Bjärsmyr aiming high with Sweden

Mattias Bjärsmyr's first memory of a major football tournament was in 1994 when, as a spellbound eight-year-old, he watched on as Sweden finished third in the world.

Semi-final aim
A decade and a half after the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the IFK Göteborg midfielder is now preparing for his first international finals as a player at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship – and he hopes to help Sweden achieve a similar level of success. "We want to reach the semi-final," said Bjärsmyr, the Scandinavian side's skipper and their most capped player at this level with 25 appearance.

Development
The 23-year-old believes Sweden's status as host nation can help them achieve that goal. "Clearly it's an advantage," he told uefa.com. "A lot of people are going to be there, they will all be on Sweden's side and we'll get a chance to show ourselves at home against the best. We couldn't have it any better." For Bjärsmyr himself, the tournament should mark another step on a career climb that has included a breakthrough campaign in the IFK first team as a 19-year-old and a Swedish championship winners' medal when he was 21.

'Good experience'
"I've had the chance to grow with this club, it's been great," said Bjärsmyr, who cites Eric Cantona and Zinédine Zidane as his footballing heroes. "When I came here I received a lot of help from people and now I'm the one helping those younger than me. That enables you to grow as a person, and as a player as well." If that 2007 Swedish title win was the high point of his career so far, he also mentions the first of his three senior appearances for his country, in a friendly win against Costa Rica in San Jose on 13 January last year. But now for something new again with the U21 finals. "First it's good experience, playing against the best teams in Europe at the same age. Second, a final tournament is a final tournament – it's important to see how it all works."

Desire
Bjärsmyr has had no special words of advice from his IFK coach Stefan Rehn, a member of the squad at USA 94, as the competition approaches. Perhaps Rehn is just wary of the wave of scouts who will descend on the southwest of Sweden this month. "Yes, it's a good shop window and that's what most [players] want, I guess," said Bjärsmyr. "Of course it helps a great deal if you are successful, and it's difficult if you're not, but you can't think like that, you have to want to succeed anyway." Spoken like a true captain.