Johan Elmander

Elmander was born in Alingsås, Alingsås Municipality. He started his career as a striker for Swedish clubs but changed to a centre midfielder Holmalunds IF and Örgryte, before making the move to Dutch club Feyenoord at the age of 18, where he continued to be used as a midfielder. Although never a first team regular, he came on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Cup Final 3–2 win against Borussia Dortmund.

Elmander was subsequently put on loan back in Sweden with Djurgården, where he won the double of both Allsvenskan championship and Swedish Cup title in 2002 and Allsvenskan in 2003, however he wasn't awarded any medal since he played too few matches. He also debuted for the Swedish national team, in a February 2002 friendly match against Greece. In 2003, he was loaned out to Feyenoord's Dutch league rivals NAC Breda.

In his two seasons at Brøndby, Elmander scored 22 goals in 58 Danish Superliga games, attracting the attention of several clubs throughout Europe. He was called up to represent Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, where he played two games. Elmander signed a four-year contract with French side Toulouse for an undisclosed fee of around €4,500,000 on 7 July 2006.

Elmander was married on 27 December 2007 to highschool sweetheart Amanda Calvin in a lavish ceremony in her home town of Hemsjö, Sweden. The couple had over 200 guests including fellow former teammates Kim Källström and Jon Jönsson. At their wedding, Swedish-idol Christoffer Hiding performed. In August 2008, the couple announced the birth of their first child. On 18 November 2010, it was announced Elmander's wife had given birth to a baby girl named Lily.

On 27 June 2008, Elmander completed a move to Premier League club Bolton Wanderers for an £8.2 million fee, the club's record signing, with the deal including Daniel Braaten moving to Toulouse. Elmander signed a three-year deal, wearing the number 9 shirt by manager Gary Megson.

Elmander's first Premier League goal, a header, came on his competitive debut, against Stoke City on 16 August 2008 in a 3–1 win. Elmander played 30 games in the 2008–09 season, scoring five goals and creating two assists.

From December 2008 to September 2009, Elmander went on a nine-month goal drought, which ended during the League Cup fixture against West Ham United as he scored in extra-time. His first league goal in 11 months came in a 5–1 defeat to Aston Villa.

On 27 May 2011, Elmander arrived in Turkey on his birthday, and on 30 May 2011, Elmander joined Galatasaray in a three-year deal on a free transfer after his contract expired at Bolton in the same month. He debuted on the second week of the Süper Lig season, coming on in the 61st minute and scored his first goal in a 3–1 home win over Samsunspor on 18 September. Due to his great performance, Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim changed the team's formation to a 4–4–2, allowing Elmander to play together with fellow striker Milan Baroš simultaneously. On 26 February 2012, he scored the opening and the winning goal of the game against Beşiktaş in a 3–2 win, and also scored goals in all derby matches, including against Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor. He scored 12 goals in 36 league matches in a season which saw Galatasaray crowned league champions.

Elmander began the 2012–13 season in a match against Kasımpaşa and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–3 draw with Beşiktaş the following week. In the league's fourth week, he scored the opener against Antalyaspor in a 4–0 away win for Galatasaray. and on 19 October 2012, he scored an amazing goal against Gençlerbirliği in a 3–3 away draw and maintained the lead of the Süper Lig. He left in August 2013 to join Premier League side Norwich City on a season-long loan.

Elmander returned to England, joining Norwich on a season-long loan. He made his debut for Norwich against Hull City and scored his first two goals for the club against Bury in the League Cup on 27 August 2013. His first league start came against Southampton on 31 August 2013. Elmander scored his first league goal against Southampton in a 4–2 away loss for the Canaries on 15 March 2014. Elmander failed to impress during his loan spell at Norwich, though he did win the hearts of many fans with his hard-working performances and eagerness to play.

On 24 June 2014, Elmander returned to Brøndby in Denmark on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract after his contract with Galatasaray had expired. He was handed the number 11 shirt on his return to the club.

Elmander represented Sweden at the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008, and Euro 2012. He retired from the national team in November 2015, having won 85 caps and scored 20 goals.