In November, Albin Ekdal played his last international match. Ahead of the men’s national team’s match against Albania tonight, the midfielder will be dismissed.
– Albin is a great player and a fantastic person and I am grateful that I have been able to play with him in the national team, says team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf.
There were 70 international matches after the debut which took place in 2011 against Ukraine. In the last match, in the EC qualifier against Estonia in the autumn, Albin Ekdal was the team captain.
Victor Nilsson Lindelöf warmly handed over that responsibility to his colleague with whom he had many great moments over the years.
– Every gathering that we have been together, all the laughs and all the things we have been part of during our national team years have meant a lot. Albin is a great player and a fantastic person and I am grateful that I have been able to play with him in the national team, says Victor Nilsson Lindelöf.
Former national team player Sebastian Larsson, who is now part of the coaching staff, also has many memories of Albin Ekdal.
– Albin has been a standard bearer in the national team for a long time. During his time in the national team, he became a player that the national team trusted. I think it was a security for many to have Albin in the team. That’s probably the best grade you can give a player, I think, says Sebastian Larsson, who continues:
– Albin is an incredibly nice person and teammate. As a player, he stood up for the team with his sacrificial play.
The farewell to Albin Ekdal begins at 18.40 at Friends Arena.
Albin Ekdal’s national team facts