Mikael Ishak

Mikael Ishak
Ishak in 2023 with Lech Poznań
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-03-31) 31 March 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Södertälje, Sweden
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Lech Poznań
Number 9
Youth career
–2010 Assyriska FF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Assyriska FF 47 (13)
2012–2013 1. FC Köln 18 (0)
2013 → St. Gallen (loan) 13 (3)
2013–2014 Parma 0 (0)
2013–2014 → Crotone (loan) 24 (4)
2014–2017 Randers 71 (31)
2017–2020 1. FC Nürnberg 77 (17)
2020– Lech Poznań 116 (62)
International career‡
2011 Sweden U19 8 (3)
2012–2016 Sweden U21/O 27 (11)
2015–2022 Sweden 7 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Sweden
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2015 Czech Republic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:50, 9 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:20, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Mikael Ishak (Arabic: ميكائيل إسحاق; born 31 March 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań, which he captains. Beginning his career with Assyriska FF in 2010, he has gone on to play professionally in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and Poland. A full international since 2015, he has won seven caps and scored one goal for the Sweden national team. He represented the Sweden Olympic team at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Club career

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Early life and career

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Ishak's parents were Assyrian migrants from Syria.[2] He was born in Södertälje, Sweden and started his professional career at Assyriska FF, where he was included in the first team in 2010.

1. FC Köln

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In December 2011, Ishak was signed by German Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln after a successful trial.[3] He made his debut for the side on 21 January 2012 in a 1–0 away defeat at VfL Wolfsburg, where he came on as a substitute in the 85th minute for Martin Lanig.[4] After being used mostly as a substitute during his first month in Köln, Ishak made his first start for the club on 18 March following a suspension for regular striker Lukas Podolski, playing the entire match in a 4–1 away loss at Hannover 96.[5] Ishak would make 11 appearances for 1. FC Köln during his first season.

Loan to FC St. Gallen

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In February 2013, Ishak signed a six-month loan deal with Swiss club FC St. Gallen, who had recently been promoted to the Swiss Super League, in order to play more.[6] He became a regular starter for the club, before suffering a mandibular fracture in a match for the Sweden under-21 team.[7] Ishak made his return in late-April as a substitute in a match against FC Zürich, before becoming a full-time starter again the following week. He made a total of 13 league appearances for St. Gallen, in which he scored three goals.[8]

Parma

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Ishak joined Italian Serie A club Parma on a four-year contract on 5 August 2013.[9][10]

Loan to Crotone

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He was loaned out to Crotone, competing in the Serie B, following his arrival. He made his debut for Crotone on 24 August 2013 in a match against Siena. On 24 September, he scored his first goal for the side in a 3–1 home win over Modena.

Randers

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In August 2014, a year after joining Parma, Ishak moved to Danish Superliga club Randers FC, signing a three-year contract.[11][12] He played for the club for two-and-a-half years, scoring 31 goals in 71 league appearances.[8]

1. FC Nürnberg

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Ishak with 1. FC Nürnberg in 2019

After a highly successful stay at Randers, Ishak joined German 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg in January 2017, six months before his contract expired.[13] He scored Nürnberg's 1000th goal in the 2. Bundesliga on 25 November 2017, in a match against Eintracht Braunschweig.[14] At the end of the 2017–18 season, he reached promotion to the Bundesliga with the club. Ishak scored his first goal in the Bundesliga on 1 September 2018, an important equalizer in the away game against Mainz 05, which ended 1–1.[15]

Lech Poznań

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On 14 July 2020, Ishak joined Polish club Lech Poznań on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract. He was given the shirt number 9, previously worn by the outgoing Danish striker Christian Gytkjær.[16] In his first season in Poland, despite missing over a dozen games due to health issues, he was Lech's top scorer with 20 goals, including two strikes against Benfica and three goals against Standard Liège in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stages.[17]

