From Subway counter to Champions League: the Mjallby striker still cycling to games

Jacob Bergstrom's path to the Champions League was never going to be straightforward. He was not picked up by a youth academy, played amateur football until 22, and was still making sandwiches at Subway even after signing for Mjallby in 2018. Only at 24 did he become a full-time professional. Now Bergstrom is a Swedish champion, a Swedish Cup winner and a Champions League scorer. Next up for him and Mjallby is Slovan Bratislava, coached by former Manchester City midfielder and Champions League winner Yaya Toure. Bergstrom, speaking to sources, said he could never have imagined any of this. When he first arrived, the club was in the third division, and simply signing for them felt enormous. To be standing where he is now, he says, is crazy and amazing. Mjallby is based in Hallevik, a coastal village in southern Sweden with fewer than 1,000 residents. The club is the strongest in Blekinge County and drew an average of 5,000 fans last season. Bergstrom grew up in Karlskrona, an hour's drive north, where handball and ice hockey dominate. He returned to Mjallby in 2023 after a short spell at Djurgarden, settling in Hallevik with his wife and two children. He still cycles to games and training at Strandvallen, the ground located 100 meters from the Baltic Sea, surrounded by woods, a campsite and an outdoor pool. He loves the sea and the beach, and says the village suits his family even if the winters are quiet. Fans see Bergstrom as one of them. The 6ft 3in forward embodies the region's underdog spirit. He once celebrated in front of Malmo supporters and, after being showered with beer, said it tasted very good. On another occasion he grabbed a megaphone and led a chant aimed at their big-city rivals. When Mjallby played their first European game, against Gibraltar's Lincoln Red Imps, the village turned into a festival. A jazz band welcomed 3,500 fans, while another 2,300 gathered at the marina with deck chairs and coolers to watch on a big screen. Bergstrom called the tifo unbelievable, and captain Jesper Gustavsson said it gave him goosebumps. Hallevik became the second smallest village to host a Champions League fixture, after Streymnes in the Faroe Islands, which has 321 residents. Gustavsson is another symbol of this fairytale. He is the last survivor of the Mjallby team that avoided relegation to the fourth tier, and probable bankruptcy, on the final day of the 2016 season. At the time he wondered whether he and his teammates should quit. He kept going, and now he is living his dream with the club he has supported since childhood. The captain, who made his debut at 18 after attending matches with his father, leads a loyal group that keeps proving the doubters wrong.