Joel Ekstrand is a defender for Watford. He was born on 4 February 1989 in Lund, Sweden.
Joel’s youth career started in 1997 at local Lunds BK football academy where he studied for many years. Joel also played for the Lunds youth team at youth championships. In 2006 Ekstrand was scouted by Helsingborgs and after an exhibition match he became their student.
In 2008 Joel’s youth career came to an end as he was offered to sign his first professional contract with Helsingborgs. Ekstrand accepted the offer and signed a long-term contract with the Swedish club. During 3 years with the club’s first squad Joel was a key defender with a total of 73 starts and 1 goal. Since Joel’s debut season at Helsingborgs the head coach trusted young and inexperienced defender enough to make him a regular.
In 2011 Joel’s career entered a new level as he was offered to join Italian Serie A Udinese. Ekstrand signed a long-term contract with the club. During the 2011/12 season Ekstrand periodically featured as a starter but wasn’t a regular. The head coach gradually introduced the Swede to pro Italian football. However, in 2012 the Swede was loaned to Watford and at the end of the season signed a permanent deal.
From 2009 to 2010 Joel played for Sweden U-21 with a total of 9 caps and 1 goal. In 2010 Joel made 1 appearance for the Sweden national team.
Found a mistake? Highlight it with mouse and press CTRL + Enter. Thank you!
There are no comments.