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Hjalmar Ekdal Profile (2026) |
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Full Name |
Hjalmar Ekdal |
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Date of Birth |
21 October 1998 |
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Age (2026) |
27 years old |
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Place of Birth |
Stockholm, Sweden |
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Nationality |
Swedish |
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Height |
187 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
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Position |
Centre-back |
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Preferred Foot |
Right |
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Current Club |
Burnley FC (Premier League) |
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Shirt Number |
18 |
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National Team |
Sweden |
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Father |
Lennart Ekdal (Journalist) |
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Mother |
Malin Rääf |
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Brother |
Albin Ekdal (Retired footballer) |
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Net Worth (Icon Polls Estimate) |
$4 million to $6 million |
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Market Value |
Around 5 to 6 million Euros |
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Religion |
Christianity (presumed) |
Hjalmar Ekdal Net Worth and Salary in 2026
Money in football is rarely simple, especially when it involves players not in the headlines. Hjalmar Ekdal is in that lovely middle ground, a respected Premier League defender, earning good money but not yet in the superstar bracket. Icon Polls estimates that his net worth will be between $4 million and $6 million in 2026. That figure includes the wages he earned at Burnley, his loan at Groningen, his former wages at Djurgårdens and the smaller deals of the past.
He is reported to make around £1.2 million a year at Burnley or about £23,000 a week. That’s a healthy Premier League wage for a rotational defender, although nowhere near the eye-watering numbers earned by some of his team-mates. Add image rights, sponsorships and bonuses and his yearly earnings rise a little higher.
He is not ostentatious, but it is worth noting that he is financially secure. He’s not a guy who shows off cars or watches on social media. People in Sweden say he approaches football the way his older brother Albin always has, like a job to be taken seriously and with focus.
Hjalmar Ekdal's Parents and Family Background
Hjalmar is from a well known household in Sweden, but not for football. His father, Lennart Ekdal, is one of the country's best known journalists and TV personalities. Lennart had worked as a financial journalist in the 1980s before moving to SVT, Dagens Nyheter and TV4. He has presented political and current affairs programmes that many Swedes grew up watching, including Kalla fakta and Hetluft.
His mother Malin Rääf has kept a much lower profile. Hjalmar is the third and youngest of three children. Of his siblings, the most famous is his older brother Albin Ekdal, who played for clubs including Juventus, Cagliari, Hamburger SV, Sampdoria, Spezia and Djurgårdens before retiring from the game in November 2025. Albin has made over 60 appearances for Sweden and was part of the squad at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup where Sweden reached the quarter finals.
Hjalmar had a good point of reference, growing up in a house with a celebrity dad and footballer brother. He has spoken of learning to cope with attention and pressure from an early age, which has served him well in dressing rooms across Sweden, the United States and now England.
Hjalmar Ekdal's Wife and Personal Life
Hjalmar is notoriously secretive about his love life. As of 2026, he has not publicly confirmed that he is married and has not introduced a wife or fiancée to the media. His Instagram is all football, with a family or holiday picture thrown in here and there. He doesn’t seek attention in tabloids or online.
Many Swedish footballers enjoy this same privacy. He is from a country where the press generally respects private lives and he has carried on that tradition since coming to England. He is thought to be in a long-term relationship but has made a decision not to make any of it public and that is a decision which should be respected,” Icon Polls says.
Hjalmar Ekdal's Age in 2026
Hjalmar Ekdal was born on 21 October 1998 in Stockholm, Sweden. As of 2026, he is 27 years old. That puts him right in the prime years for a centre-back, where experience starts to catch up with physical sharpness. Defenders often peak between 27 and 31, and Hjalmar is now entering that window. His next few seasons could be the most important of his career, both at club level and with Sweden.
Hjalmar Ekdal's Career Stats and Performance
Hjalmar’s career stats tell the story of a player who has been climbing up slowly, not in one big jump. He came through the youth academy at IF Brommapojkarna before he spent a year at UNC Wilmington in the United States where he made 20 appearances and scored two goals while helping the Seahawks to the 2017 CAA Men’s Soccer Tournament final.
In Sweden he played for IK Frej, Hammarby IF, IK Sirius (loan) and then Djurgårdens IF where he made his real breakthrough. Allsvenskan Player of the Month Award: September 2021 He signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Burnley in January 2023 and scored on his Championship debut in a 3-0 victory at Norwich City.
His numbers in the 2025/2026 Premier League season are those of a defender doing his job quietly. He played over 1,100 league minutes in the opening part of the season and averaged a match rating of about 6.4. He spent the second half of the 2024/2025 season on loan at Eredivisie side Groningen, getting valuable experience of European football before returning to Burnley.
He made his senior debut for Sweden on 9 June 2022 against Serbia in the UEFA Nations League, playing the whole game. He has since become a regular squad member as the national team has been re-built following the retirement of older players including his brother Albin.
