Former Gunner returns to training after clots on brain one year after regaining ability to walk | OneFootball

Kristoffer Olsson, the former Arsenal midfielder who was placed on life support last year after suffering multiple blood clots on both sides of his brain, has returned to training with IFK Norrköping just over 12 months after regaining his ability to walk.

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Now 29, Olsson collapsed at home in February 2024 and was hospitalised with what doctors later identified as an extremely rare inflammatory condition in the blood vessels of his brain.

He was placed in intensive care and underwent prolonged neurological rehabilitation at Hammel Neurocenter in Denmark, where his condition was described as life-threatening and his cognitive recovery uncertain.

From walking independently again to starting structured training, the scale of his progress has been remarkable. “I’m really thankful to IFK and that I get to join in training,” he told the club’s official website.

The return marks a significant moment for a player whose early promise brought him to Arsenal’s academy, where he made a first-team appearance in the League Cup at just 18.

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Though that debut would be his only senior outing for the club, he went on to build a respected professional career across Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and Belgium, earning 47 caps for Sweden.

Olsson recently expressed quiet disappointment that he had not initially heard from Norrköping, the club where he began his youth career, as he worked through the most serious phase of his illness.

“It’s a bit strange, to be honest,” he told Sportbladet earlier this year. However, that silence did not last, with sporting director Magni Fannberg now confirming that a tailored training plan is being developed to suit Olsson’s condition and needs.

“We’ve had a good dialogue around expectations and it feels natural that we contribute to his journey to build himself back up again,” Fannberg said.

His move home to Norrköping from Denmark in March, after terminating his contract with FC Midtjylland, has brought him closer to the people and places that sustained him through recovery. “I really have nothing to complain about. I live at home in Norrköping. I’m close to my son, my friends, my parents. I have a girlfriend who is wonderful,” Olsson told local media.

Whether he will return to competitive football remains unclear, and IFK have not indicated any timeline or ambition beyond supporting his rehabilitation. For now, simply being back on the pitch is the reward, for a player whose career, and life, could have ended without warning last year.