Stefan Marius Johansen (born 8 January 1991) is a Norwegian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
and
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
EFL Championship club
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
. In 2021 he announced that he had retired from international duty with
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
Johansen joined
Bodø/Glimt at the age of 14. He made his first-team debut in 2007, and transferred to
Strømsgodset in 2011 where he was one of the key players in the team that finished second in the league in 2012 and won the league-title in 2013. Johansen won the
Kniksen Award
The Kniksen Award ( no, Kniksenprisen), established in 1990, honors the best players in the Norwegian football premiership. The award is named after the legendary Norwegian football player Roald Jensen, nicknamed "Kniksen".
Categories
Catego ...
as the midfielder of the year in 2013. He transferred to Celtic in January 2014. At Celtic in 2015 he won their player of the year voted for by fans of the club.
Johansen has represented Norway at youth international level, and was a part of the
under-21 team at the
2013 European Championship. He made his full international debut in 2013.
Club career
Bodø/Glimt
Johansen was born and raised in
Vardø
( fi, Vuoreija, fkv, Vuorea, se, Várggát) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, more to the east than Saint Petersburg or Istanbul. The administr ...
, a small town in the far north of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
He moved to
Bodø to sign for
Bodø/Glimt at the age of 14.
He joined the first-team squad along with
Anders Ågnes Konradsen ahead of the
2007 season and Johansen made his debut for the team in the First Round of the
2007 Norwegian Football Cup
The 2007 Norwegian Football Cup was the 102nd season of Norwegian annual knockout football tournament. The competition started on 19 May 2007 with the first-round games and ended on 11 November 2007 with the final. The defending champions were ...
against
Hammerfest
Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerf ...
.
Johansen played six matches in
Adeccoligaen
The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...
when Bodø/Glimt was promoted to
Tippeligaen
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...
in 2007, and made his debut in Tippeligaen in the 3–2 win against
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
on 10 August 2008
when he replaced
Jan Derek Sørensen in the 85th minute.
Johansen made four appearances in the
2009 season,
going on to play regularly for Bodø/Glimt in Adeccoligaen in 2010 and was regarded as one of the biggest talents in
Northern Norway.
Clubs like
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...
,
Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the ...
and
Aalesund wanted to sign Johansen whose contract expired after the season,
but he signed a three-year contract with
Strømsgodset in December 2010, and joined the club on a free transfer on 1 January 2011. Johansen played 18 matches in
Adeccoligaen
The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...
in his final season at Bodø/Glimt.
Strømsgodset
Johansen made his debut for Strømsgodset against in the 2–1 against
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages ...
when he came on in the 80th minute and replaced
Fredrik Nordkvelle. In his first season at Strømsgodset, Johansen made 13 league appearances and scored one goal.
In the match against
Sandnes Ulf
Sandnes Ulf is a Norwegian association football club from Sandnes, Rogaland, currently playing in the 1. divisjon, the second highest division in the Norwegian football league system. The club play their home matches at Øster Hus Arena. The cl ...
on 16 May 2012, Johansen scored a goal from a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
. In the 5–0 win against
Fredrikstad
Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a List of cities in Norway, city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the ...
on 27 May 2012, Johansen scored another goal from a free kick, identical to the one he scored 11 days earlier. Johansen made his break-through at Strømsgodset after
Mohammed Abu
Mohammed Abu (born 14 November 1991) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for San Antonio FC in the USL Championship. He previously played for Strømsgodset, Rayo Vallecano, Lorient, Columbus Crew SC, and Vålereng ...
returned to
Manchester City, when he became a regular in Strømsgodset's starting line-up
and was in August 2012 awarded the
Statoil Talent Prize for his performances. In 2013, Johansen helped Strømsgodset to win their first league title in 43 years
and was voted the
Midfielder of the Year in the Norwegian league.
Celtic
On 15 January 2014, Johansen sealed a move to
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
club
Celtic for a transfer fee of £2 million.