Hjalmar Ekdal's Religion
Religion is not something Hjalmar speaks about openly. Sweden is one of the most secular countries in the world, with the Church of Sweden (Lutheran Christianity) being the historical state church. Most Swedes are baptised into this tradition even if they are not actively religious. Based on his cultural background, it is reasonable to assume he was raised within a Christian, Lutheran framework, though he has never publicly described himself as religious or non-religious.
Like many footballers from Northern Europe, his focus on faith, if any, appears to be a private matter. He does not make religious gestures during games and has not spoken about it in interviews.
Hjalmar Ekdal Transfer Values and Market Worth
Hjalmar’s market price has kept pace with career. The big football data websites put him between 5 and 6 million Euros in 2026. That is a significant rise from his early days in Sweden, where he was a relatively unknown defender. He joined Burnley from Djurgårdens in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee but Swedish reports at the time suggested it was in the region of 2 to 3 million Euros.
The loan to Groningen in 2025 was a no-fee loan but it did add to his profile and help his market value hold steady. Icon Polls reckons his value could rise towards 7m euros depending on how the rest of the 2025/26 Premier League season goes, and if he continues to be a regular starter for Burnley and Sweden.
Looking ahead, he is tied to Burnley until 2027, so any move in the summer is likely to happen at the end of this season or the next. Clubs in the Bundesliga and Eredivisie have been linked with him in previous transfer windows and that interest is unlikely to die down.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hjalmar Ekdal
1. Who is Hjalmar Ekdal?
Hjalmar Ekdal is a Swedish professional footballer born on 21 October 1998 in Stockholm. He plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Burnley and the Sweden national team.
2. How old is Hjalmar Ekdal in 2026?
He is 27 years old as of 2026, having been born on 21 October 1998.
3. What is Hjalmar Ekdal's net worth?
His net worth is estimated to be between 4 million and 6 million dollars in 2026, based on Icon Polls research drawing from his salary, contracts, and career earnings.
4. How much does Hjalmar Ekdal earn at Burnley?
His weekly wage at Burnley is reported to be around 23,000 pounds, which works out to roughly 1.2 million pounds per year before bonuses and image rights.
5. Who are Hjalmar Ekdal's parents?
His father is Lennart Ekdal, a well-known Swedish journalist and television presenter. His mother is Malin Rääf, who has kept a private life away from the media.
6. Is Hjalmar Ekdal related to Albin Ekdal?
Yes. Albin Ekdal is his older brother. Albin is a retired Swedish international midfielder who played for clubs like Juventus, Cagliari, Hamburger SV, Sampdoria, and Djurgårdens. He retired in November 2025.
7. Is Hjalmar Ekdal married?
There is no public confirmation that he is married. He keeps his personal life very private and has not introduced a wife or partner publicly.
8. Does Hjalmar Ekdal have a girlfriend?
He has not made any relationship public. Whether he is dating someone privately is not known.
9. What position does Hjalmar Ekdal play?
He plays as a centre-back. He is right-footed and stands at 187 cm tall, which suits the physical demands of Premier League defending.
10. What is Hjalmar Ekdal's height?
He is 187 cm tall, or about 6 feet 2 inches.
11. Where did Hjalmar Ekdal study?
He studied and played college soccer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNC Wilmington) in the United States during 2017.
12. When did Hjalmar Ekdal join Burnley?
He joined Burnley on 21 January 2023 from Djurgårdens IF on a four-and-a-half-year contract.
13. Has Hjalmar Ekdal played for Sweden?
Yes. He made his senior international debut for Sweden on 9 June 2022 in a UEFA Nations League match against Serbia.
14. What is Hjalmar Ekdal's market value in 2026?
His market value is estimated at around 5 to 6 million Euros in 2026 according to industry data, and Icon Polls expects this could rise depending on his form.
15. What religion does Hjalmar Ekdal practice?
He has not publicly spoken about his religion. Given his Swedish background, he is likely to come from a Lutheran Christian tradition, though personal faith is something he keeps private.
16. Why did Hjalmar Ekdal go on loan to Groningen?
In January 2025, Burnley sent him on loan to Eredivisie club Groningen until the end of the 2024/2025 season to give him regular first-team minutes and a chance to play in a different European league.
17. What is Hjalmar Ekdal's preferred foot?
He is right-footed.
18. Has Hjalmar Ekdal won any awards?
Yes. He was named Allsvenskan Player of the Month for September 2021 while playing for Djurgårdens IF.
19. What number does Hjalmar Ekdal wear at Burnley?
He wears the number 18 shirt at Burnley.
20. What teams has Hjalmar Ekdal played for in his career?
He has played for IF Brommapojkarna (youth), UNC Wilmington (college), IK Frej, Assyriska FF, Hammarby IF, IK Sirius (loan), Djurgårdens IF, Burnley, and Groningen (loan).
21. When does Hjalmar Ekdal's contract at Burnley expire?
His current contract with Burnley runs until 2027, having signed a four-and-a-half-year deal in January 2023.
22. Is Hjalmar Ekdal in Sweden's national team plans for 2026?
Yes. He has remained part of the Sweden squad and is considered one of the centre-back options as the national team rebuilds with younger players.
