The 28-year-old has spent much of the last nine years on the fringes of the Sweden starting line-up since making his international debut in February 1997. He was a squad member at both Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup but a disappointing six-year spell in Italy hampered his international hopes. He played for Bjarreds IF as a youngster and was snapped up by Malmo in 1994. After several successful years with the Swedish side he earned a move to Bari but, after spells with Venezia and Ancona, he moved back to Malmo in 2004. His return to Sweden has coincided with an improvement in form and he is likely to be a reliable back-up to the first-choice midfielders in Germany.