Rosenberg's Dream Life

Football icon Markus Rosenberg is in a good place. In some ways, the best place he’s ever been in his 43 years. Daily life in Höllviken with his childhood sweetheart Maria and their children, Izabella and Oliver, is now filled with agency work, youth training sessions, dog walks, golf, and fiercely competitive padel matches with friends in his own sports hall.

At nine o’clock sharp we step into the conference room at Padel Court No. 9 in Höllviken. Markus Rosenberg is already there. A few strands of grey perhaps, but otherwise he looks exactly as he did when he finally hung up his football shoes on 12 December 2019. The four padel courts have just been resurfaced in a brilliant shade of blue. Slightly slower than the old green surface, Markus notes with satisfaction after playing a league match the previous evening with former Malmö FF teammate Anton Tinnerholm.

Padel Court No. 9 opened in summer 2018, and from day one the courts were fully booked from morning to night.

“The timing was perfect. I think we were the first in Sweden to build a hall dedicated to padel only, so we were up and running during the pandemic years when it was one of the few indoor sports allowed. It was magical. We had a flying start, and although there are more halls nearby now, people here are very loyal. They shop locally, eat locally, get their hair cut locally – and play padel locally. There’s a strong will to support small businesses here and keep the community alive.”

After years of strict routines and sky-high expectations in the Netherlands, Germany, England and Sweden, Rosenberg was suddenly free to choose his own path. But there was never any doubt about where the family would settle.

“Maria grew up in Vellinge and lived in the same house throughout her childhood. We spent our summers there even when we lived abroad, so in a way we were already home. We bought a plot in Höllviken and built our dream house, moving in during 2015.”

What makes the area special?

“The chance to grow up somewhere safe and free. Vellinge has that small-town feel we love. The kids live on their bikes. They cycle to school, to training, to friends. Many people who’ve lived and worked around the world move back here once they have children. That says a lot.”

Any favourite spots you’re especially fond of?

”Absolutely, our house – it’s our fortress. But there’s so much to enjoy here – forests, beaches, and the sea. I take our dog on long walks, but much of my time outdoors is spent on playing golf, particularly at Ljunghusens Golf Club. Often together with my son Oliver. He’s only twelve, but it’s only a matter of time before he beats me in every way.”

There’s a whole group of them who play. In the summer, they head down after breakfast and stay there all day.

”I didn’t grow up with golf, but it really is a sport you can spend the whole day at without getting tired of it.”

Daughter Izabella has inherited the competitive sports gene too. She’s active in Kämpinge Gymnastikförening, one of Sweden’s largest gymnastics clubs, with more than 1,800 members.

“It’s wonderful having active children, and seeing that both of them have found sports they truly love. ‘Bella’ focuses on skipping rope, so there’s not much I can teach her there. But I’ve been on the club’s board for several years, so I contribute where I can. It’s an incredibly well-run club, with employed instructors and qualified coaches. In some ways it reminds me of how many sports clubs used to be. There was always someone at the clubhouse, so you could head down there with your mates. You don’t see that in quite the same way today. In many places, youth sport has become a bit of a status thing – not everyone can afford it, and every kid is expected to become a world star. But it’s different down here. There are plenty of places where kids can hang out with their friends, and lots of dedicated volunteers.”

Don’t you see your own role in that as well? You could be putting your feet up, but instead you run a local padel centre, coach a youth football team, and sit on the gymnastics club board.

“Yes, of course. I love sport and see it as an important part of society. A lot of children and teenagers socialise through gaming and social media today instead of meeting in person. That makes places like sports clubs, pitches and youth centres – somewhere you can pop in, grab a soft drink and chat to someone – so important. When I grew up we moved around a lot, and football and the stadium area in Malmö were my constant.”

What’s your role as a youth coach at BK Höllviken?

“I’m just one of many. There are eight dads coaching 50 boys born in 2013. Two are head coaches, and then we divide up and I take whichever team I’m given. We were in Denmark recently and won the whole tournament. Eight matches, eight wins – the boys are brilliant. When I was a kid, it was all about MFF. We won everything. But today there are many excellent smaller clubs down here developing really good players.”

Many former professionals talk about how hard it is to find something meaningful after retiring. They miss the adrenaline. You launched the player agency FPA, Full Potential Agency, straight away.

“Yes, I quickly realised there’s nothing that compares to being an elite athlete. At first, I tried to replace it, but that doesn’t work. Nothing feels fun, and you end up losing. Instead, you have to appreciate what you’ve experienced. I feel very fortunate to have found something I genuinely enjoy after my career: working in football in my own way, building something new, helping young players who are in the same position I once was – when you don’t really know anything. And it’s even harder to navigate the football world today, with bigger sums of money, bigger clubs, many more leagues, and quite a few less serious agents.”

And that’s where FPA comes in. What do you look for?

“From a football perspective, we focus a lot on game intelligence. Being big, fast and strong and scoring five goals a match at the age of 14 doesn’t mean everything. We rarely sign the most hyped players. We want players who love football and aren’t overly focused on the professional life at 15 or 16. The biggest and toughest step is from junior to senior level, and that’s usually not about how good of a football player you are. If you reach MFF’s first team, you’re already a very good footballer. But if you also succeed there, you also have the right mindset.”

Would you have signed 14-year-old Markus Rosenberg?

“I doubt it. I joined Malmö FF at the age of five, but I was never a star. I always had to fight for my place and played in many different positions. But playing for MFF meant constant competition – wherever we went, everyone wanted to beat us. That gives you a winning mentality you carry with you.”

There’s only a year between you and Zlatan Ibrahimović and you were both fostered by MFF. In a strange way, you feel both similar and very different: the same infectious laugh, the same ruthless desire to win, the same natural eye for goal – yet you keep a lower profile on social media and don’t refer to yourself in the third person…

“We’re both confidently modest! But Zlatan has taken modesty part to another level.”

And you don’t buy yourself Ferraris for your birthday quite as often.

“I have actually owned a Ferrari, so I can’t really say anything about that. But Zlatan is at another financial level and talking about myself as a lion or a tiger isn’t really my style.”

Are you in touch today?

“No, he’s on a different arena. He’s carrying the Olympic torch while I’m living family life in Höllviken. We probably have slightly different views on how we want to live, but we respect each other. I rarely give interviews, for example. I enjoy just being. Cosy Friday evenings with the family – nothing beats that.”