Despite missing out on European competitions, the 2021–22 campaign was successful for both Lech and Ishak, who improved both health-wise and stats-wise. Named captain before the start of the season,[18] the Swedish striker scored 18 league goals to lead Lech to their eighth Ekstraklasa title,[19] including a 88th-minute winner against Piast Gliwice on 8 May 2022, which put Lech on top of the league table with two games to go.[20]

Ishak opened the 2022–23 campaign season by scoring the only goal in a UEFA Champions League first qualifying round match against Azerbaijani side Qarabağ on 5 July 2022.[21] Although marred by health concerns throughout the season, he appeared in all but one of Lech's twenty games across their European campaign, scoring nine goals as the Poznań outfit reached the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals.[22] In November 2022, he extended his deal until the end of June 2025,[23] reportedly becoming the highest-earning player in Ekstraklasa at the time.[24] With 20 goals to his name across all competitions, he was the club's best scorer for the third season in a row.

On 13 April 2024, Ishak became Lech's top foreign scorer of all time, taking the title away from Gytkjær, after scoring his 66th goal in a 2–1 away loss against Puszcza Niepołomice.[25] Later that year, on 5 November, he signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until mid-2027.[26]

International career

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Youth

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Ishak represented the Sweden U21 team at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and played in four games as Sweden won the entire tournament.[27] He was also a part of the Sweden Olympic team that competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, and scored in a group stage game against Colombia before Sweden was knocked after only three games.[27]

Senior

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Ishak made his full international debut for the Sweden national team on 15 January 2015 in a friendly 2–0 win against the Ivory Coast, coming on as a substitute for Isaac Kiese Thelin in the 82nd minute.[28] He scored his first international goal for Sweden on 6 January 2016, in a 1–1 tie with Estonia.[29] Ishak made his competitive international debut for Sweden on 24 September 2022, in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B game against Serbia, coming on as a substitute for Dejan Kulusevski in the 85th minute of a 1–4 loss.[30]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 6 December 2024[8]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Assyriska 2010 Superettan 19 4 1 0 — — 20 4
2011 Superettan 28 9 1 0 — — 29 9
Total 47 13 2 0 — — 49 13
Köln 2011–12 Bundesliga 11 0 0 0 — — 11 0
2012–13 2. Bundesliga 7 0 1 0 — — 8 0
Total 18 0 1 0 — — 19 0
Köln II 2011–12 Regionalliga 1 0 — — — 1 0
2012–13 Regionalliga 4 2 — — — 4 2
Total 5 2 0 0 — — 5 2
St. Gallen (loan) 2012–13 Swiss Super League 13 3 0 0 — — 13 3
Crotone (loan) 2013–14 Serie B 24 4 0 0 — — 24 4
Randers 2014–15 Danish Superliga 26 11 3 1 — — 29 12
2015–16 Danish Superliga 28 12 1 0 2[b] 1 — 31 13
2016–17 Danish Superliga 17 8 1 1 — — 18 9
Total 71 31 5 2 2 1 — 78 34
Nürnberg 2016–17 2. Bundesliga 7 0 0 0 — — 7 0
2017–18 2. Bundesliga 28 12 3 1 — — 31 13
2018–19 Bundesliga 29 4 2 2 — — 31 6
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 13 1 2 0 — — 15 1
Total 77 17 7 3 — — 84 20
Lech Poznań 2020–21[31] Ekstraklasa 22 12 1 0 10[b] 8 — 33 20
2021–22[32] Ekstraklasa 31 18 2 0 — — 33 18
2022–23[33] Ekstraklasa 23 11 1 0 19[c] 9 0 0 43 20
2023–24[34] Ekstraklasa 24 11 1 0 3[d] 0 — 28 11
2024–25[35] Ekstraklasa 16 10 0 0 — — 16 10
Total 116 62 5 0 32 17 0 0 153 79
Career total 371 133 20 5 34 18 0 0 425 156
  1. ^ Includes Svenska Cupen, DFB-Pokal, Danish Cup, Polish Cup
  2. ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, seventeen appearances and eight goals in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

