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davieG

Global Foxes: Pontus Kaamark

By davieG, in Leicester City Forum

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davieG

davieG

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Pontus Kaamark

Image by: Press Association
Over the years, more than 100 Leicester City players have represented 31 different nations at full international level, amassing nearly 800 caps between them, and scoring over 50 international goals.
This season, in a new series, Club Historian John Hutchinson looks at these players and at the footballing background of the countries they played for. 
 
The Player: Pontus Kåmark
Pontus Kåmark, who won 17 of his 57 Sweden caps as a Leicester City player, is best remembered by City fans for his effective man-marking job on Middlesbrough’s Brazilian Juninho in Leicester City’s victorious 1997 League Cup Final. 
 
In September 1995, Leicester City manager Mark McGhee paid £850,000 for Pontus who signed in a ceremony on the pitch before a game with Southend United. He was already an established Sweden international who had played in the 1994 World Cup semi-final against Brazil. 
 
His debut was delayed until November whilst he returned to IFK Gotenburg to secure his sixth league title with them, but he was badly injured in his second game for the City, three days after his debut. 
 
It took Pontus over a year to recover, during which time Martin O’Neill took the Club back into the Premier League. He then broke his arm four games after his comeback. He recovered in time for the 1997 League Cup Final. 
 
He became a regular in Leicester City’s Premier League side as well as coming up against Juninho again in the UEFA cup tie against Atletico Madrid. 
 
Pontus returned to Sweden in 1999, playing for AIK and then for IFK Goteburg again. He won his last Sweden cap in 2001. He is now a commentator and pundit on Swedish TV, in which role visited Leicester again last season. 
 
The Country: Sweden 
Introduced to Sweden by English railway workers and engineers in the 1870s, football steadily gained in popularity. In 1908, Sweden played its first ever international game (against Norway) and also competed in the London Olympics where they lost 12-1 to Great Britain who had Leicester Fosse’s Horace Bailey in goal. 
 
English clubs touring Sweden, like Leicester Fosse in 1913, continued the game’s development. The Swedish league, the Allesvenkan, was founded in 1924. It is now professional, consists of 16 clubs, and plays from April to November. 
 
The dominant clubs are Malmo, IFK Goteburg and IFK Norrkoping who have won 46 titles between them. Malmo and IFK Goteborg have also had success in Europe. The Swedish National side made the first of its 11 World Cup Final appearances in 1934, and qualified again in 1938. 
 
Sweden won an Olympic gold at Wembley in 1948, finished 3rd in the 1950 World Cup, were Olympic bronze medallists in 1952 and hosted the World Cup in 1958 when they were runners-up to a Brazil side containing the likes of Garrincha and the 17 year-old Pele. 
 
Sweden also qualified for the World Cup Finals in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994 (when they finished 3rd), 2002 and 2006. Currently they stand a reasonable chance of qualifying for Euro 2016, adding to their five other Euro finals appearances.

Read more at http://www.lcfc.com/news/article/global-foxes-pontus-kaamark-2704228.aspx#XyqFytS2toG8MiGA.99

Vicki Vixen

Vicki Vixen

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I'm going to get some abuse for this, but always felt he failed to fulfil his potential with us. First game he played (WBA away I think) he was exceptional both defensively and going forward. Then had a lengthy injury, lost some pace a result, and never really captured top form ever again. Could have been one of our greatest ever players if it wasn't for that injury.

bovril

bovril

Posted
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I'm going to get some abuse for this, but always felt he failed to fulfil his potential with us. First game he played (WBA away I think) he was exceptional both defensively and going forward. Then had a lengthy injury, lost some pace a result, and never really captured top form ever again. Could have been one of our greatest ever players if it wasn't for that injury.

 

Interesting point of view. I also remember the WBA game and him setting up a goal for Roberts I think. Maybe the injury took a bit of his pace away but helped him work on the more cerebral aspects of his game, which we saw to great effect in the League Cup final against 'boro.

Guest Col city fan

Guest Col city fan

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One of my favourite ever City players. A real class RB.

I remember it even now..he hardly ever made a bad pass.

UpTheLeagueFox

UpTheLeagueFox

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Top bloke who apparently tried to introduce healthy eating to a lot of our players. He was also surprised at how much the British players drank.

 

Remember going on nights out with him in the 90s and he didn't drink much but he was very popular with the ladies. Last time I saw him, in a nightclub at the end of the Championship-winning season, he was in very good form  :P

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