Mikael Lustig had never played in a competitive senior international before the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying tournament, but he was selected by Sweden coach Erik Hamrén to start all ten fixtures. Twice a Norwegian champion with Rosenborg BK, the full-back joined Scottish Premier League title winners Celtic FC in January 2012.

• Began his career with Umeå FC and made sufficient progress with the lower-league side to gain a mid-season move to Allsvenskan club GIF Sundsvall in 2005; made eight starts, scoring two goals, for Sundsvall, but was unable to save them from relegation. 

• Spent the next two seasons in the second division, winning promotion back to the Allsvenskan in 2007 and making 16 top-flight appearances in the 2008 campaign before a mid-term switch to Norwegian record champions Rosenborg.

• Won his first senior cap in January 2008 and started all four matches for his country at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals on home soil but did not appear in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

• Helped Hamrén's Rosenborg win the 2009 Tippeligaen title in Norway, playing 25 times and scoring four goals, and cemented his place in the Sweden side when Hamrén became his international boss, going on to be a mainstay of successful UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign.

• Another Norwegian title followed in 2010 (29 appearances, four goals) as well as participation in the 2010/11 UEFA Europa League group stage, but failure to land a Tippeligaen hat-trick in 2011 prompted his winter transfer to Celtic.