Carl Starfelt

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Carl Starfelt
Starfelt playing for Rubin Kazan in 2020
Personal information
Full name Carl Anders Theodor Starfelt[1]
Date of birth (1995-06-01) 1 June 1995
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Celta
Number 2
Youth career
0000–2013 IF Brommapojkarna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 IF Brommapojkarna 85 (2)
2018–2019 IFK Göteborg 44 (1)
2019–2021 Rubin Kazan 39 (3)
2021–2023 Celtic 63 (3)
2023– Celta Vigo 74 (2)
International career‡
2014 Sweden U19 2 (0)
2020– Sweden 19 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:48, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 08:05, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

Carl Anders Theodor Starfelt (born 1 June 1995) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Celta de Vigo and the Sweden national team.

Club career

IF Brommapojkarna

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Starfelt began his career with IF Brommapojkarna. He made his senior debut on 9 March 2014, coming on as a substitute for Jacob Une in a Svenska Cupen match against Jönköpings Södra IF that ended in a goalless draw. He later made his Allsvenskan debut on 30 March 2014 against Kalmar FF.[3]

IFK Göteborg

In January 2018, Starfelt joined IFK Göteborg, one of the most successful clubs in Sweden. The transfer had been anticipated since 10 August 2017.[4]

He made his debut for the club on 17 February 2018, starting in a Svenska Cupen match against Varbergs BoIS. IFK Göteborg won the match 1–0.

Rubin Kazan

On 13 July 2019, he signed a four-year contract with Russian Premier League club FC Rubin Kazan.[5]

Celtic

On 21 July 2021, Starfelt agreed on a four-year contract with Scottish Premiership side Celtic.[6][7] He would be involved in a centre-back partnership with fellow summer signing Cameron Carter-Vickers which helped Celtic win the 2021–22 Scottish Premiership title, as they finished with the best defensive record in the league that season.[8][9][10]

On 2 December 2021, Starfelt was given his first ever man of the match award for his performance in a 1–0 home win against Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premiership.[11][12]

On 19 December 2021, Starfelt started for Celtic against Hibernian in the 2021–22 Scottish League Cup final. Celtic won 2–1, thanks to a brace from Kyogo Furuhashi and Starfelt collected his first career honour.[13]

On 18 April 2022, Starfelt scored an own goal against Rangers in extra time to give the latter a 2–1 win over Celtic, subsequently allowing Rangers to go on and win the Scottish Cup Final against Hearts.

On 14 August 2022, Starfelt scored his first goal for Celtic in a 5–0 win at Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.[14] His second goal for the club followed in a 9–0 win at Dundee United on 28 August 2022.[15]

On 2 November 2022, Starfelt made his UEFA Champions League debut against Real Madrid in a 5–1 defeat for Celtic at the Santiago Bernabéu.[16][17]

Celta Vigo

On 10 August 2023, Starfelt joined Celta Vigo from Celtic for a reported fee of £4.3 million.[18][19]

He scored his first goal for the club on 4 November 2023, opening the scoring with a header from an Iago Aspas delivery in a 1–1 La Liga draw against Sevilla.

Starfelt scored his second goal for Celta on 26 August 2024 in a La Liga match against Villarreal. Despite his goal, Celta were defeated 4–3.

International career

After having made two appearances for the Sweden U19 team in 2014, Starfelt was called up to the Sweden national team for the first time on 30 September 2020 ahead of their games against Russia, Croatia, and Portugal in October 2020.[20] He made his full international debut on 8 October 2020 in a friendly game against Russia, playing all 90 minutes alongside Sebastian Holmén at centre-back in a 2–1 win for Sweden.[21]

On 12 May 2026, Starfelt was named in the Sweden squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[22]

