Joel Ekstrand

Lars Henning Joel Ekstrand ( born February 4, 1989 in Lund ) is a Swedish football player. The defender, who was standing in his career in his home country, Italy, and England under contract, debuted in 2010 in the Swedish national team.

Career

Start your career in Sweden and international debut

Ekstrand began playing football at Lunds BK in his home town of Lund. There he went through the various youth teams and played in the notebook of junior coach Jörgen Lennartsson, who appointed him to the junior national teams. He aroused the interest höherklassiger clubs and joined in 2006 the youth department of Helsingborgs IF on.

First Ekstrand played exclusively in the youth teams of Helsingborgs IF. After Oskar Rönningberg had been canceled due to an injury, he came on the occasion of the UEFA Cup match against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in February 2008, which ended with a 0-3 defeat at the side of Andreas Jakobsson his first appearance in central defense first team of the club. In the subsequent season 2008 he established himself in the Allsvenskan directly as a regular player and stood at 26 of the 30 Erstligapartien in the starting lineup. He contributed to the fourth place, which meant the re- qualification for an international competition. Therefore After the season he was among the nominees for the award as Årets Nykomling, as a newcomer of the year, however, was Robin Söder chosen.

His success at club base led Ekstrand in the Swedish U- 21 team. Under the coaching duo Tommy Söderberg and Jörgen Lennartsson he made his debut on 27 March 2009 in the 1-2 away defeat against Belgium U- 21 team in the junior selection. Although belonging to the younger born, he kept as a reserve player in the squad of the older vintage. The end of May appealed Lennartsson and Söderberg him next to his team mate Andreas Landgren and Pär Hansson into the squad for the U- 21 European Championship finals in the summer in their own country. During the tournament, however, he did not play.

As a regular player in the club team Ekstrand extended in the summer of 2009, his contract until 2012. During the qualification round of the UEFA Europa League 2009/10 he came in five games used, whereby he 's home game against the Georgian side FC Zestaponi with the goal to 1:2 intermediate level in stoppage time on the one hand scored his first competitive goal for the club and on the other hand forced the extension, guaranteed in the Erik Sundin with the 2-2 promotion to the third round. With his good performances he put one hand in the U -21 team, on another side he played also in the notebook of the national coach Erik Hamrén. As alongside Michael Almebäck and Emil Johansson one of three debutants in the starting lineup, he played in the 1-1 draw against Syria after goals from Raja Rafa and Mathias Ranégie his first international match. In the following season, 2010, he confirmed his good performance as a regular player on the side of Rasmus Jönsson, Mattias Lindström and Erik Edman he reached behind Malmö FF the runner-up and the cup final against Hammarby IF. There he stood in the starting eleven, with a goal by Jönsson, he won with the team the title.

Move abroad

After successful negotiations, his agent Martin Dahlin Ekstrand signed in January 2011 signed a contract with three and a half years of operation with the Italian club Udinese Calcio, Helsingborgs IF received according to press reports 1.6 million Euro transfer fee. In the second half of the Serie A season 2010/11 he came only to a short-term use, as it should strengthen in the 2-1 win over Lazio at the third last match after a sending-off of defender Gabriele Angella on as a substitute on the defensive. In the following season, he was unable to establish himself in the team, although he in both games in the placement round of the Champions League 2011/12 against FC Arsenal and five games of the Europa League 2011/12 until retirement against the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar participated in the second round.

Shortly before the end of the summer transfer window changed Ekstrand on August 31, 2012 on loan to England and joined the trained Gianfranco Zola Watford FC.