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As of match played 16 November 2022
Appearances and goals by national team and year[27]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 2015 2 0
2016 2 1
2017 0 0
2018 0 0
2019 0 0
2020 0 0
2021 0 0
2022 3 0
Total 7 1
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ishak goal.
List of international goals scored by Mikael ishak
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 6 January 2016 Armed Forces Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  Estonia 1–1 1–1 Friendly [29]

Honours

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Lech Poznań

Sweden U21

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Mikael Ishak". Ekstraklasa.org (in Polish). Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Ein Schwede gegen die Torflaute".
  3. ^ "Mikael Ishak". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  4. ^ "Polter versüßt Magaths Debütantenball". kicker.de. kicker. 21 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Dioufs Doppelpack sichert Hannovers Erfolg". kicker.de. kicker. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Mikael Ishak wechselt zum FC St. Gallen". general-anzeiger-bonn.de. General-Anzeiger. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  7. ^ Lempe, Tobias (25 March 2013). "Verletzung im Länderspiel Leihgabe Ishak: Erst Heiratsantrag, dann Kieferbruch". express.de. Express. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Sweden - M. Ishak - Profile". us.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Kölner Ishak wechselt nach Parma" (in German). 5 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  10. ^ "Calciomercato Parma: formalizzato acquisto di Mikael Ishak" (in Italian). 5 August 2013. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  11. ^ Steffens Nielsen, Christian (3 August 2014). "Randers henter angriber i Parma". b.dk. Berlingske. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Hentet i Parma: Her er Randers' nye angriber". sport.tv2.dk. TV 2. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  13. ^ Walsh, Jonathan (31 January 2017). "Mikael Ishak joins Nürnberg". VAVEL. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Ishak: "Das ist ein super Gefühl"". fcn.de. 1. FC Nürnberg. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  15. ^ "Ishak nutzt die Eckballvariante zum Ausgleich". kicker.de. kicker. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Mikael Ishak zawodnikiem Lecha" (in Polish). Lech Poznań. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Mikael Ishak".
  18. ^ "Mikael Ishak kapitanem Kolejorza". 90minut.pl (in Polish). Lech Poznań. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Oficjalnie: Lech Poznań mistrzem Polski. Na kolejny tytuł czekał siedem lat". gol24.pl (in Polish). 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Lech Poznań lepszy od Piasta Gliwice 2:1! Kamiński i Ishak wyprowadzili Kolejorza na fotel lidera". gloswielkopolski.pl (in Polish). 8 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  21. ^ "El. Ligi Mistrzów. Lech Poznań pokonał Karabach Agdam 1:0! Rewanż 12 lipca". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 5 July 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Lech krok od cudu". 90minut.pl (in Polish). 20 April 2023.
  23. ^ "PKO BP Ekstraklasa. Mikael Ishak przedłużył kontrakt z Lechem Poznań". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). 8 November 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Media: Ishak najlepiej opłacanym piłkarzem ekstraklasy. Przebił Jędrzejczyka". sport.pl (in Polish). 18 November 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Mikael Ishak przeszedł do historii Lecha. Przełomowy gol kapitana Kolejorza". sportowefakty.wp.pl (in Polish). 14 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Oficjalnie. Wyjaśniła się przyszłość Mikaela Ishaka". pilkanozna.pl (in Polish). 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  27. ^ a b c "Mikael Ishak - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  28. ^ "Sverige - Elfenbenskusten - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.sehttps (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  29. ^ a b "Sverige - Estland - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.sehttps (in Swedish). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  30. ^ "Serbien - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Sezon 2020/21". 90minut. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Sezon 2021/22". 90minut. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  33. ^ "Sezon 2022/23". 90minut. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Sezon 2023/24". 90minut. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  35. ^ "Sezon 2024/25". 90minut. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Nagrodzono gwiazdy sezonu w PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasie" (in Polish). Ekstraklasa. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  37. ^ "Robert Lewandowski piłkarzem 2022 roku! Wyniki plebiscytu tygodnika "Piłka Nożna"". polsatsport.pl (in Polish). 21 January 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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