Gustaf Lagerbielke stands out in the Swedish World Cup squad for his interest in literature and culture. He has previously also talked about his thought book, a form of notebook where he writes down philosophical reflections, personal thoughts and lessons learned.
Before the World Cup, he fills his time between training sessions with books, quizzes and board games, often together with his cultural companion, goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström.
“A whole bunch of books”
Widell Zetterström has bought a bunch of books and a collection of poems,
I bought "No Country for Old Men," which is set in Texas. It's fun to read and learn a little about what it's like where you are.
Widell Zetterström is on the same track.
I have a whole bunch of books now. There will be quite a few,
Right now I'm reading Toni Morrison, to get into the U.S. feeling. But it's a lot, I'd rather have too many books than too few. It's a way to feel at home.
The national team has also packed a lot of board games.
"It was Hitster, a few different variations. We had to go around and take a few random samples of different players, what kind of games they wanted," says Lagerbielke.
In a World Cup environment, the small routines around time-outs can be important.
It will be very hot, so we will be indoors a lot, so it's good to have things to do, says Lagerbielke.
“They talk a lot”
And the competition within the team is already clear, even off the field.
Widell Zetterström has already won the quiz. The level is quite high. We will have tough matches, says Lagerbielke.
Another national teammate has surprised on the playing front.
Lucas (Bergvall) and I were on the same team at Hitster. He played some really old songs. He's young, so when he knew a Sinatra song, it was fun.
But not everyone does equally well when the national team plays board games.
Hjalmar Ekdal and Benjamin Nygren have had a hard time. They talk a lot but struggle, says Lagerbielke.
Sweden plays its World Cup opener against Tunisia at 4:00 a.m. Monday.
