HARRISON, N.J. (December 16, 2023) – The New York Red Bulls have completed the transfer of Swedish international Emil Forsberg from RB Leipzig pending the receipt of his visa and ITC, the club announced today. Forsberg will sign as a Designated Player on a three-year contract through 2026 with an option for 2027.
"We are very excited to add a player of Emil’s caliber to our club, the amount of experience he has in Europe will be a great addition to our roster. We are grateful for the support from Red Bull Soccer. This transfer showcases the Red Bull philosophy of high-intensity and attacking soccer and the power of our multi-club eco system which will benefit our club,” said Head of Sport Jochen Schneider. “Emil is an amazing talent with a skillset that will particularly help develop young players and we cannot wait to see him take the pitch at Red Bull Arena in 2024."
Forsberg, 32, joins the Red Bulls after spending the last nine seasons with RB Leipzig. He made 324 appearances with RB Leipzig, where he scored 71 goals and tallied 68 assists. Forsberg joined RB Leipzig in 2015, when the club was 2. Bundesliga, which is the second division in German football. Forsberg helped lead RB Leipzig to promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016, where the midfielder had 22 assists across all competitions, which was the most in all of the top five leagues in Europe the season. His 19 assists in Bundesliga play that year is the third-most in a single season in Bundesliga history only behind Kevin De Bruyne and Thomas Muller. He was named to the 2016-2017 Bundesliga Team of the Season in that campaign. Forsberg won two DFB-Pokal’s with RB Leipzig, including the club’s first in 2021, where he scored the game-winning goal in the semifinals against Union Berlin.
Prior to RB Leipzig, Forsberg began his career in 2009 with GIF Sundsvall, his hometown club. He would go on to make 104 appearances with the club and record 25 goals and 11 assists. The midfielder helped Sundsvall gain promotion to Sweden’s first tier of football, Allsvenskan, after scoring 11 goals in 27 matches during the 2011 season. Forsberg then transferred to Malmö FF before the beginning of the 2013 season. With the club, he made 84 appearances and recorded 25 goals and 13 assists. In his first season with the club, he scored five goals and helped Malmö FF win the league title and then in 2014, helped them defend the league title by scoring 14 goals in 29 appearances. Forsberg was named the Allsvenskan Midfielder of the Year in 2014.
"Emil’s experience in Europe will be very valuable to the locker room and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the club," said Head Coach Sandro Schwarz. "He is a great attacking midfielder that will provide much value to our midfield this season."
Forsberg has represented the Sweden National Team since 2014, where he has made 86 international caps and scored 21 goals and tallied nine assists. He made his debut for Sweden on Jan 17, 2014, in a 2-1 win over Moldova. Forsberg scored his first career goal for Sweden in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying playoff match against Denmark, which secured qualification for Sweden in Euro 2016. He has competed in two Euros (2016, 2020) and made the roster for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Sundsvall, Sweden native scored the game-winning goal against Switzerland in the Round of 16 to send Sweden to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time since 1958. He has been named Swedish Midfielder of the Year four times in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021, and he earned the Guldbollen award in 2021 as well, which is given to the top Swedish male player each year. Forsberg made his most recent cap for Sweden on November 19 against Estonia in an UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match.
TRANSACTION: The New York Red Bulls have completed the transfer of Swedish midfielder Emil Forsberg from RB Leipzig and have signed him to a three-year contract through 2026 with an option for 2027 on December 16, 2023.
