12. "Jonas strikes late to earn Benfica narrow win". UEFA.com. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  13. "Benfica: Lindelof celebra primeiro golo pela equipa principal" [Benfica: Lindelof celebrates first goal for the first team]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 20 February 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  14. "A Bola - Jogo em direto". A Bola.
  15. "Comunicado" [Communication] (PDF) (Press release) (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  16. "Reds agree transfer for Victor Lindelof". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  17. "UNITED COMPLETE SIGNING OF VICTOR LINDELOF". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
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  21. Begley, Emlyn (11 August 2018). "Mourinho praises Pogba after Leicester win". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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  27. Howarth, Matthew (20 December 2020). "Manchester United 6-2 Leeds United: Hosts up to third after thumping win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  28. Stone, Simon (2 February 2021). "Man Utd beat nine-man Southampton 9-0". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
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  30. "Sweden see off Portugal on penalties". UEFA. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  31. "The official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  32. "Hamren names Sweden squad for Turkey, Czech Rep friendlies". internationalsoccerteams.com. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  33. "Lindelof estreia-se pela seleção principal da Suécia com derrota" [Lindelof debuts for Sweden's main squad with defeat]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 24 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  34. "Ericsons bruttotrupp till OS – svenskfotboll.se". svenskfotboll.se. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  35. "Nilsson Lindelöf stoppas från OS".
  36. "Sweden 3–0 Bulgaria". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  37. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced? - Goal.com".
  38. "World Cup 2018: Manchester United misfit Lindelof starring for Sweden's brilliant defence | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
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  40. "Janne Andersson om Lindelöfs återbud: "Kan kraftigt dementera det"". Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  41. Gadd, Mick (22 June 2017). "Victor Lindelof and Maja Nilsson announce their engagement in style". Daily Mirror.
  42. "Fotbollsstjärnans kärleksord till hustrun Maja".
  43. "Manchester United get Victor Lindelof boost after fixture absence". 2 April 2019.
  44. Parrott, Mike (24 August 2020). "Victor Lindelof Saves Elderly Woman From Thief Stealing Her Bag". SPORTbible. LADbible Group. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  45. Lindelöf, Victor at National-Football-Teams.com
  46. "Grönvitts cupjubel - I 92:A minuten" [Grönvitts cup cheer - in the 92nd minute]. VSK Fotboll (in Swedish). 27 March 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
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  51. "Games played by Victor Lindelöf in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
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  53. Victor Lindelöf at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  54. "OFICIAL: Lindelof renova com o Benfica". Maisfutebol. 8 June 2015.
  55. "Lindelof exulta com título europeu" [Lindelof exults with European title] (in Portuguese). A Bola. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
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  58. "SJPF revela os melhores 11 de 2016" [SPFP discloses best 11 of 2016] (in Portuguese). SJPF. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
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