Viktor Claesson
{{Short description|Swedish footballer (born 1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Viktor Claesson
| image = UEFA EURO qualifiers Sweden vs Romaina 20190323 Viktor Claesson 28.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Claesson playing for Sweden in 2019
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1992|1|2}}
| birth_place = Värnamo, Sweden
| position = Left winger
| currentclub = Copenhagen
| clubnumber = 7
| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008
| youthclubs1 = IFK Värnamo
| years1 = 2008–2011 | clubs1 = IFK Värnamo | caps1 = 71 | goals1 = 29
| years2 = 2012–2016 | clubs2 = IF Elfsborg | caps2 = 134 | goals2 = 32
| years3 = 2017–2022 | clubs3 = Krasnodar | caps3 = 114 | goals3 = 32
| years4 = 2022– | clubs4 = Copenhagen | caps4 = 94 | goals4 = 25
| nationalyears1 = 2008
| nationalteam1 = Sweden U17
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2009–2010
| nationalteam2 = Sweden U19
| nationalcaps2 = 9
| nationalgoals2 = 3
| nationalyears3 = 2011–2015
| nationalteam3 = Sweden U21
| nationalcaps3 = 20
| nationalgoals3 = 1
| nationalyears4 = 2012–
| nationalteam4 = Sweden
| nationalcaps4 = 74
| nationalgoals4 = 15
| club-update = 28 May 2025
| nationalteam-update = 16:49, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
}}
Viktor Johan Anton Claesson ({{IPA|sv|ˈvɪ̌kːtɔr ˈklɑ̌ːsɔn}}; born 2 January 1992) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a left winger for the Danish Superliga club Copenhagen and the Sweden national team. He is known for his passing and set piece abilities.{{cite web|url=https://svenskfotboll.se/superettan/person/?playerid=7203 |title=Viktor Claesson|publisher=Svenskfotboll.se |access-date=10 February 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://www.elfsborg.se/enkeltabell/player/4-allsvenskan-2012/3-if-elfsborg/786-viktor-claesson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324083259/http://www.elfsborg.se/enkeltabell/player/4-allsvenskan-2012/3-if-elfsborg/786-viktor-claesson |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2012 |title=Elfsborg.se |publisher=Elfsborg.se |access-date=10 February 2012 }}
Club career
=Early career=
Claesson started his career with local club IFK Värnamo. After progressing through the youth ranks, he made his senior debut in 2009 in a Division 1 Södra match. After a breakthrough campaign during the 2011 Superettan season, Claesson join IF Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan, the top division of Swedish football.
=Krasnodar=
On 25 January 2017, Claesson signed a 3.5-year contract with Russian Premier League team FC Krasnodar.{{cite web|title=Краснодар укрепил рядыВиктором Клаэссоном|url=http://fckrasnodar.ru/team/news/object/?object_id=127932|website=fckrasnodar.ru|publisher=FC Krasnodar|access-date=25 January 2017|language=ru|date=25 January 2017}} He scored on his debut on 16 February 2017 in a 1–0 Europa League Round of 32 win against Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe, scoring a header on his first touch in any competitive Krasnodar game in the 4th minute. He was selected by UEFA as "Man of the Match".{{cite web|publisher=UEFA|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2019653--krasnodar-vs-fenerbahce/|title=Krasnodar-Fenerbahce game report|date=16 February 2017}} He continued his form with two goals in a Russian Cup game against FC Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast on 28 February 2017{{cite web|publisher=Russian Premier League|url=http://rfpl.org/match/match_11780.html|title=Ural-Krasnodar game report|date=28 February 2017|language=ru}} and a goal against Celta de Vigo in the first leg of Europa League Round of 16 on 9 March 2017.{{cite web|publisher= UEFA|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2019674--celta-vs-krasnodar/|title=Celta-Krasnodar game report|date=9 March 2017}}
Claesson missed all of the 2019–20 season with a serious knee injury.
