Elena Sadiku

Elena Sadiku
Sadiku with Eskilstuna United in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth (1993-11-06) 6 November 1993
Place of birth Bocholt, Germany
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Team information
Current team
 BK Häcken FF (head coach)
Youth career
LdB Malmö
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 LdB Malmö 13 (1)
2012–2013 Kristianstad 28 (1)
2014–2016 Eskilstuna United 16 (5)
2017 Hammarby 6 (1)
International career
2011–2012 Sweden U19 14 (2)
Managerial career
2018–2019 Beijing BG Phoenix (assistant)
2019–2021 Rosengård (assistant)
2021 Fortuna Hjørring
2021–2022 Eskilstuna United
2023–2024 Everton U21
2024–2025 Celtic Women
2025– BK Häcken FF
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Elena Sadiku (born 6 November 1993) is a Swedish football manager and former player who is the head coach of Damallsvenskan club BK Häcken.

Playing career

Sadiku began her career at LdB Malmö (now FC Rosengård). Originally playing as a striker, she transitioned into a box-to-box midfielder.[2] By 2011, she played for the Sweden women's national under-19 football team, earning 14 caps and scoring 2 goals.[3] She continued her club career in the Damallsvenskan, transferring to Kristianstads DFF in 2012 and subsequently to Eskilstuna United in 2014.[2]

In July 2014, Sadiku sustained a severe knee injury that involved the tearing of her ACL, MCL, LCL, and meniscus, which sidelined her for a year.[4] In July 2015, she returned to play and scored a hat-trick in Eskilstuna’s 5–1 victory against AIK,[5] but a few days later, she tore the same ACL and LCL again during training.[4] Following these injuries, Sadiku suffered from depression during her prolonged rehabilitation.[6]

In 2017, Sadiku joined Hammarby IF.[7] She played her final game in a match against Djurgårdens IF, where she tore her ACL for the third time.[8] The injury was compounded by a severe infection following a keyhole surgery, requiring seven operations in two weeks and presenting a risk of leg amputation.[6] This life-threatening complication led to her decision to retire from playing at age 24.[9]

Coaching career

Following her retirement as a player, Sadiku took up a coaching position at Hammarby IF’s Academy.[10] In February 2018, she was invited by Kim Björkegren to join him at Chinese Women's Super League (CWSL) club Beijing BG Phoenix as an assistant coach and fitness trainer.[11]

After a season in China, she returned to FC Rosengård, where she became head coach of the U-19 academy. In July 2020, she became joint head coach of FC Rosengård 1917 (the club's "B" team) alongside Renée Slegers.[12] The pair led the team to the 2020 Division 2 Södra Götaland title, securing promotion to Division 1.[13] Sadiku then stepped up into an assistant coach role for Rosengård’s first-team, where she worked under Jonas Eidevall.

In January 2021, Sadiku was appointed as head coach of Danish side Fortuna Hjørring.[14] In the 2020/21 season, she led the club to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL). Ten months later, Sadiku returned to Eskilstuna United where she became joint head coach alongside Fredrik Benhardsson.[15] On 7 April 2023, Sadiku was appointed as Women's Academy Head Coach at Everton.[16]

On 12 January 2024, Sadiku became the first female head coach of Celtic FC Women.[17] Under her leadership, Celtic won their first Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL1) title on goal difference over rivals Rangers.[18] As a result, the club earned a spot in the 2024/25 Champions League qualifiers, where they became the first Scottish side to reach the group stages.[19]

On 22 December 2025, Sadiku was appointed as head coach of Damallsvenskan side BK Häcken FF.[20] On 1 May 2026, she guided the club to victory in the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup, after beating Hammarby IF in the two-legged final 4–2 on aggregate.[21]

Personal life

Sadiku was born on 6 November 1993 in the north-west German city of Bocholt to Kosovor-Albanian parents,[2] before spending six months with her family in Kosovo during the Kosovo War.[4]. The experience of fleeing the war and living as refugees led to their struggles with post-traumatic stress.[4]

At the age of seven, her family relocated to Sweden, where she began playing football in the garden with her brother. The sport turned into a passion for Sadiku and helped her find a sense of safety during her childhood.[4]

Honours

Celtic Women

BK Häcken FF

References

  1. ↑ Elena Sadiku at WorldFootball.net
  2. 1 2 3 Donnelly, Joe (9 August 2024). "Elena Sadiku on making SWPL history & setting new standards at Celtic". The Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  3. ↑ "Elena Sadiku" (in Swedish). Svenska Fotbollförbundet. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "How war and sepsis couldn't stop Celtic manager Elena Sadiku's rise". The Times. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Succé i comebacken för Elena Sadiku" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 Murray, Ewan (5 October 2024). "Celtic's Elena Sadiku: 'That infection made me question everything. I was scared of losing my life'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Liljedahl, Carl-Johan (9 December 2016). "Sadiku till Hammarby" (in Swedish). Kristianstadbladet. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Menisken av – kan ha spelat sin sista match" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Slutar – efter tolv operationer" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Elena Sadiku - Management". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Tidigare Hammarbyspelaren flyttar till Kina" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "För fler egna produkter i Sveriges bästa lag!" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Dam B klara seriesegrare – division 1 nästa" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "Elena Sadiku - Management". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Elena Sadiku återvänder till Eskilstuna som tränare". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 4 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "Sadiku Appointed WSL Academy Coach". Everton F.C. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Sadiku becomes Celtic's first female head coach". BBC Sport. 12 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Celtic leave it late to spark SWPL title bedlam". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "Sadiku 'proud but disappointed' on Champions League debut". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "BK Häcken presenterar ny huvudtränare" [BK Häcken presents new head coach] (in Swedish). BK Häcken. 23 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "Häcken vs Hammarby - UEFA Women's Europa Cup 2025/26". UEFA. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
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