Swedish football in a transnational context

Since 1990, and particularly since Sweden gained EU membership in 1994, an ever-increasing number of Swedish football players (notably males) have moved abroad to spend at least some part of their career with foreign clubs. This migration does not take place in a haphazard way; on the contrary, it follows distinct paths mainly depending upon the players' age, ethnicity, gender, and the standard and geographical localisation of the Swedish club that the player was licensed for before migration. It is possible to discern specific categories of players depending upon what leagues they have migrated to and what types of contract they have with their new, foreign clubs. This text presents the results of a study on Swedish football players that have migrated abroad since 1990. It also gives a possible explanation for the underlying causes that has brought about the migration pattern evident in this study