==2020–21 season==
Out of action for over 14 months, Claesson returned from injury on 18 August 2020, playing the last 15 minutes of Krasnodar's 2–0 home win over Arsenal Tula in the Russian Premier League. On 18 September, he scored his first two goals since his return from injury in a 7–2 thrashing of Khimki.{{cite web|url=https://dugout.com/rpl/krasnodar-thrash-khimki-in-a-goal-frenzy|title=Krasnodar thrash Khimki in a goal frenzy|website=Dugout|date=18 September 2020|access-date=22 September 2020}} Four days later, Claesson scored from the penalty spot in the club's first-leg play-off round match against PAOK for qualification to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0261-107026875ebe-c7bd56298bdf-1000--krasnodar-2-1-paok-cabella-edges-hosts-in-front/|title=Krasnodar 2-1 PAOK: Cabella edges hosts in front|website=UEFA|date=22 September 2020}} Krasnodar would win the second leg against PAOK by the same scoreline and secure progression to the group stage of the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/krasnodar-midtjylland-salzburg-advance-to-champions-league/2020/09/30/504d59ca-0362-11eb-b92e-029676f9ebec_story.html|title=Krasnodar, Midtjylland, Salzburg advance to Champions League|newspaper=Washington Post|date=30 September 2020|access-date=2 October 2020}}
==2021–22 season==
On 3 March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Krasnodar announced that his contract was suspended and he would not train with the team, but the contract was not terminated and remained valid.{{cite press release|publisher=FC Krasnodar|url=https://fckrasnodar.ru/team/news/object/?object_id=141382|title="КРАСНОДАР" ПРИОСТАНОВИЛ КОНТРАКТЫ С НЕСКОЛЬКИМИ ИГРОКАМИ|date=3 March 2022|access-date=3 March 2022|language=ru}} On 5 March 2022, his contract was terminated and he was released from the club.{{cite press release|publisher=FC Krasnodar|url=https://fckrasnodar.ru/team/news/object/?object_id=141383|title="Краснодар" расторг контракт с Виктором Классоном. Официальный сайт ФК "Краснодар"|date=5 March 2022|access-date=5 March 2022|language=ru}}
=Copenhagen=
On 30 March 2022, Claesson signed with Copenhagen in Denmark until the end of the season.{{cite press release|publisher=Copenhagen|url=https://www.fck.dk/nyhed/viktor-claesson-bliver-fck-spiller-resten-af-saesonen|title=VIKTOR CLAESSON BLIVER FCK-SPILLER RESTEN AF SÆSONEN|date=30 March 2022|access-date=31 March 2022|language=da}} On 3 April, he scored the winning goal in his debut match for the club after coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute.
On 16 June 2022, Claesson signed an extension with Copenhagen until 2026.{{cite web|url=https://www.fck.dk/en/news/viktor-claesson-signs-until-2026|title=Viktor Claesson signs until 2026|website=Copenhagen|date=16 June 2022|accessdate=21 August 2022}}
International career
In May 2018, Claesson was named in Sweden’s 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/revealed-every-world-cup-2018-squad-23-man-preliminary-lists/oa0atsduflsv1nsf6oqk576rb|title=Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists |website=Goal.com|access-date=2 December 2021}} He was one of Sweden's main men for the duration of the tournament, in which the Blågult reached the quarterfinals.
In a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Spain on 10 June 2019, Claesson suffered a serious knee injury, rupturing the cruciate knee ligaments, after a clash with Jordi Alba.{{cite web|url=https://eng.premierliga.ru/news/rfpl/news_25382.html|title="It's like learning to walk again." Viktor Claesson returns after a year on the sidelines|website=Premier Liga|date=18 September 2020|access-date=22 September 2020}}
He was named in Sweden's UEFA Euro 2020 squad, and appeared in all four games as Sweden was eliminated in the round of 16 by Ukraine.{{Cite web|title=Viktor Claesson - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll|url=https://www.svenskfotboll.se/spelarfakta/viktor-claesson/8925db8b-d657-4269-9b58-ba32964ab4ed/|access-date=6 July 2021|website=Svenskfotboll.se.|language=sv}} He scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win against Poland in the group stage. On 19 November 2023, Claesson registered one goal and one assist against Estonia in their 2-0 win in their European Qualifiers game.
