Isac Alexi Sivert Lidberg (born 8 September 1998) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for 2. Bundesliga club Darmstadt 98 and the Sweden national team.[1]

Isac Lidberg
Lidberg with Go Ahead Eagles in 2023
Personal information
Full name Isac Alexi Sivert Lidberg
Date of birth (1998-09-08) 8 September 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Darmstadt 98
Number 7
Youth career
0000–2010 Hägerstens SK
2010–2014 Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Hammarby IF 7 (0)
2016Enskede IK (loan) 14 (6)
2017 Åtvidabergs FF 22 (5)
2018–2020 Start 0 (0)
2018Jerv (loan) 11 (0)
2018HamKam (loan) 5 (0)
2019Brommapojkarna (loan) 18 (3)
2020–2021 Gefle 37 (22)
2021–2023 Go Ahead Eagles 65 (11)
2023–2024 Utrecht 20 (4)
2024– Darmstadt 98 10 (9)
International career
2014–2015 Sweden U17 14 (7)
2015–2017 Sweden U19 17 (10)
2024– Sweden 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Club career

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Hammarby IF

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Lidberg started out his football career with local side Hägerstens SK, but moved to Hammarby Sjöstad and began to play for Hammarby IF as an eleven-year-old.[2][3] Advancing through the youth teams, Lidberg played his first game for Hammarby's under 21-team against GIF Sundsvall 2014 as a substitute, and scored a 2–1 goal within a minute. In March 2015, Hammarby offered him a 3-year-long senior contract, which he signed.[3]

The senior debut came already the same year in Allsvenskan, when Isac Lidberg got substituted with Linus Hallenius in a game against Falkenbergs FF on 13 July.[4] The 16-year-old Lidberg became the youngest player ever representing Hammarby in Allsvenskan.[5] He played his second game in Allsvenskan on the last game day of the 2015 season in Hammarby's 2–1 loss away against Halmstads BK.[6]

Lidberg made another five appearances in Allsvenskan for the club during the 2016 season.

Loan to Enskede IK

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On 8 April 2016 it was announced that Lidberg was going to be on loan to newly promoted Division 1 club Enskede IK for the whole season. With Enskede being Hammarby's partner club, an agreement was made that the player was allowed to represent both clubs during the loan period.[7]

In his first start for the club, he scored two goals in Enskede's 3–1 win against Piteå IF on 1 May.[8] Lidberg would later move on to make another 14 appearances for the side during the season, scoring 6 goals in the league play.

Åtvidabergs FF

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On 30 March 2017, he signed a permanent deal with Åtvidabergs FF in Superettan, the Swedish second tier.[9] He signed a three-year contract with his new club.[10] Hammarby reportedly sold Lidberg after the two parts could not agree on a new contract.[11]

Isac Lidberg made his debut for Åtvidaberg on match day one of the 2017 Superettan against IFK Värnamo on away turf. His new team lost 4–0 with Lidberg getting sent off in the last few minutes of the game, after coming on as a substitute.[12]

Start

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On 11 January 2018, Lidberg signed a three-year contract with Norwegian Eliteserien club Start.[13] On 4 March, he moved to Jerv on loan, on a deal until 1 August.[14] On 8 April, he made his debut for Jerv, coming on as a substitute for Aram Khalili in the 1–1 home draw against Ull/Kisa.[15] On 17 June, he scored his first goal, in a 3–2 defeat to Florø.[16]

Initially returning to Start, on 15 August 2018 he moved – again on loan – to HamKam.[17] On 19 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–0 defeat to Nest-Sotra.[18]

In February 2019, Lidberg was loaned out to IF Brommapojkarna on a loan agreement for the 2019 season.[19]

Gefle IF

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In February 2020, Lidberg signed a two-year contract with Gefle IF competing in the Swedish third tier, Ettan.[20] In the third division, he had a successful spell, making 25 appearances in which he scored 19 goals in his first season at the club.[21]

Go Ahead Eagles

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On 1 May 2021, Lidberg signed a two-year contract with an option of an additional year with newly promoted Dutch Eredivisie club Go Ahead Eagles.[22][23] He made his debut in the Eredivisie on 13 August 2021 in a 1–0 loss to Heerenveen.[24]

Utrecht

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On 18 July 2023, Lidberg signed a four-year contract with Utrecht.[25] He made his debut for the club on 20 August, replacing Victor Jensen in the 79th minute of a 2–0 league loss to Heerenveen.[26] He scored his debut goal for Utrecht from a penalty kick on 31 October, contributing to a 3–0 lead in their 3–2 triumph against RKC Waalwijk in the KNVB Cup.[27] On 26 November, he netted his first league goal for Utrecht, securing the winning goal as the Domstedelingen triumphed 2–1 against Sparta Rotterdam at Het Kasteel.[28] Following a mild achilles injury, he was substituted early during a draw against AZ on 3 December due to a knock.[29] This sidelined him for the remainder of the year.[21]

Darmstadt

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On 16 August 2024, Lidberg signed with Darmstadt 98 in German 2. Bundesliga.[30]

International career

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Isac Lidberg played 14 games for Sweden U17, in which he scored nine goals, between 2014 and 2015.[31]

As of the end of 2016, he has won 11 caps for Sweden U19 and scored 10 goals in total.[32]

Lidberg made his debut for Sweden national team on 19 November 2024 in a Nations League game against Azerbaijan at the Strawberry Arena. He substituted Viktor Gyökeres (who scored 4 goals) in the 89th minute, as Sweden won 6–0.[33]