Johansen signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club, and became the fourth Norwegian to play for Celtic following
Harald Brattbakk,
Vidar Riseth
Vidar Riseth (born 21 April 1972) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or midfielder. He played for Neset, Rosenborg, Kongsvinger, Lillestrøm and Strømsgodset in Norway, and Luton Town, LASK Linz, Celti ...
and
Thomas Rogne.
He was given the number 25 shirt, the same number worn in previous years by
Ľubomír Moravčík
Ľubomír "Lubo" Moravčík (born 22 June 1965) is a Slovakian football manager and former footballer. A creative midfielder renowned for his technical ability, he was capable of unleashing powerful, accurate shots, and pinpoint crosses with bo ...
and
Shunsuke Nakamura
is a Japanese former professional footballer. He is the only person to have been named J.League Most Valuable Player more than once, receiving the award in 2000 and 2013. Steve Perryman once remarked that Nakamura "could open a tin of beans wi ...
.
Johansen made his debut for Celtic in the 4–0 victory against
Hibernian on 26 January 2014 when he played the last five minutes as a substitute. He scored his first goal for Celtic on 22 March 2014 in a home league match against
St Mirren, opening the scoring in a 3–0 win with a header.
Fulham
Johansen signed a three-year deal with
Fulham on 26 August 2016 for an undisclosed fee. Johansen scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
on 18 October 2016.
On 31 January 2019, Johansen joined
West Brom on loan until the end of the season.
Queens Park Rangers
On 26 January 2021, Johansen joined
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
on loan until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for QPR in a 2-1 win over
Bournemouth on 20 February 2021.
On 24 July 2021, following a successful loan spell, Johansen returned to Queens Park Rangers on a permanent deal, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
International career
Johansen made his debut for Norway when he played for the under-15 team against Poland U15 on 8 August 2006.
He has later represented Norway at every level up to under-23,
and played both matches for the
under-21 team when they eliminated
France U21 and qualified for the
2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
Thirteen or 13 may refer to:
* 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14
* One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013
Music
* 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band
Albums
* ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013
* ...
.
Johansen was part of the Norway side which beat
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the European Under-21 Championships before losing to eventual winners
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
at the semi-final stage.
Johansen has thirty-six full international caps for his country, scoring his first international goal on his debut against
Sweden in
Stockholm on 14 August 2014.
On 22 March 2017, Johansen was appointed as the new captain of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, replacing
Per Ciljan Skjelbred
Per Ciljan Skjelbred (born 16 June 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Rosenborg. He has previously played for Hertha Berlin and Hamburger SV, and has been capped 43 times playing for Norway, but as of 2017, ...
. On 10 March 2021, Johansen announced that he would retire from international football immediately.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Johansen goal''.
Honours
Strømsgodset
*
Eliteserien
Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotio ...
:
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Celtic
*
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottis ...
:
2013–14,
2014–15,
2015–16
*
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
:
2014–15
Fulham
*
EFL Championship play-offs:
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
Individual
*
Kniksen Award
The Kniksen Award ( no, Kniksenprisen), established in 1990, honors the best players in the Norwegian football premiership. The award is named after the legendary Norwegian football player Roald Jensen, nicknamed "Kniksen".
Categories
Catego ...
, Midfielder of the Year: 2013
*
Gullballen: 2014
*
PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year
The PFA Scotland Players' Player of the Year (often called the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Scottish Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish footbal ...
:
2014–15
*
Celtic Player of the Year:
2014–15
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Stefan
1991 births
Living people
People from Vardø
Norwegian footballers
Norway youth international footballers
Norway under-21 international footballers
Norway international footballers
Association football midfielders
FK Bodø/Glimt players
Strømsgodset Toppfotball players
Celtic F.C. players
Fulham F.C. players
Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Norwegian First Division players
Eliteserien players
Scottish Professional Football League players
Norwegian expatriate footballers
English Football League players
Premier League players
Expatriate footballers in Scotland
Expatriate footballers in England
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England
Sportspeople from Troms og Finnmark