PHOTO: Bildbyrån
He is one of Sweden’s greatest handball legends.
Johan Petersson poured in goals during Sweden’s heyday.
But now he comes with a tough confession about “Bengan Boys”.
You never forget when the blonde Johan Pettersson flew forward in the counterattacks for Sweden. He is one of Sweden’s great handball legends of all time and scored an impressive 815 goals in 250 international matches from the right wing.
Petersson had an absolutely fantastic career and was part of the iconic “Bengan Boys” in the Swedish national team during the years 1993-2008. He won a WC gold, four EC golds and an Olympic silver with Blågult, as well as two German league titles with the big club Kiel and a SM gold with Alingsås.
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Today, Johan is 51 years old and currently works as a handball coach. Since 2018, he has played for several different women’s teams such as Bayer Leverkusen and Alingsås.
Want to be like Bengan
But he dreams of becoming a national team captain, just like his former mentor Bengt “Bengan” Johansson. A couple of men’s national teams are current, including one that is currently playing in the 2025 Handball World Cup.
– We’ll see where life goes, it’s a bit open. I talk to a few different countries. One I will go down and meet unconditionally. It is a men’s national team that is knocking on the door but needs training, briefing and the right conditions – and we Scandinavians are quite good at that. But as long as you don’t have an offer on the table, it’s just discussions, says the Gothenburg citizen from Karlshamn to Expressen and tells more about his goal.
– To get me up. If I remain in Sweden, it is of course to train and run a team and ultimately try to get us to a SM final and a gold. And I want to make a national team and progress there. I know I have the knowledge, it’s just a matter of getting the chance to show it.
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Johan Petersson lives in Orust, Bohuslän, with his family and besides playing handball, he also helps out as a substitute teacher. Therefore, a national team captain’s job attracts more, as he can work from home much more than in a club team with daily training.
– I can’t just leave because I have the family to think about and a wife with a nice job. When I was in Germany last time, I was there myself and went home every three weeks, he says in the interview.
Bengan Boys today
Petersson still plays handball himself in a veteran context. That’s how much he still likes the sport, but despite that, he now makes a painful confession.
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He has no contact at all with anyone from the legendary Bengan Boys gang in the Swedish national team.
– Everyone goes their own way and I have no one near Orust. Once you see each other, you can sit down, have a beer and feel great with each other, but I have no contact with anyone, he admits to the evening newspaper.
– It is what it is. You have other friends today. Everyone you had back then was for the sake of handball. I wasn’t very close to any of them and that meant that you didn’t keep in touch afterwards.
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