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 29 May 2025}}{{Soccerway|viktor-claesson/158311}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes Svenska Cupen, Russian Cup, Danish Cup}} !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals | ||||||||
| rowspan="4"|IFK Värnamo
|2009 |16 | 5 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 16 | 5 | ||
| 2010
|Division 1 Södra |25 | 11 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 2 | 0 | 28 | 11 |
| 2011
|29 | 13 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 30 | 13 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!70||29||2||0||colspan="2"|–||2||0||74||29 | ||||||||
| rowspan="6"|IF Elfsborg
|2012 |27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6{{efn|name=UEL}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 33 | 7 |
| 2013
|Allsvenskan |23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8{{efn|Two appearances and two goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League}} | 3 | colspan="2"|– | 34 | 6 |
| 2014
|Allsvenskan |26 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6{{efn|name=UEL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 39 | 7 |
| 2015
|Allsvenskan |29 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 6{{efn|name=UEL}} | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 40 | 15 |
| 2016
|Allsvenskan |29 | 8 | 3 | 2 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 32 | 10 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!134||32||18||7||26||6||0||0||178||45 | ||||||||
| rowspan="7"|Krasnodar
|13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 18 | 5 |
| 2017–18
|Russian Premier League |30 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4{{efn|name=UEL}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 34 | 12 |
| 2018–19
|Russian Premier League |29 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 9{{efn|name=UEL}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 42 | 15 |
| 2019–20
|Russian Premier League |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | 0 | 0 |
| 2020–21
|Russian Premier League |24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 8{{efn|Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, two appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 33 | 8 |
| 2021–22
|Russian Premier League |18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 20 | 3 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!114||32||8||3||25||8||0||0||147||43 | ||||||||
| rowspan="5"|Copenhagen
|10 | 1 | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | colspan="2"|– | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23
|Danish Superliga |30 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 8{{efn|name=UCL|Appearances in UEFA Champions League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 45 | 17 |
| 2023–24
|Danish Superliga |26 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 11{{efn|name=UCL}} | 2 | colspan="2"|– | 41 | 7 |
| 2024–25
|Danish Superliga |28 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 11{{efn|name=UECL|Appearances in UEFA Conference League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|– | 45 | 8 |
| colspan="2"|Total
!94 | 25 | 17 | 4 | 30 | 4 | colspan="2"|– | 141 | 33 |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!412||118||45||14||81||18||2||0||540||150 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|match played 19 November 2023|{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=27726|title=Viktor Claesson|website=EU-Football.info|date=30 June 2018|access-date=19 June 2021}}}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="12"|Sweden
|2012 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 14 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | |
| colspan="2"|Total | 74 | 15 |
{{updated|match played 19 November 2023.}}{{cite web|url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/46290/Viktor_Claesson.html|title=Claesson, Viktor|website=National Football Teams|access-date=19 June 2021}}
:Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Claesson goal.
| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Viktor Claesson | ||||||
| scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition !scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align="center"|1 | 23 January 2012 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar | {{fb|QAT}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|5–0 | Friendly |
| align="center"|2 | rowspan=2 | 28 March 2017 | rowspan=2 | Estádio do Marítimo, Funchal, Portugal | rowspan=2 | {{fb|POR}} | align="center"|1–2 | rowspan="2" align="center"|3–2
| rowspan="2" |Friendly | |
| align="center"|3 | align="center"|2–2 | |||||
| align="center"|4 | 10 September 2018 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | {{fb|TUR}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|2–3 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B |
| align="center"|5 | 23 March 2019
|Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | {{fb|ROU}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|2–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| align="center"|6 | 26 March 2019 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | {{fb|NOR}} | align="center"|1–2 | align="center"|3–3
|UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| align="center"|7 | 7 June 2019 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | {{fb|MLT}} | align="center"|2–0 | align="center"|3–0
|UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| align="center"|8 | 17 November 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | {{fb|FRA}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|2–4 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
| align="center"|9 | 25 March 2021 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | {{fb|GEO}} | align="center"|1–0 | align="center"|1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| align="center"|10 | 23 June 2021 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia | {{fb|POL}} | align="center"|3–2 | align="center"|3–2 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| align="center"|11
|2 September 2021 |Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |{{fb|ESP}} | align=center|2–1 | align=center|2–1 |2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||||||
| align="center"|12
|24 September 2022 |Rajko Mitić Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia |{{fb|SRB}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center|1–4 | ||||||
| align="center"|13
|19 November 2022 |Stadion, Malmö, Malmö, Sweden |{{fb|ALG}} | align=center|2–0 | align=center|2–0 | Friendly | ||||||
| align="center"|14
|9 September 2023 |Lilleküla Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia |{{fb|EST}} | align=center|5–0 | align=center|5–0 | ||||||
| align="center"|15
|19 November 2023 |Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden |{{fb|EST}} | align=center|1–0 | align=center|2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours
Elfsborg
Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2021–22,{{cite web |title=FC Copenhagen win 14th Danish league title |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/939970/fc-copenhagen-win-14th-danish-league-title/|website=www.dailytimes.com.pk |access-date=22 May 2022}} 2022–23, 2024–25{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediano.nu/oversigt/2025/05/26/mediano-superliga-32-runde|title=Mediano Superliga: Tillykke til FC København|date=25 May 2025|website=Mediano}}
- Danish Cup: 2022–23{{cite web |title=FCK win 2022/23 Danish Cup |url=https://www.fck.dk/en/news/fck-win-202223-danish-cup |publisher=Copenhagen |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=18 May 2023}} 2024–25{{Cite web|url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1824551|title=FCK tager tiende pokaltitel med soloridt på hadebanen|date=29 May 2025|website=www.bt.dk}}
Sweden
Individual
- Allsvenskan top assist provider: 2015
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 2018
- Stor Grabb: 2018{{Cite web|title=Stora Grabbars Märke - Svensk fotboll|url=https://www.svenskfotboll.se/landslag/herr/historik-herr/stora-grabbar/|access-date=8 September 2021|website=Svenskfotboll.se|language=sv}}
- Russian Premier League Left Winger of the Season: 2018–19{{Cite web|title=Лауреаты сезона и список "33-х лучших игроков"|url=https://rfs.ru/news/210104|access-date=14 February 2022|website=rfs.ru|language=ru-RU}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://www.fck.dk/en/spiller/viktor-claesson Profile] at the F.C. Copenhagen website
- {{SvFF player|id=8925db8b-d657-4269-9b58-ba32964ab4ed|fid=517303|pid=7203}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160111072235/https://www.svenskfotboll.se/allsvenskan/person/?playerid=7203 archive])
- {{UEFA player}}
{{F.C. Copenhagen squad}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Sweden squads
| bg = #FFF01C
| fg = #005B99
| bordercolor = #005B99
| list1 =
{{Sweden squad 2018 FIFA World Cup}}
{{Sweden squad UEFA Euro 2020}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claesson, Viktor}}
Category:Sportspeople from Värnamo
Category:Swedish men's footballers
Category:Sweden men's international footballers
Category:Sweden men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Sweden men's youth international footballers
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:Ettan Fotboll players
Category:Russian Premier League players
Category:F.C. Copenhagen players
Category:2018 FIFA World Cup players
Category:UEFA Euro 2020 players
Category:Swedish expatriate men's footballers
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Russia
Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark
Category:Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Denmark