Victor Jörgen Nilsson Lindelöf (born July 17, 1994) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester United and captains the Swedish national team. He is primarily a center-back but can also play right-back and defensive midfield.
In December 2011, he opted to join Benfica in Portugal and started representing the club at the youth and B levels.
Following his first-team debut in September 2013, he proceeded to play for the club at the B level while winning three Primeira Liga titles. He joined Manchester United in July 2017.
At the under-17, under-19, under-21, and senior levels, Lindelöf represented Sweden. He was a member of the victorious side at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
He made his senior international debut in March 2016 and competed for his country at UEFA Euro 2016, the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2020.
Club career
Lindelöf played for several Västerås-based clubs during his youth, including IK Franke, Västerås IK, and Västerås SK.
Västerås SK
At the age of 15, Lindelöf earned his Västerås SK debut in October 2009 when the team defeated BK Forward 3-0 in the 2009 Division 1 Norra season’s last round.
The following season, he helped his team move up a level in the Swedish league system when they were promoted to the second-highest division. In 2011, he traveled to England to try out with Stoke City, but they did not make an offer.
Benfica
On December 1, 2011, Lindelöf decided to sign with the Portuguese team Benfica for the summer of 2012. On June 8, 2015, his contract was extended through 2020.
During the 2012–13 season, he participated in the youth team and won the Portuguese under-19 title.
On October 19, 2013, he made his first-team debut in a 1-0 Portuguese Cup victory over CD Cinfães, playing the entire match. In the 2013-14 season, he scored two goals in 33 reserve team games.
In the 2015-16 season, he returned to the first squad in a 1-0 Taça da Liga victory over Nacional.
He participated in the full game on February 16, 2016, as Benfica defeated Zenit Saint Petersburg 1-0 at home in the first leg of the round of 16 UEFA Champions League.
He scored his first goal for Benfica in a 3-1 Primeira Liga victory over Paços de Ferreira four days later.
He took part in the Taça de Portugal final on May 28, 2017, which saw Benfica overcome Vitória de Guimarães (2-1).
By the time he left Benfica, he had three Primeira Liga titles, one Taça da Liga title, and two Taça de Portugal trophies under his belt.
Manchester United
On June 10, 2017, Manchester United confirmed that they had reached an agreement with Benfica to sign Lindelöf for €35 million (with a potential €10 million in add-ons), subject to personal terms and the player passing a medical.
Former club Västerås SK received €3 million of the transfer fee due to a previous sell-on clause, making them one of Sweden’s richest clubs at the time.
Lindelöf passed his physical at the Trafford Training Centre on June 14, and the Swede signed a four-year contract with an option for an additional year; Manchester United confirmed that the contract will begin on July 1.
Though it was over two months before his Premier League debut, which came on October 14 during extra time against Liverpool, he made his official club debut against Real Madrid in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup.
Due to Jose Mourinho’s penchant for a defensive duo of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, he only made 17 appearances in the Premier League, 13 of which were starts.
Lindelöf scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season on December 20, 2020, in a 6-2 home win over Leeds United. On February 2, 2021, he played the entire 90 minutes of Manchester United’s Premier League record-tying 9-0 home victory over Southampton.
On May 26, 2021, he played the entire 120 minutes as Manchester United lost the 2021 UEFA Europa League final against Villarreal in a 10-11 penalty shootout, with Lindelöf scoring United’s tenth chance kick.
Lindelöf played as a backup to Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane, and Harry Maguire until their injuries in a UEFA Europa League match against Sevilla in April.
Lindelöf scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season on December 20, 2020, in a 6-2 home win over Leeds United. On February 2, 2021, he played the entire 90 minutes of Manchester United’s Premier League record-tying 9-0 home victory over Southampton.
On May 26, 2021, he played the entire 120 minutes as Manchester United lost the 2021 UEFA Europa League final against Villarreal in a 10-11 penalty shootout, with Lindelöf scoring United’s tenth chance kick.
Lindelöf played as a backup to Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane, and Harry Maguire until their injuries in a UEFA Europa League match against Sevilla in April.
International career
Lindelöf debuted for the under-21 team on October 14, 2014, in the second leg of the qualification play-offs against France.
Although Lindelöf was not nominated to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final roster, he replaced defender Emil Krafth, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, on June 15, 2015. He debuted in the tournament’s first game against Italy.
On June 30, 2015, he converted Sweden’s fifth and final penalty in a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Portugal in the final to become European under-21 champion. He was named to the Tournament Team.
He was named to Sweden’s squad for the UEFA Euro 2016 in France, where he started all three of the team’s group games, although Sweden did not advance to the round of 16.
Lindelöf was also named to Sweden’s 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but he was barred from competing by his club Benfica, which believed that their players’ participation in the Olympics would jeopardize their chances the following season.
On October 10, 2016, Lindelöf scored his first goal for Sweden against Bulgaria in a 3-0 victory in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Friends Arena in Stockholm.
In May 2018, he was named to Sweden’s 23-man FIFA World Cup squad in Russia.
Lindelöf missed the opening game against South Korea due to illness, but he was a regular starter in defense alongside fellow center-back Andreas Granqvist for the rest of the tournament. Lindelöf and Sweden were eliminated in the quarter-finals against England.
Lindelöf was named to Sweden’s UEFA Euro 2020 qualification squad in March 2019. However, he elected to withdraw from the squad for personal reasons, including the birth of his first kid.
He was succeeded by Anton Tinnerholm. He represented Sweden at UEFA Euro 2020, playing in all four games as the country advanced to the round of 16 before being eliminated by Ukraine.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson named Lindelöf as Andreas Granqvist’s successor as captain on August 11, 2021, following Granqvist’s retirement after Euro 2020.
Personal life.
Lindelöf announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend Maja Nilsson shortly after joining Manchester United in 2017.
They married at the end of May 2018 in Sweden. In March 2019, they welcomed their first child.
Their second child was born in October 2021.
Net Worth
The Swedish footballer is a millionaire by any standard, His net worth is now estimated at $9.5 million.