Bremen hail Sweden's invisible man
Monday, April 21, 2008
Article summary
Having stealthily become one of the deadliest strikers in the German Bundesliga Sweden's Markus Rosenberg is hitting peak form just in time for UEFA EURO 2008™.
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Having stealthily become one of the most dangerous strikers in the German Bundesliga, Sweden's Markus Rosenberg is hitting peak form just in time for UEFA EURO 2008™.
Team player
Other forwards may have caught the eye in Germany this season, not least FC Bayern München's Luca Toni, but Rosenberg – signed from AFC Ajax for around €4m in January 2007 – may yet prove to be the unheralded star of the campaign. He has registered eleven goals and eight assists in the league already, underlining his growing reputation as one of the better team players in the Bundesliga.
Slow start
Comfortable with both feet and his head, the former Malmö FF striker scored 12 goals in 40 league games for Ajax before joining Bremen, and made a slow start to life in north-west Germany. "I needed time at Bremen to get used to the surroundings," he said, having largely started as a substitute in his first calendar year in Bremen. However, his goalscoring record from the bench did not go unnoticed, and since being given more of a run in the first team since last November, he has scored plenty of fine goals like a back-heeled effort against BV Borussia Dortmund on 1 March. "That was an absolutely crazy goal," he remembered. "I hoped the ball would go in on its own but it didn't so I went after it."
Striking foil
Nicknamed 'Rosi' at Bremen, the 25-year-old's selfless work is drawing admiring glances in Germany, and Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs recently said of him that "Markus is getting better and better". With Sweden still seeking a striking foil for Zlatan Ibrahimović, that can only be good news with UEFA EURO 2008™approaching, and Rosenberg hungry to add to his six goals in 21 caps. An unused squad player at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Rosenberg may yet move ahead of Johan Elmander in the Swedish pecking order as Lars Lagerbäck seeks the right player to complement the the brilliant Ibrahimović. Coaches will expect the FC Internazionale Milano man to lead the line for Sweden, so Rosenberg may be the ideal player to strike from the shadows when opponents least expect it.
