Hjalmar Ekdal is a Swedish professional footballer born on 21 October 1998 in Stockholm.
He plays as a centre-back for English club Burnley and the Sweden national team.
The son of well-known Swedish television host and journalist Lennart Ekdal and Malin Rääf, who works in healthcare, Hjalmar grew up in the Bromma area of Stockholm.
Ekdal developed through the youth ranks of IF Brommapojkarna before embarking on a professional career that has taken him from Swedish leagues to the English Championship and Premier League, as well as a loan spell in the Netherlands.
He made his senior international debut for Sweden in 2022 and has been included in national team squads, including for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Siblings
Hjalmar has two older brothers, Joel and Albin, making him the youngest of three sons in the family.
Joel, the eldest (born around 1983), pursued floorball (innebandy) rather than professional football and has remained a supportive family member, sharing in the pride of his brothers’ achievements.
Albin, born on 28 July 1989, is a former professional footballer and Sweden international who enjoyed a long career primarily as a defensive midfielder.
Albin progressed through Brommapojkarna, moved early to Italy with Juventus, and later played for clubs including Siena, Bologna, Cagliari, Hamburg in the Bundesliga, Sampdoria, and Spezia, amassing over 300 Serie A appearances and earning around 70 caps for Sweden between 2011 and 2023, including appearances at major tournaments.
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Career
Hjalmar began his youth career at IF Brommapojkarna.
In 2017 he spent a year in the United States playing college soccer for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks, where he featured in 20 matches and scored two goals.
Returning to Sweden in 2018, he signed with IK Frej in Superettan, making appearances and scoring, including a brief loan to Assyriska FF.
In 2019 he moved to Hammarby IF but spent time on loan back at Frej and then at IK Sirius in Allsvenskan during 2020, where he gained valuable top-flight experience.
In January 2021 he joined Djurgårdens IF on a multi-year deal.
At Djurgården he established himself as a regular starter, contributing goals from defence and featuring in European competition.
In January 2023 he transferred to Burnley in the English Championship on a long-term contract.
He scored on his debut in a win over Norwich City and helped the club secure promotion as Championship winners that season.
Subsequent seasons included Premier League appearances, a period of limited game time, and a loan to Dutch side Groningen in early 2025 before returning to Burnley.
Internationally, after youth caps at under-19 and under-21 levels, he debuted for the senior Sweden team in a 2022 UEFA Nations League match against Serbia and has since earned multiple caps while remaining a squad option.
Accolades
During his college year in the United States, Hjalmar was named Colonial Athletic Association Men’s Soccer Rookie of the Year in 2017, earned All-Rookie Team and All-Conference First Team honours, and received other regional recognition including Player of the Week.
In Sweden, he was voted Allsvenskan Player of the Month for September 2021 and Allsvenskan Defender of the Year for the 2021 season while at Djurgårdens IF.
With Burnley he contributed to the club’s EFL Championship title win in the 2022–23 season, which secured promotion to the Premier League.
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