Rasmus Jonsson

[juanes]

Club:Helsingborgs IF

Nationality:Sweden

Age:20

Height:1.92 m / 6.3 ft

Weight:70 kg / 154 lbs

Position:Striker

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Few things can be better for a promising young player than to appear alongside a legend of the game. Just ask Helsingborgs 19-year-old Rasmus Jonsson , who during two seasons has been paired up front with superstar Henrik Larsson - and has been able to learn a lot from the former Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United striker.

 

The promising hitman came to Helsingborgs as a 12-year-old, and after a good season in the club’s Under-21 team in 2007 he was promoted to the first team at the beginning of last season. In his first game in the squad he made his debut, a not too memorable three minute substitution appearance against GIF Sundsvall.

 

But there was more to come from the young talent, and when striker Razak Omotoyossi was sold to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nasr it was time for Jonsson to shine.

 

During the course of the season Henrik Larsson has paid a lot of attention to his fellow striker, and was quickly impressed by the young rising star, which he never failed to mention in interviews.

 

Rasmus Jonsson may not look like a player the opposition should be scared of, but despite his thin legs he’s a deadly goalscorer with fantastic technique and, for his age an incredible eye for the game. With four goals scored in 18 games last season he showed glimpses of what was to come and he was nominated the “best newcomer in 2008” by the Swedish FA.

 

In 2009 he has improved even further, and with his eight goals in 22 games so far the 19-year-old is ninth in the goalscoring chart in Sweden. He achieved his real breakthrough in the game away against AIK Solna at the end of April, when he scored three goals against a rival team. All his goals this season have not only been important for Helsingborgs, but also eye catching.

 

The form he displayed in the spring was in the end close to giving him a spot in the Swedish Under-21 team that went all the way to the semi final in the European Championships, despite the fact that he was four years younger than most of his competitors.

 

In the end he was a reserve on home soil, while Marcus Berg (Hamburg) and Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven) were manager Jorgen Lennartsson’s first choice strikers. In the current Under-21 team he’s one of the shining stars though, hoping to reach the next Euros in Denmark in 2011.

 

At 6.3ft, Jonsson is good with his head, but his biggest strength is his technique with the ball at his feet. He has scored a few real wonder goals this season, prompting Henrik Larsson to say: "he’s one of the best finishers I’ve ever played with," this coming from a player who has seen strikers come and go at Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United.

 

Jonsson needs to strengthen a little as in some games he can disappear when up against tough and imposing defenders. But seeing how he has developed so far under Henrik Larsson Helsingborgs will be happy for every extra month they manage to keep him. His contract expires at the end of 2010 and a move this January is now a real possibility.