Isak Malcolm Kwaku Hien, born on 13 January 1999 in Stockholm (specifically Kista), Sweden, is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back.
He stands 1.91 metres tall and currently features for Serie A club Atalanta, where he wears the number 4 shirt, as well as the Sweden national team.
Hien was born to a Swedish mother and a Ghanaian father of Burkinabé descent, giving him eligibility for Sweden, Ghana or Burkina Faso at international level.
He ultimately chose to represent Sweden.
Siblings
Isak has a younger brother named Leon Hien, born on 31 July 2001.
Leon is also a professional centre-back who began his career in the Stockholm football scene, following a path similar to his brother’s.
He has played for clubs including Kista SC, IK Frej, Hammarby TFF, Odd in Norway and Degerfors before joining Djurgården in early 2026, the same club where Isak made his senior breakthrough.
Leon started as a more attacking player before transitioning to centre-back.
Career
Hien’s youth career included spells at Kista SC, AIK (where he played alongside future professionals such as Alexander Isak), FC Djursholm and Vasalund.
He made his senior debut with Vasalund in Division 1 Norra in 2017 and remained there through 2020, initially operating mainly as a striker before converting successfully to centre-back around the age of 21.
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In 2021 he joined Djurgården, spending part of that year on loan back at Vasalund in Superettan.
He established himself in Allsvenskan during the 2022 season before transferring to Hellas Verona in Serie A in August 2022 on a permanent deal.
After around a season and a half with Verona, he moved to Atalanta in January 2024 on a contract running until June 2028 for a reported fee of approximately €9 million.
At Atalanta he quickly became a regular, contributing to their successful 2023–24 campaign.
He has continued as a key defensive figure in Serie A and European competitions.
Internationally, Hien received his first call-up to the Sweden senior team in September 2022 and debuted on 24 September 2022 in a UEFA Nations League match against Serbia, playing the full 90 minutes alongside Victor Lindelöf.
He has since become a regular, earning over 30 caps by mid-2026, and was included in Sweden’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he started group-stage matches before an injury limited his involvement.
Accolades
With Atalanta, Hien was part of the squad that won the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League, starting and playing the full match in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
The team also finished as runners-up in the Coppa Italia that season.
On an individual level, he was named Swedish Defender of the Year (Årets back) for 2024 by the Swedish Football Association, recognised for his powerful yet elegant defending, duel-winning ability, ball-playing quality and contributions both at club level during Atalanta’s European success and as a mainstay in the national team defence.
Earlier in his career he contributed to Vasalund’s success in the third tier.
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