5Q | Erik Edman on Bergvall, Sweden, World Cup memories and… Panini stickers
Erik Edman turned childhood dreams into reality when he stepped out at the World Cup for Sweden in 2006.
The full-back was selected for the 2002 tournament in Japan and Korea alongside the likes of Olof Mellberg, Freddie Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic but didn’t feature as Sweden were knocked out at the Round of 16 stage by Senegal.
Signed from Heerenveen in 2004, Erik became the first Sweden player to play for Spurs and featured 34 times in the 2004/05 season - famously scoring a 35-yarder at Anfield – before moving on to Rennes in France.
Capped 57 times, 2001-09, Erik was the starting left-back as Sweden travelled to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He played against Trinidad & Tobago, Paraguay and England as both Sweden and England qualified from the group stage. However, facing the hosts in the Round of 16 was a step too far as early goals from Lukas Podolski saw Germany home 2-0.
Twenty years later, Erik, now 47, is back to watching as a fan and keeping a close eye on Lucas Bergvall as Sweden take on Tunisia, Japan and the Netherlands in a tough-looking Group F – kicking off against Tunisia in the early hours of Monday.
Q1 | What are your first memories of the World Cup?
Erik: “As a young boy it was Mexico 86 and all those iconic names that featured in that World Cup. Obviously, Maradona was the clear and obvious superstar of that tournament, but there were so many others as well. I was collecting the Panini Sticker Album with all the teams and I remember it took me a lot of time and effort to get Michel Platini!”
Q2 | What was it like going from the young boys watching the World Cup to actually being there in 2002 and 2006?
Erik: “All the championships are really special and you enter a mini world for a couple of weeks together with the squad. Every game is elevated 1,000 times compared to a normal league game, as your whole country watches and have a take what’s going on. I think players should enjoy the experience and try to distance themselves from that as much as possible – of course, that’s almost impossible now with social media, but try to stay away from that interaction, regardless of how things go.”
Q3 | Let’s talk Spurs and Sweden – sadly, Deki Kulusevski is injured, but Lucas Bergvall is in the squad. You’ve no doubt followed Lucas at Spurs – how do you think he’s getting on?
Erik: “Lucas is - as you all know - a fantastic talent. He’s had a tough second season, but I’m sure it’s been tough for everyone. The Swedish team also had a bit of a nightmare in qualification (Sweden actually finished bottom of UEFA qualifying Group B, behind Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia, but made it to the 2026 World Cup via the play-offs) but Lucas was instrumental to actually help Sweden win the play-offs against Poland – when he came off the bench, he more or less changed the game to our advantage. Viktor Gyokeres scored the winner, but Lucas changed the game. I think Graham Potter knows he needs to be careful with Lucas and I would assume he will gradually play more and more if we manage to progress. We just need to make sure we get through the group stage…”
Q4 | Yes, looking at the group - Sweden have Tunisia, Netherlands and Japan- looks a tough group - what do you think?
Erik: “On paper, I think the squad has good players, but to be honest we were terrible in the qualification run, but saved by the play-offs, a place gained in the play-offs by winning the C Division of the UEFA Nations League. On top of that, our two friendlies before flying out haven’t been convincing – we were 3-0 down in 35 minutes against Norway (lost 3-1) and then drew 2-2 against Greece. I would say right here and now, we should be happy finishing third in the group and progressing that way as I rate both Japan and the Netherlands.”
Q5 | Finally Erik, who wins this World Cup - and why?
Erik: “Everyone says France because of the quality and depth of the squad they have, but I hope Spain will win it. I like the way they play, and they also have a playing style that probably can cope with the heat! After watching them beat Sweden 3-1 recently, I think Norway can go quite far, they look solid and have both pace and power up front, and will be good at set plays which very often has a decisive impact on games in a World Cup.”