He is very much the quiet man of the current Easter Road dressing room, but that suits Melker Hallberg just fine.
The Swedish midfielder is happy to do his talking on the park, and increased first-team exposure of late has come as a result of some hard graft to impress the coaching staff at the Hibernian Training Centre and in some specially-arranged bounce matches.
The softly-spoken demeanour shouldn’t disguise the steely personality that’s driving the 25-year-old’s bid to nail down a regular starting spot.
Melker, our Player Care Support specialist, Stuart Guthrie, tells us you were once the youngest player to appear in Sweden’s top-flight. Can you cast your mind back that far?
I had the title at one point but that feels like a long, long time ago now. I was 16 when I made my first appearance in our top tier for Kalmar FF. We’d played in a reserve game during the week and I’d done well, so I’d maybe given the manager something to think about. During the next game, at half-time, the manager came to me and told me I was going on. I remember my heart started to race. It was away to Malmo, so a big game for us. I came on at right midfield and, from memory, I did okay. I started the next game and did even better. Things went from there. I was tall but thinly-built but I was determined, and I think that helped me rise to the challenge.
Your potential attracted the attention of Udinese in Italy, who are well known for unearthing talented young players and being shrewd in the transfer marker. How did that move come about?
I’d played consistently for two-and-a-half seasons – to a pretty decent level – and I maybe stood out more because of my age. I got an out-of-the-blue call from my agent to say Udinese were interested and keen to buy me. I had alternative options from different countries but I’d watched Serie A from an early stage and it really appealed to me. Italy, in general, was of interest. My favourite player was Fabio Cannavaro. He was a bit of a warrior, despite his size.
You threw yourself in at the deep end with a move overseas at that early stage of your career.
Sweden is a pretty open place that embraces a lot of different cultures. We study different languages – especially languages – and I think that all helps. Italy was hard, though. Don’t get me wrong. I was away from all my family and friends. The culture around the football was very much a case of going to training and then heading home to be with your family. That’s tough when you’re on your own. I’d be on the phone or online to them instead. It’s not the same but it kept my head on straight and I’m glad I toughed it out. I think it was a good, important experience. It didn’t work out in terms of establishing myself in Udinese’s first team, which was the initial goal, but I think you take so much from every experience. The good and the bad. It makes you stronger.
How much have you had to adapt your natural game?
Yeah, your game changes quite a bit depending on the country. Here in Scotland the tempo is very high with a lot of physical confrontations. In Italy it’s slower and more technical. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to play the game, so it’s up to you to bring your quality but make sure that you respect your surroundings and change to suit. For me, at the moment, that means working hard on the physical side of my game everyday in the gym. I’ve always been ‘big’ in terms of height and maybe physical enough in some environments, but it’s a level up here and I need to adapt accordingly. We have good staff at HTC who are helping me with that. We probably have the toughest midfielder in the league in Alex Gogic, so there are definitely elements of his game that I can learn from. He is very good at picking up second balls.
What are your impressions of the game here?
That football is such a big deal. People love it all over the world, but you live and breathe it here. It’s just a general intensity, whether it’s social media or people out and about. It can be a good thing and a bad thing.
You’ve had spells out of the team here. What’s kept your head up when you’ve been on the sidelines?
I’m a professional, at the end of the day. When I was younger I maybe had more to say for myself. I was more impatient and would get angry, but I try to channel it the right way now. It can be a waste of energy. All you can do is focus in training, try to show what you’re good at and work hard on the areas that you need to improve in. I think the rest takes care of itself if you do that.
You’ve got a great relationship with Christian Doidge, Joe Newell and Tom James, off the pitch. Did that help?
Absolutely. I’ve never felt like I’m on my own here. Less so now because of all the restrictions, but we would all go out for coffee a lot or play a game of golf. At the right times it’s good to switch off from football to recharge and we all enjoy each other’s company. My golf game has improved here. I’m not the best yet but I’m trying. and I can say the same for my girlfriend. She’s a beginner but catching up fast.
Tell us something we don’t know about Christian and Joe.
Christian Doidge is having a very tough time of it on Call of Duty: Warzone. He probably won’t appreciate me saying that but it’s the truth. I’ll keep it positive – he’s trying his best to get better. Joe loves his cards. If we play within the squad he always seems to win. I don’t know what his secret is.
We remember Christian telling us that he was having to do the food run for you when you were in isolation after arriving back from Sweden following the first big lockdown. He claimed he didn’t recognise half of the healthy items on the list.
I don’t know if that says more about us or Christian! My girlfriend, Elsa, sent the list so maybe it was her spelling.
You live right in the middle of Edinburgh’s city centre. What do you like so much about the city?
It’s a beautiful city to live in. Even though it feels like a big city, it’s not too big. Everything is pretty accessible. I like that it offers a bit of everything. We haven’t explored much further afield but I’ve done most of the things you’d expect from a tourist in Edinburgh. Kalmar, where I’m from, is small and close to the sea. It’s beautiful in the summers but not so much in the winter!
Was it always football for you?
Yes, there was no doubt about that. I started with a small team outside of Kalmar and my Dad was the coach. My brothers and I were always kicking a ball about. I’m the eldest. The next one down is playing in Sweden right now. Another brother has just moved to New York to play college football. The youngest one stopped playing about a year and a half ago. The one good thing that came out of the lockdown was the chance to spend a couple of months with my family. At the same time, I did miss football and was hungry to get going again.
Did you reset any personal ambitions?
I think I’ve learned not to look too far ahead. It does sound like a boring answer, but you really do need to take it day by day. Especially when there’s so much competition for places here and, in particular, in midfield. Like most players, I’m not very good at watching from the sidelines if I’m not involved. You always want to be a good team-mate and do whatever you can to support the boys who are playing, but it makes you determined to be in the manager’s plans.
There aren’t many like-for-like midfielders in the squad. You all seem to offer different qualities. How do you see your own strengths?
I would say the best part of my game is when I’m on the ball. I think I can carry it. When I arrived, I played in a different role to help the team, but I’m more comfortable as a traditional number eight – going box to box. I think there’s a lot more to come from me.
Finally, talk us through these tattoos.
It’s always been quite spontaneous. It wasn’t ever about covering an area of my body for the sake of it. They are just individual designs that I like. The first one was roman numerals for the different birthdays in my family. I was 16 and living on my phone, so I’m not sure I asked their permission at the time. There’s a Pokemon one, Super Mario and the most random one is maybe a little girl with a balloon. I was inspired when I saw a friend with a similar one. There’s room for a few more.
