I got to spray the MFF car after moving
Malmo. Martin Olsson is one of the few Helsingborgers to have worn the MFF jersey over the years.
Vänsterbacken also chose to stay in Helsingborg.
It is not always very popular among HIF fans.
– It’s quieter than you think. But sometimes I say I’m Marcus.
In the late 80s, several cars with players moved from Malmö to Helsingborg. Those who did not participate in the MFF, who later took control of Allsvenskan with IFK Gothenburg, were given playing time at HIF in Division I South.
But after the rise of HIF in Allsvenskan in 1993, traffic north of Malmö essentially came to a halt. Over the years, there have been very few players who have moved in the other direction, from HIF to MFF. According to an article on Fotbollskanalen from 2012, until then there were only three players who went directly from HIF to MFF: Bengt Lindskog 1955, Babis Stefanidis 2007, Simon Thern 2012 and three other HIF players who ended up in MFF via another club.
But last summer we got a fourth when Martin Olsonthrough six months in Häcken, was signed to MFF.
Unlike Stefanidis and Thern, whose transfers have caused a lot of bad blood among HIF supporters with unacceptable and vicious threats and harassment as a result, Olsson is a native of Helsingborg. Born and raised in the county of Närlunda and raised in football in Högaborgs BK. He also chose to stay in Helsingborg with his partner and two-year-old daughter.
We have our friends there and my brother Marcus lives only five minutes away. We usually see a lot, Olson says.
I got sprayed the car
The 34-year-old has said since he finished with Malmö a year ago that he has managed to stay in his hometown despite the club’s new title.
But on Monday, his first derby against HIF awaits him.
Do you keep a less at-home look in Helsingborg then?
– not at all. If I want to go out and have coffee, I do. Fans who always get ahead are respectful. It’s quieter than you think.
But it is remarkable that a member of the MFF still lives in Helsingborg.
– Although there are many Malmö fans in Helsingborg as well. Most of my brother’s neighbors are not happy. They complain a lot when I’m with my brother. Then you hear some.
Martin and Marcus, who play Superettan with Halmstad, are confusingly identical twins.
– Sometimes I say I’m Marcus, so I don’t hear from the neighbors. I understand if HIF fans are not happy to be in Malmö. But it was a decision I had to make mathematically. It seemed to be the right decision: two titles in less than a year and two Champions League matches.
Did your brother shit when they thought it was you?
No, people always ask first: Are you Martin or Marcus?
But Olson’s car, an MFF sponsor car with the club’s crest, did not escape unscathed after its transfer.
-Maybe they didn’t know it was my car but they sprayed a Malmö sign on it. It is parked in town. The brother was carrying it and when he came back he was sprayed.
How did you take it?
– No nothing. I understand that. If you’ve been driving around in Helsingborg, it always excites some people. I drove it for a while too, when it was still painted black. The car was white so you could see it clearly, smiling.
Now he changed cars – without the MFF club brand.
– it’s not possible. Then they search for it and spray it again. It’s better this way.
First match against HIF as a senior
Monday’s derby will be Olsson’s first match against HIF since his youth at Högaborg. He actually left the Parents club when he was 18 years old to become a young professional at Blackburn.
– Then Högaborg was better. Now Malmö is better.
He thinks the match against HIF means more than that, as a youth at Högaborg, than now in MFF.
– Then you wanted to be the best in town. HIFs thought it was better than it was. I’m much calmer now too. Try to take every match as a normal match.
So Olsson never played for HIF when he came to the club injured in 2020 and spent a season at Olympia.
– I respect them at HIF. They took good care of me after I came back from the injury. I have a good relationship with the players, with Mellberg and Granen and those around the club. There will be no incitement against the players, and I do not want to incite the fans either.
What do you say about the HIF season so far?
– I thought they would be a little better and be higher in the table. it’s a shame. With this story, I think they should be higher. But really, I only think of three points for us.
What is the biggest difference between MFF and HIF?
There is more pressure here in Malmö to win every game. There is more pressure from the players, everyone wants to win here. Everyone gets annoyed if you lose or don’t reach a certain level. There is a lot of routine here. But above all else, there are more winners’ heads here.
“He sees two more years as a left-back.”
Last Saturday, Sportbladet revealed that Olsson, as the current agreement expires after the season, is about to extend with the MFF.
– Looks positive. They are happy and I am happy. Hope it becomes clear soon.
Is it extended by a year or more?
– we will see.
How long do you feel your body lasts?
– If I take care of my body, I will definitely continue for a few more years. But maybe not as a left-back but in this case as a centre-back. I see another two years as a left-back.
When the Allsvenskan now starts again, Olsson gets a real first-time competition from Jonas Knudsen. The Dane had strained his cruciate ligament when Olson arrived at the MFF in August of last year. Now Knudsen is back in earnest.
What do you say about that competition?
– He’s good for the team. And you shouldn’t be comfortable either. Jonas has a routine, I met him many times in England. Some matches fit his playing style better, others Milos will lead with me. It depends a little on the resistance. There will also be many more matches in the future.
You should think about the national team
Fed captain Jan Andersson has always been underdog for Martin Olsson and took out the left-back when he was available. But every so often Olson has since had to say no due to injury, as was the case before the Nations League in June.
It’s good to know that he loves me as a player and thinks I’m still at a high level.
How do you see the future of the national team?
– I didn’t think much about the national team. You’ve always been passionate about wearing this jersey, but it’s a good period until the next tournament. Now I have time to think, so we’ll see.