Emil Roback

Emil Pakebba Joof Roback (born 3 May 2003) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Thai League 1 club Muangthong United. Born in Sweden to Gambian parents, Roback has represented Sweden at various youth levels internationally.

Emil Roback

Personal information
Full name	Emil Pakebba Joof Roback
Date of birth	(2003-05-03) 3 May 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth	Norrköping, Sweden
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Muangthong United
Number	11
Youth career
	IK Sleipner
	IFK Norrköping
2012	Västerhaninge IF
2015–2019	Hammarby IF
2021–2022	AC Milan
2022	→ Nordsjælland (loan)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2020	Hammarby IF	0	(0)
2020	→ IK Frej (loan)	8	(0)
2020–2024	AC Milan	0	(0)
2022–2023	→ Nordsjælland (loan)	0	(0)
2023	→ IFK Norrköping (loan)	3	(0)
2024–	Muangthong United	28	(7)
International career‡
2019	Sweden U16	3	(3)
2019	Sweden U17	5	(1)
2021–2022	Sweden U19	10	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:30, 20 April 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:30, 29 March 2022 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Roback started playing football as a youngster with IFK Norrköping, before representing IK Sleipner and Västerhaninge IF in two brief spells.^[1]

Hammarby IF

In 2015, he joined the academy of Allsvenskan side Hammarby IF from Stockholm.^[2] On 3 January 2020, Roback signed his first professional contract with Hammarby.^[3] On 24 April 2020, Roback played striker alongside Hammarby IF shareholder Zlatan Ibrahimović in an internal friendly game with Hammarby during the COVID-19 pandemic that was televised by Dplay.^[4]

Loan to Frej

He was loaned out to affiliated club IK Frej in Ettan, Sweden's third tier, for the remainder of the 2020 season.^[5] He ended up playing 8 games for Frej in 2020.^[6]

Return to Hammarby IF and debut

On 25 June 2020, Roback returned to Hammarby for their Svenska Cupen match against IFK Göteborg.^[7] He made his professional debut after coming on as a 74th minute substitute for Imad Khalili as Hammarby would succumb to a 1–3 defeat.^[8]

AC Milan

On 14 August 2020, Roback completed a transfer to Italian Serie A club AC Milan.^[9][10] The transfer fee was reportedly set at around 15-20 million Swedish kronor (approximately £1.3-1.8 million).^[11] On January 13, 2022 he made his first team debut, as a substitute, playing the final minutes of a 3–1 victory against Genoa in the Coppa Italia.

Loan to Nordsjælland

On 31 August 2022 it was confirmed, that Roback had joined Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland on a season-long loan deal, with a reported purchase option of €2 million. However he only featured once with the team at the Danish Cup, and once with the reserve team, subsequently his loan was cut short before the season concluded.^[12]

Loan to IFK Norrköping

In March 2023, Roback returned to Swedish Allsvenskan club IFK Norrköping on a season-long loan deal, the club where he had spent time as a youngster.^[13]

Muangthong United

On 15 July 2024, Roback signed with Muangthong United of the Thai League 1.^[14]

International career

Roback has represented his nation Sweden at the under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels.^[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 23 April 2025^[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup[a]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hammarby IF	2020	Allsvenskan	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
IK Frej (loan)	2020	Ettan Norra	8	0	0	0	—		8	0
	Total		8	0	0	0	—		8	0
AC Milan	2021–22	Serie A	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	—		1	0
Nordsjælland (loan)	2022–23	Superliga	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	Total		0	0	1	0	—		1	0
IFK Norrköping (loan)	2023	Allsvenskan	3	0	0	0	—		3	0
	Total		3	0	3	0	—		3	0
Muangthong United	2024–25	Thai League 1	28	7	3	1	7[b]	1	38	9
	Total		28	7	3	1	7	1	38	9
Career total			39	7	9	1	7	1	55	9

Notes

1. Includes Svenska Cupen, Coppa Italia, Danish Cup, Thai FA Cup
2. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League Two