Introduction
Jonas Magnus Thern (born 20 March 1967) is a Swedish football manager and former professional player who played as a midfielder between 1985 and 1999. Thern also earned 75 caps and scored six goals for Sweden between 1987 and 1997. He captained the Sweden squad that finished third at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Thern's playing career took him from Malmö FF in Sweden to FC Zürich in Switzerland and further in Europe to Benfica in Portugal, Napoli and Roma in Italy and finally Rangers in Scotland where he finished his career. After his playing career Thern has coached his youth club IFK Värnamo for two periods, between 2000 and 2001 and 2010 as well as Halmstads BK between 2002 and 2003. He has also acted as a youth coach at IFK Värnamo, a sports commentator as well as a teacher. He's currently managing Landskrona BoIs who play in Division 1 in Sweden.
Club career
Early career
Born and raised in the town of Värnamo in southern central Sweden, Thern started his professional career in 1985 when he joined the classic Swedish club of Malmö FF, where he stayed for four years, earning him two titles in the 1986 and 1988 Allsvenskan. In 1989, he won the Guldbollen as Sweden's Footballer of the Year.
In Europe
From there he moved to the continent to play for Benfica. He was part of a successful group of Scandinavian players that played for Benfica at the time, composed of Danish international Michael Manniche (1983–1987), and the Swedish "armada"; Mats Magnusson (1987–1992), Thern (1989–1992), Glenn Strömberg (1982–84) and Stefan Schwarz (1990–1994) alongside coach Sven-Göran Eriksson (1982–1984 and 1989–1992).
Thern went on to play for Napoli (1992–94), Roma (1994–97) and Rangers (1997–99), but his career was cut short by injuries.
International career
For Sweden, he played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1992, and then won the bronze medal in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Thern also competed for Sweden at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Thern was the Sweden captain for seven years, between 1990 and 1997.
International goals
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 January 1988 | Estadio Municipal de Maspalomas, Maspalomas |  East Germany | 2–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 4–1 | |||||
| 3. | 15 January 1988 | Estadio Municipal de Maspalomas, Maspalomas |  Finland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 4. | 16 August 1989 | Malmö Stadion, Malmö |  France | 1–0 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 5. | 27 May 1990 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna | Finland | 6–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 6. | 4 September 1991 | Råsunda Stadium, Solna |  Yugoslavia | 4–2 | 4–3 | Friendly |
Coaching career
After he retired as a player he became head coach for IFK Värnamo between 2000 and 2001 and Halmstads BK 2001–2003.
He has also worked as a sports commentator and as a teacher.
Personal life
Jonas has a son, Simon, who is also a footballer currently playing for SC Heerenveen. He has also a daughter.
Career statistics
International
| National team | Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | |||
| 1987 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 10 | 3 | |
| 1989 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 4 | 1 | |
| 1991 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1992 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 6 | |
Honours and awards
- Malmo FF
- Allsvenskan: Winner (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989)
- Allsvenskan play-off: Winner (1986, 1988)
- Svenska Cupen: Winner (1986, 1988)
- S.L. Benfica
- Portuguese Liga: Winner (1990–91)
- Portuguese SuperCup: Winner (1989)
- European Cup: Runner-up (1989–90)
- Rangers F.C
- Scottish Premier League: Winner (1998–99)
- Sweden
- FIFA World Cup: Third place (1994)
- Individual
- Guldbollen (Golden Ball): Winner, Best Swedish Player (1989)