In the history of European football, there are migration routes as regular as train lines. The one connecting Sweden to the Netherlands is just such a route—unseen on maps but deeply embedded in the DNA of the Blagut.
For three decades, Sweden’s top talents have crossed the North Sea to develop, toughen up, and sometimes make their mark at Dutch clubs before returning to haunt their former mentors in international competitions, like this Saturday’s World Cup group stage match between the two countries.
The pioneers: when Amsterdam and Rotterdam forged legends
Zlatan Ibrahimovic put it best in his farewell message upon retiring in 2023: "I was born in Malmö. I grew up in Amsterdam." Arriving in a whirlwind from Sweden, the young striker with rebellious hair and a huge ego became Ajax’s record signing at nearly 8 million euros.
After three years under Ronald Koeman, he tallied 48 goals in 110 matches and won two Dutch league titles, a KNVB Beker, and two Supercups. It was there he learned to channel his genius, play for the team, and become that ultra-technical pivot capable of scoring wonder goals - like his legendary slalom against NAC Breda on August 22, 2004, still remembered by the club’s fans.
Henrik Larsson tells a similar story in different words. In 1993, the future king of Celtic FC left Helsingborg for Feyenoord. "Moving to the Netherlands was different. Of course, the culture and new language required some adjustment. But it was a good experience, and I think I learned a lot about what it meant to be a professional footballer," he told Flashscore in October 2025.
The striker took time to adapt to his new environment and training methods, but his stats improved season after season, reaching double digits in league goals in the 1995-96 campaign.
John Guidetti rounds out this first picture. Loaned from Manchester City to Feyenoord for the 2011-2012 season, the striker exploded at De Kuip: 20 goals in 23 matches, including three consecutive home hat-tricks. This remarkable season revived a career that had already stalled and opened the door to the national team. The pathway had its pioneers. What’s even more fascinating is how it has endured.
The science of the game: midfielders and playmakers
Between the legends and the current generation, a cohort of less high-profile but equally influential players has kept the tradition alive.
At Heerenveen, Christian Wilhelmsson developed the technical skills that made him one of the most dazzling wingers in modern Blagult history.
At AZ, Rasmus Elm honed his vision and passing under Louis van Gaal, earning praise from the football press in 2012.
At PSV, Ola Toivonen became a formidable hybrid—78 goals in five seasons - linking midfield and attack with rare tactical intelligence, a key figure for the Blagult for a decade.
At FC Groningen, future captain Andreas Granqvist toughened up in what insiders describe as the toughest environment for a central defender: a league where teams attack relentlessly in wide 4-3-3 formations, leaving constant space behind the back line. There, he learned to anticipate, defend in depth, and play out from the back—qualities he would carry all the way to the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals as captain.
Alexander Isak, the Dutch breakthrough
The backbone of today’s Sweden bears the same Dutch imprint. Alexander Isak is the clearest example. Stuck at Borussia Dortmund after arriving from AIK in 2017, he joined Willem II on loan in January 2019. The impact was immediate.
"In his first match against FC Utrecht, our jaws really dropped. He’d only had three training sessions, and we were under pressure, but with him on the pitch, we could just send the ball forward without hesitation. He’d sprint and in a split second he’d covered thirty meters," recalled Jorden Peters, Willem II’s captain, in the mixed zone.
The rest was just as impressive: 13 goals and 7 assists in 16 matches. Between March and April, he scored in seven straight games, surpassing the scoring rates of Ronaldo and Romário over the same stretch. Isak himself summed up his approach: "My speciality is getting into the right position to exploit space." A skill he developed in a Dutch league known for its slower pace.
The 2026 World Cup generation also shaped by the Eredivisie
Among the 26 players called up by Graham Potter for the 2026 World Cup, six have spent time in the Eredivisie at some point in their careers. Gabriel Gudmundsson owes a lot to this league. The starting left wing-back for the Blågult, now at Leeds United in the Premier League, built the foundations of his game at Groningen between 2019 and 2021 before joining Lille for six million euros.
Hjalmar Ekdal continues this tradition at the same club: loaned to Groningen for the 2024-2025 season from Burnley, the central defender is the latest in a long line of Swedish stoppers trained at the northern club - Granqvist, a pioneer, also developed his game there about fifteen years earlier.
Gustaf Lagerbielke chose FC Twente to relaunch his career in the 2024-2025 season, loaned from Celtic in August 2024. The Eredivisie was a necessary step to win back his place in the national team. Mission accomplished: Potter called him up for the World Cup
Benjamin Nygren, meanwhile, spent time at Heerenveen between 2020 and 2022, scoring seven goals in 32 matches in his first season.
To these names, add Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Sweden’s starting goalkeeper at this World Cup. Transferred to Heerenveen in March 2012, he played 104 Eredivisie matches over three seasons, establishing himself in a league where goalkeepers face unique demands: they must be the first to start attacks, able to launch transitions with a single pass. This experience shaped his style for the rest of his career.
A never-ending story
Over the decades, Swedish players have absorbed the Dutch style—positional play, quick decision-making, technical demands for goalkeepers, defending in large spaces—and blended it with their own football identity, built on physical strength and tactical discipline. Marcus Berg at Groningen and then PSV, Ola Toivonen, and Andreas Granqvist infused this Dutch culture into the Swedish dressing room for over a decade, passing on the keys to a style of football that their successors only had to make their own.
And the story is far from over. Maximilian Ibrahimovic, son of Zlatan and a Sweden U19 international, joined Ajax on loan from AC Milan in January 2026, with a purchase option set at around 3.5 million euros. He’s 19 - the exact age his father was when he first arrived in Amsterdam.
Maximilian embraces the comparison, but is here to write his own story: "It’s cool that my dad also played for Ajax. I’m happy to have the chance to play here and develop. I want to write my own story. I’m my own person, my own player, and I’m here to make my own choices."