Mikael "Hella" Hellström (born 11 March 1972) is a
Swedish retired
footballer. Throughout his whole professional career he represented
Hammarby IF, as a
one club man.
Early life
Mikael Hellström started playing football at the local club Västerhaninge IF, before joining
Hammarby IF as a youth player in 1982, at age 10.
As a youngster, he mostly played a central defender.
Club career
He advanced through the ranks at Hammarby and made his senior debut for the club in
Allsvenskan in 1990, aged 18.
His first competitive appearance came as a substitute in a
local derby on August 13 in a shocking 1-9 loss against
Djurgårdens IF.
He soon established himself as a regular starter during the 1990s, a period when Hammarby was known as a
yo-yo club bouncing between the first and second tier. He usually played at a central midfield position, being known as a technically gifted player with a great set of leadership and work rate.
During the later years of his career he repositioned himself playing as a left
full back. His biggest achievement came in 2001 when Hammarby won Allsvenskan for the first time in the club's history.
During the
2002–03 UEFA Champions League qualification stage, he featured in both games as Hammarby got knocked out by the
Serbia
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, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
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n side
Partizan Belgrade in the second round (1-5 on aggregate).
Mikael Hellström was forced into retirement in 2005, aged 33, due to a hip injury.
In total, he made 301 league appearances for
Hammarby IF and scored 18 goals. Hellström also
captained the side in the seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2002.
In 2004, Hellström was voted as Hammarby Fotboll's twelfth biggest profile throughout the history of the club. Between 2007 and 2008, he worked as a scout for said club during the reign of manager
Tony Gustavsson and director of football (as well as former teammate)
Lars Eriksson.
International career
Hellström was a part of the
Swedish under-20 national team during the
1991 FIFA World Youth Championship in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. He won his first, and single cap, for the side in a 0-2 group stage loss against
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
on 20 June in said tournament.
In May 1999, he won his first and only cap for the
Sweden national team, playing the entire game in a 2–1 friendly over
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
on
Råsunda Stadium.
Honours
;Hammarby
*
Allsvenskan:
2001
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellstrom, Mikael
Swedish men's footballers
Hammarby Fotboll players
1972 births
Living people
Sweden men's youth international footballers
Sweden men's international footballers
Allsvenskan players
Men's association football midfielders
Footballers from Stockholm