Erik Börjesson

Erik Börjesson grew up in Jonsered, where he started working for a local textile mill as a 12-years-old. In a working accident he lost two fingers. He started his career at local club Jonsereds GIF. In 1907, he transferred to IFK Göteborg together with three teammates from Jonsered. He soon became the top player of the team and helped them win the first Swedish championship in 1908 scoring one goal in the final. The team repeated this feat in 1910. From the 1911 season he wore the colours of local rivals Örgryte IS, but then returned to IFK. After a friendly between IFK and the English team Liverpool FC in 1914, he declined an offer of a contract with the club from Liverpool to become professional. He won a third championship in 1918 and continued to play for IFK Göteborg until 1920, when he retired from active competition. During his career with IFK he played 220 A-team matches and scored 291 goals. However, he made a comeback in 1923 and was a player-coach for Örgryte IS for two years.

Börjesson played as a centre forward in Sweden’s first ever international match against Norway in 1908 against Norway. He scored four of Sweden’s 11 goals in this match. From 1908-22, he won a total of 17 caps and scored 14 goals. At the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games he was a member of the Swedish team. While he was an unused reserve in 1908, he played in both of Sweden’s matches, which were both lost. He scored one goal in the match against the Netherlands with a penalty kick. Börjesson is considered as one of Sweden’s best footballers in the first two decades of the 20th century. In 1926, he was awarded the “Stor Grabb” badge in football and was inducted into the Swedish Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

He worked as a turner and mechanical worker at Jonsereds Fabrikers AB, now owned by Husqvarna AB. His son Reino (1929-2023) was a professional footballer who played 10 international matches for Sweden and participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final when Sweden lost 5–2 to Brazil.