\n
MONTEREY, Mexico (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the soccer kings honored at the North American World Cup.<\/p>\n
If you want real nobility, go to the Swedish team.<\/p>\n
Gustav Lagerbjelke, a 26-year-old defender who played the entirety of Sweden’s 5-1 win over Tunisia on Sunday, is a baron from the Swedish aristocracy. His father and grandfather were counts.<\/p>\n
Football players usually come from modest backgrounds. Take Messi and Ronaldo, for example.<\/p>\n
Not Lagerbjerke.<\/p>\n
“I mean, that’s unusual,” he said in a pre-World Cup interview.<\/p>\n
Lagerbjelke grew up in Djersholm, a wealthy suburb of the Swedish capital Stockholm. He says that when he played soccer as a child, he had the family crest on his shinguards.<\/p>\n
“When I was a kid I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” Lagerbjelke said after Sunday’s game in Monterrey. “They gave me purpose. They make me very happy and I’m very proud.”<\/p>\n
Lagerbjelke’s heritage has been a topic of conversation throughout his career, which has taken him from Sweden (AIK, Sollentuna, V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Elfsborg, Degerfors) to Scotland (Celts) and now Portugal.<\/p>\n
Some British media have reported that he is 254th in line to the Swedish throne, but Lagerbjelke said: “I don’t know if that’s true.”<\/p>\n
“But I think for that to happen, a lot of people have to leave, and I don’t want that to happen,” he added.<\/p>\n
For now, Lagerbjelke just wants to help Sweden become the kings of soccer at the World Cup.<\/p>\n
“It’s great to be able to achieve Sweden’s biggest ever victory at the World Cup,” he said.<\/p>\n
__<\/p>\n
Ethan Wilcox is a student at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Douglas reported from Sundsvall, Sweden.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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