Life could’ve panned out much differently for Carl Starfelt.
The Swede very nearly took a different path to becoming a full-time professional footballer.
Aged 18, the defender had an offer of a football scholarship in the United States. His father was a big backer of this move. The University of North Carolina was where Starfelt would’ve headed.
However, now 27-years-old, the Celtic centre-back admits he’s glad he chose to try his arm in full-time football. He signed for Brommapojkarna in his homeland and well, hasn’t looked back since.
Starfelt insists he was never cut out for studying anyway. "I had an offer from the University of North Carolina when I was about 18,” he explained.
“My dad was actually really keen for me to go to college in the United States and I had to make a big decision.
"I also had an offer to become a full-time player for Brommapojkarna (known as BP) and we spoke about my future.
"I thought about it for a while but in the end, I chose football over college. I have no regrets over my decision. I didn't really like studying anyway. It was pretty clear in my mind that I wanted to give football my full focus.
"If I had gone to America it would have been some studying and some football, but I always believed I could make it as a professional. I made that decision and I do not regret it at all."
Ange Postecoglou is turning out to be quite the influence on Starfelt’s time at Celtic so far.
He’s formed a strong bond with Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the Scottish champions’ defence. Starfelt’s presence at the back is an equally calming one for supporters, it seems.
One of the biggest influences on his career though was Olof Mellberg, his first manager at Brommapojkarna. He admits some of his old gaffer’s lessons he still carries with him to this day.
"Olof was really important for my development and my career,” Starfelt added. “He was a great player but he was also really good as a coach. For a young centre back, he was the perfect guy to learn from.
"He actually came into my career in a tough moment as the club had just gone down to the Swedish third division.
"Olof came in and we won two promotions in two years. We had a really good connection. He taught me a lot and I am really grateful for the way he helped my career.
"Olof played at the highest level of club football and won over 100 caps for Sweden. He knew what it took on the pitch to be a top player and a top athlete.
"He helped me off the pitch but it was mostly on the pitch, where we worked on my positioning and other aspects of defending. As a young player, it was so important to be able to learn off a guy like him. Some of the things he told me I still use at Celtic to this day.
"He can be a little bit crazy at times and he had his fair share of red cards when he was the manager.
"But his mentality towards football was amazing and he made sure we gave 100 per cent at every moment. He was a great guy to learn from."
Sweden face Belgium and Azerbaijan as part of Euro 2024 qualifying in March. Starfelt of course hopes to showcase why he should be part of the national team setup.
He said: “I hope to be part of the squad, but we will see. I just need to play well for Celtic and hopefully the manager will see that.
"It's always big to be picked for your country and we have some important games coming up, so it would be nice."
