Former AIK profile Johan Blomberg, 36, left Trelleborgs FF after the past season, and since then has not been seen in Swedish elite football. The reason? He has quit.
Blomberg now says that he made the decision earlier this year.
– I haven’t gone 100 percent before, but I’ve stopped playing. My contract with Trelleborg expired at the end of December, and I was open to a continuation, but it would take quite a lot for that, while I didn’t find anything that felt good or exciting enough, he tells Fotbollskanalen and continues:
– I had some offers, but there was nothing that I felt I wanted to jump on. I had also previously thought about whether to continue or not, and then I applied for an education, which I am attending now, so it felt right to stop and it was a great decision for me.
Blomberg believes that in the end it was not a difficult decision to make to put the shoes on the shelf.
– It felt quite natural. Physically, I could have continued for quite a few more years, as I feel good in my body, but I felt that I was ready for something else. If AIK had come along or something like that, I could definitely imagine continuing to play, but otherwise I felt ready to do something else. It wasn’t a hard feeling, but almost the opposite, it was nice to make the decision.
Blomberg spent his last years in Trelleborgs FF and Gif Sundsvall, but is best known for his years in AIK between 2015 and 2018, which led to a move to Colorado with games in MLS in the USA. Blomberg, who before that broke through in Halmstads BK, believes that there are many memories that come to mind when he thinks back on his career.
– I had a few good years in Halmstad, when we went up to the Allsvenskan and won qualifying matches, and in terms of football, I probably appreciate my time in AIK the most. I had three good seasons there and especially the last season, so there are a lot of memories I take with me from there with derby matches and things like that. So football-wise, it’s definitely AIK time. In terms of experience, the time in the USA was also fantastic with all the players I got to meet and cities I got to go to. There are many fun memories, but football-wise AIK and purely experience-wise the USA.
Blomberg also became a supporter favorite in AIK, and among other things scored a classic goal in overtime against Gefle IF away to a 2-1 victory in the Allsvenskan gold battle in 2015.
Even today, he occasionally receives happy shouts from AIK supporters in town.
– I am very happy about it (the AIK supporters’ support), and I notice it, both when I am in Stockholm and at home in Skåne. If there is someone who comments on something in terms of football, it is an AIK player, and it still happens quite often that an AIK player comes forward or says something. It’s really great fun, and even though I had no connection to AIK before I got there, I see myself as an AIKer now. I got attached to the club when I was there, and it was a super fun time, while the club has a lot of supporters all over the country. It was special.
Is AIK the one of your former clubs that you follow the most today?
– Yes, it is AIK that is closest to my heart in Swedish football.
Do you have any regrets in your career?
– No not really. The big decision was actually when I turned down an extension with AIK and went to the USA. I still knew that it would be a SM gold in 2018, but I can still feel in hindsight that the experience that me and my family had in the USA was worth it, as we have so many memories from there. If I could have played for both clubs at the same time it would have been the best, but unfortunately it is not possible to do that. We made that decision then to carry those memories with us, so I don’t regret it, but it was definitely hard to turn down a new contract with AIK.
Today, Blomberg focuses on studies for a new working life after his football career.
While he was still playing with TFF, last year he completed an economics and leadership course at the Johan Cruyff Institute, where it is common among players to get an education, and since August he is on a two-year course in economics at IHM Business School in Malmö.
– I jumped at this education, as I felt it would be a good combination with my previous education. It is a vocational training over two years, which felt quite adequate, but which provides a very good foundation in economics. I’m in my second month now and it feels great.
Blomberg is open to both working in football and in business in the future.
– It may show a little during the course of the education, but it would have been fun to continue working in sports in some way. If you also have some finance and leadership training, there may be a role that suits you well. Otherwise, I’m quite open to anything, and just find a company that suits me well, or possibly start something of my own. I hope it works out in the meantime, he says.
2023-09-28 08:12:00
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