Personal life

Starfelt is in a relationship with Australian footballer Jacynta Galabadaarachchi.[23]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 March 2026[24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
IF Brommapojkarna 2014 Allsvenskan 20020—4[a]0260
2015 Superettan 16040——200
2016 Division 1 22110——231
2017 Superettan 27150——321
Total 852120—401012
IFK Göteborg 2018 Allsvenskan 30040——340
2019 Allsvenskan 14100——141
Total 44140——481
Rubin Kazan 2019–20 Russian Premier League 10010——110
2020–21 Russian Premier League 29320——313
Total 39330——423
Celtic 2021–22 Scottish Premiership 34030309[b]0490
2022–23 Scottish Premiership 28350301[c]0373
2023–24 Scottish Premiership 10———10
Total 6338060100873
Celta Vigo 2023–24 La Liga 27130——301
2024–25 La Liga 28120——301
2025–26 La Liga 19010—11[a]1311
Total 74260—111913
Career total 305113306025136712
  1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. Seven appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. Appearance in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 25 June 2026[25]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Sweden 202020
202120
202210
202320
202460
202520
202640
Total190

Honours

Celtic

Individual

References

  1. "Starfelt, Carl Anders Theodor". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. "Carl Starfelt". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. "Nya Blåvitts spelarporträtt: Carl Starfelt" (in Swedish). 31 January 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  4. "Lämnar superettan – klar för IFK Göteborg". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 10 August 2017.
  5. ""РУБИН" ПОДПИСАЛ КОНТРАКТ С КАРЛОМ СТАРФЕЛЬТОМ" [Rubin signed a contract with Carl Starfelt] (in Russian). FC Rubin Kazan. 13 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  6. Mair, Steven (21 July 2021). "Defender Carl Starfelt signs for Celtic from Rubin Kazan". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  7. "Celtic delighted to welcome Swedish defender Carl Starfelt". Celtic. 21 July 2021.
  8. "2021/22 Premiership | SPFL Archive". spfl.co.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  9. "Premiership Goals Conceded | FootyStats". footystats.org. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  10. Galindo, Alan (28 December 2022). "Carl Starfelt hails Cameron Carter-Vickers as he makes Celtic clean sheet demand". GlasgowLive. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  11. "Carl Starfelt delighted with his first ever Man of the Match award won against Hearts". thecelticstar.com. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  12. "Celtic 1-0 Hearts: Kyogo Furuhashi's first-half goal sees Celtic edge past Hearts". Sky Sports. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  13. "Premier Sports Cup (Sky Sports)". Sky Sports. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  14. ""Swede feeling for Carl Starfelt after his first goal"". Celtic FC. 14 August 2022.
  15. ""Manager: We got our rewards for hard work and discipline"". Celtic FC. 28 August 2022.
  16. UEFA.com. "Real Madrid-Celtic | Line-ups". UEFA. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  17. "Real Madrid 5-1 Celtic: Champions League holders thrash Scottish champions to qualify for last 16 as group winners". Sky Sports. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  18. "Carl Starfelt, contundencia, fiabilidad y solidez para fortalecer la defensa del RC Celta" (in Spanish). RC Celta. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  19. "Celtic: Carl Starfelt departure to Celta Vigo confirmed". www.bbc.com. 10 August 2023.
  20. "Starfelt en av skrällarna i Blågult-truppen: "Har drömt om det sedan jag var liten"". fotbollskanalen (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  21. "Svensk seger i Moskva". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  22. "Mystiskt inlägg efter petningen". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 12 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  23. "A namorada saiu para o Sporting, agora ele também quer deixar o Celtic". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  24. Carl Starfelt at Soccerway
  25. "Carl Starfelt". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  26. "Dundee United 1–1 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side reclaim league title". BBC Sport. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  27. Watt, Martin (7 May 2023). "Heart of Midlothian 0–2 Celtic: Ange Postecoglou's side seal back-to-back titles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  28. Duncan, Thomas (3 June 2023). "Celtic 3–1 Inverness CT: Ange Postecoglou's side win Scottish Cup to claim treble". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  29. "Hibernian 1–2 Celtic". BBC Sport. 18 December 2021.
  30. Moffat, Colin (26 February 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  31. Cassidy, Peter (9 May 2023). "Seven Celtic players in PFA team of the year but star duo miss out". STV Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2023.