Ex-Arsenal youth star leaves his club after being diagnosed with rare brain condition at just 29
- The 29-year-old collapsed in February 2024 and was taken to hospital in Aarhus
- Former Arsenal star was diagnosed with blood clots on both sides of his brain
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Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson has mutually agreed to terminate his contract with FC Midtjylland, a little more than a year after being diagnosed with an acute brain condition.
The 29-year-old Olsson, who graduated from the Arsenal academy in 2013, has been rehabilitating after losing consciousness at his home on February 20 last year and being diagnosed with several small blood clots in the brain as a result of an extremely rare blood-vessel inflammation.
Midtjylland said the midfielder is returning to Norrkoping in Sweden, where he will be close to his family and he can ‘pursue the ambition of returning to life as a footballer.’
‘It´s not just a story about sports, but about human strength when life hits unreasonably hard,’ Midtjylland deputy football director Kristian Bach Bak said. ‘He has shown us all what courage means in practice.’
In a club statement, Olsson said he had ‘great gratitude’ for the Danish club he joined in 2022 for a second spell.
‘The club, the people, everyone around me – they were there from the first second,’ Olsson said. ‘FC Midtjylland is not just a football club, it´s a place that takes care of people.’
Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson has mutually agreed to terminate his contract with FC Midtjylland
The 29-year-old Olsson, who graduated from the Arsenal academy in 2013, has been rehabilitating after losing consciousness at his home on February 20
Olsson has represented Sweden 47 times in addition to spells with Anderlecht in Belgium, Krasnodar in Russia and AIK in Sweden at club level
Olsson will train with IFK Norrkoping, the club where he made his breakthrough.
‘First and foremost, I still dream of being a football player. To be able to train fully and feel that I contribute to a team,’ he said.
‘Every week I feel progress, and I´m hungrier and more motivated than ever. To have the opportunity to do it at home in Norrkoping, close to my family and friends, means a lot.’
Olsson has played 47 times for Sweden.
At club level, he has also played for Anderlecht in Belgium, Krasnodar in Russia, AIK in Sweden and in the Gunners’ youth teams.
