Inside Futbol
·5 February 2026
Kim Hellberg ‘Sees Things That Others Don’t – Attacker Issues ‘Best Coach’ Praise

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Yahoo sportsInside Futbol
·5 February 2026

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Hammarby star Paulos Abraham has described his former boss and current Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg as the best he has worked with, insisting that the 38-year-old sees things that others do not.
In the one-and-a-half years Hellberg was in charge of Hammarby, he guided them to consecutive second-place finishes in the Swedish top flight.
Hellberg’s good work in Swedish football put him on the radar of several Championship sides, with Swansea City especially keen.
The Swans felt they had Hellberg in the bag, but Middlesbrough came in and tempted the manager to the Riverside.
Middlesbrough needed a boss after Rob Edwards quit to take over at Premier League strugglers Wolves.

After the formalities were completed, Middlesbrough unveiled Hellberg as the new manager, leaving Swansea disappointed.
Hammarby, who had already started preparations to replace Hellberg, eventually appointed Kalle Karlsson as his successor, but the players of the Swedish team still look back fondly at their time under the former boss.
Abraham, who could spend only limited time under Hellberg, has fond memories of the manager, insisting that the 38-year-old is the best he has worked with.
“Yes, based on the ones I’ve had and worked with, I’d even say the best coach by far”, Abraham told Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen.

“Besides the fact that he’s a very good person and very good at sensing players, he sees football in a way that I can’t really understand.”
Abraham admits he felt the benefits of Hellberg’s specific coaching to allow him to flourish in his role, with the current Boro boss seeing things others do not.
“He sees things that others don’t, like my position.
“At first, I didn’t understand exactly what he meant, but it became a somewhat tailored role for me that worked incredibly well.
“If you look at the team’s style of play, we went through the opponents and how we would play before each match, and then it felt like it always worked very well.”
Hellberg has seamlessly adapted to the demands of English football with Middlesbrough, winning nine of the 13 games he has been in charge of.
It remains to be seen if Abraham will get the chance to play under Hellberg again at some point in his career.








