Style of play

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Lidberg has described himself as a "powerful forward that can score on anything", which is something then manager Nanne Bergstrand agreed upon, stating that he's strong for his age due to training from an early age.[5][34] Hammarby's former sporting director Mats Jingblad added that Lidberg is a modern forward that often make runs behind the defenders.[3]

Personal life

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Lidberg grew up mainly in Stockholm and is the second born child to Swedish reality television star and wrestling world champion Martin Lidberg.[2][35] His uncle is Jimmy Lidberg, a fellow Olympic medalist wrestler.[36] He practiced wrestling as well for several years and was a big talent, but quit to focus on his football instead.[2] Lidberg dreams of playing for Bayern Munich one day and his idol footballer is the German striker Mario Gomez.[5]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 1 July 2024[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hammarby IF 2015 Allsvenskan 2 0 0 0 2 0
2016 Allsvenskan 5 0 0 0 5 0
Total 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Enskede IK (on loan) 2016 Ettan 14 6 0 0 14 6
Åtvidabergs FF 2017 Superettan 22 5 0 0 22 5
Start 2018 Eliteserien 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jerv (loan) 2018 OBOS-ligaen 11 0 1 0 12 0
HamKam (loan) 2018 OBOS-ligaen 5 0 0 0 5 0
Brommapojkarna (loan) 2019 Superettan 18 3 0 0 18 3
Gefle 2020 Ettan 25 19 0 0 25 19
2021 Ettan 12 3 0 0 12 3
Total 37 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 37 22
Go Ahead Eagles 2021–22 Eredivisie 32 4 4 2 36 6
2022–23 Eredivisie 33 7 3 1 36 8
Total 65 11 7 3 0 0 0 0 72 14
Utrecht 2023–24 Eredivisie 20 4 1 1 1 0 22 5
Career total 199 51 9 4 0 0 1 0 208 55

References

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  1. ^ "Isac Lidberg" (in Swedish). SvFF. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Går inte i pappas fotspår". mitti.se. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Anfallstalangen Isac Lidberg skriver A-lagskontrakt" (in Swedish). Hammarby IF. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Hammarby vs. Falkenberg 3 - 0" (in Swedish). Soccerway. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "Brottarsonen går sin egen väg". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 27 July 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Halmstad vs. Hammarby 2 - 1". Soccerway. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Officiellt: Enskede IK lånar Isac Lidberg" (in Swedish). fotbollstransfers.com. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Matchinformation: Enskede IK mot Piteå IF". Stockholms Fotbollsförbund. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Isac klar för Åtvidaberg". Hammarby Fotboll. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  10. ^ "AVSLÖJAR: Lidberg lämnar Bajen – landslagstalangen nära superettanklubb". Åtvidabergs FF. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Isac Lidberg förstärker Åtvidaberg". Fotbolldirekt. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  12. ^ "En premiär att glömma för ÅFF". Corren. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Her er Starts nye spiss". Start (in Norwegian). 11 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Ny spiller på plass før Marbella". Jerv (in Norwegian). 4 March 2018.
  15. ^ "altomfotball.no: Jerv - Ull/Kisa - OBOS-ligaen - 2. runde, 08.04.2018". TV 2 (in Norwegian). 8 April 2018.
  16. ^ "altomfotball.no: Florø - Jerv - OBOS-ligaen - 13. runde, 17.06.2018". TV 2 (in Norwegian). 17 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Isac Lidberg til HamKam". HamKam (in Norwegian). 15 August 2018.
  18. ^ "altomfotball.no: Øygarden - HamKam - OBOS-ligaen - 20. runde, 19.08.2018". TV 2 (in Norwegian). 19 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Officiellt: Isac Lidberg på lån till IF Brommapojkarna". Fotbolltransfers.com (in Swedish). 25 February 2019.
  20. ^ "Officiellt: Isac Lidberg klar för Gefle IF". Fotbolltransfers.com (in Swedish). 28 February 2020.
  21. ^ a b c Isac Lidberg at Soccerway
  22. ^ "Officiellt: Isac Lidberg flyttar till Go Ahead Eagles i sommar". Fotbolltransfers.com (in Swedish). 1 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles trekt Zweedse spits Isac Lidberg aan". RTV Oost (in Dutch). 30 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles vs. Heerenveen – 13 August 2021". Soccerway. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Zweedse versterking: Isac Lidberg naar FC Utrecht" [Swedish reinforcement: Isac Lidberg to FC Utrecht] (in Dutch). FC Utrecht. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  26. ^ "Foutloos Heerenveen zorgt voor chagrijn bij tandeloos FC Utrecht". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  27. ^ "FC Utrecht stoot RKC tussen bliksemflitsen en donderslagen uit bekertoernooi". NOS (in Dutch). 31 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  28. ^ Manen, Rick van (26 November 2023). "Seuntjens en Lidberg helpen FC Utrecht aan zege op Sparta: 'Beter lelijk winnen dan mooi verliezen'". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  29. ^ Manen, Rick van (3 December 2023). "Kijk terug: FC Utrecht grijpt naast zege tegen AZ: 'Ik had hem op mijn slof'". RTV Utrecht (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Lidberg signs for the Lilies". Darmstadt. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  31. ^ "P18-trupp mot Ungern och Irland" (in Swedish). SvFF. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  32. ^ "Landslagsdatabasen: Isac Lidberg" (in Swedish). SvFF. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  33. ^ "Sweden v Azerbaijan game report". ESPN. 19 November 2024.
  34. ^ "Isac Lidberg - "Jag är en kraftfull forward"" (in Swedish). Hammarby IF. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Martin Lidbergs lycka: "Vi fick en liten flicka"" (in Swedish). mitti.se. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  36. ^ "OS-hjälten Jimmy Lidberg till Hammarby" (in Swedish). mitti.se. 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
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