Son of a Danish couple who decided to make a life for themselves in Sweden, Robin Olsen saw his dreams of a career in football turn into a nightmare at the age of 17. He had just made progress and establishing himself at second-tier IF Limhamn Bunkeflo, when he suffered a knee injury.

He fought hard to recover, but sustained the same injury upon his return to action. It was a huge psychological blow for him. He was shocked to the extent of contemplating retirement before he even began his career in his beloved football.

His wish to play prevailed over disappointment and Robin chose to give it another go starting from a lower level at the ranks of local side Bunkeflo FF. His talent and persistence helped him back on his feet, helped him recover his optimism and get transferred to IFK Klagshamn. From there, he returned to the club where his career started: Malmö FF.

Back to the future

“My return to Malmö FF seems like a dream come true”, he said in his first interview, adding: “I have to improve all facets of my game and become more explosive, because such a return can prove tough”. He made it look easy though, although he was competing against international Johan Dahlin for the starting line-up. It took Robin just one season to register his first appearances and prove that he can be a reliable understudy for the experienced Dahlin despite his young age.

In 2013 he played in 10 league encounters and did great. The bright Swede managers foresaw big things in his future and sold Dahlin to Gençlerbirliği SK. Olsen became the undisputed No 1 and accompanied that with impressive performances. He was voted best goalkeeper of the league in 2014.

The next step

Four years after his dream return to Malmö FF, he decided that he was ready for the next step: to establish himself in a foreign league. He has learned to avoid hasty moves. He lets his brain and not his emotions guide him. That is why he opted for the national team of Sweden, despite stating at the beginning of his career that “I am a Dane, grew up with Peter Schmeichel as role model and I would prefer to represent Denmark”.

What changed? He saw that the Danish squad had a plethora of alternatives in the goalkeeping position and heard national coach Morten Olsen say: “Robin is doing great, but right now we have Kasper Schmeichel, Stephan Andersen, Nicolai Larsen and Jesper Hansen and we are well covered”. He became certain that he would have better chances of playing for Sweden. Through Greece and PAOK he hopes of earning a starting place in the national team of the country he was brought up in.