Emil Henry Kristoffer Krafth (Swedish: [ˈeː.mɪl ˈkrɑːft]; born 2 August 1994) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a right-back or as a centre-back for the Sweden national team.
Developed at Lagan, Krafth had played for Öster, Helsingborg and Bologna, also spent time on loan with Amiens, and had a brief permanent spell with the side. In 2019, he signed with English Premier League side Newcastle United.
Krafth was born in Ljungby, Kronoberg County. Both of his parents, Pelle and Pernilla, were footballers, and he joined his mother's club, Lagans AIK, at five years old. Krafth was coached by his parents throughout his time at Lagans AIK. He started out playing as a defensive midfielder or striker before switching to defence, eventually playing at right–back.
Krafth has a sister and a brother. When he was fifteen years old, Krafth moved out of his parents’ house to Växjö, attending a football high school there and said it was easy to adapt. Growing up, he supported Manchester United.
Krafth began his career at lower-division side Lagans AIK. It was with Lagans AIK that he made his senior debut in 2010, aged just 16. In 2011, he joined Östers IF in Superettan. Krafth debuted for the club at 17 years old, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against GIF Sundsvall in the opening game of the season. He quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in either the defender ad midfield positions and impressed in his first season in the Superettan. For his performance at one point, Krafth was named Tipselit Player of the Month for June. Krafth was also named Sveriges Radio Kronoberg Prize for "Sports Surprise of the Year 2011". At the end of the 2011 season, Krafth made thirty–five appearances in all competitions.
Following this, Krafth was linked a move away from Östers IF, as he went on trials, such as, Rangers and Malmö.
Krafth earned a move to Allsvenskan side Helsingborgs IF on 10 January 2012. Upon joining the club, he was given number fifteen shirt.
Krafth appeared as an unused substitute in Helsingborgs’ first match of the 2012 season, in a 2–0 win over AIK in the Svenska Supercupen. A month later, on 27 April 2012 against Mjällby, he made his Helsingborgs debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw. After the match, Krafth's performance was praised by Manager Conny Karlsson. He then appeared in the next three matches for the side, keeping two out of the three clean sheets. However, Krafth suffered an injury that kept him out for weeks and didn't make an appearance until on 28 July 2012 against IFK Norrköping, where he set up the club's only goal of the game, losing 2–1. Krafth then made his UEFA Europa League debut, starting a match and played 65 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 loss against Levante on 22 November 2012. Throughout the 2012 season, he found his playing his time, mostly from the substitute bench and made six starts for the side. Krafth went on to make fifteen appearances in all competitions when the season ended.
At the start of the 2013 season, Krafth made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Assyriska in the Svenska Cupen. After suffering a knee injury that he sustained while on international duty, on 18 April 2013 he made his first league appearance of the season, starting the whole game, and set up Helsingborgs’ first goal of the game, in a 4–1 win against IFK Norrköping. Since the start of the 2013 season, Krafth quickly became a first team regular for the side, playing in the right–back position. On 27 June 2013, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against AIK. In addition, Krafth provided assists on three more time later in the 2013 season. He once helped Helsingborgs keep two clean sheets on two occasions. At the end of the 2013 season, he went on to make thirty–four appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014 season, Krafth helped Helsingborgs reach the finals of the Svenska Cupen. However, in the Svenska Cupen Final against Elfsborg, he started in the final, playing in the right–back position, as the club lost 1–0. It was announced on 11 April 2014 that Krafth signed a contract with Helsingborgs, keeping him there until 2016. Since the start of the 2014 season, he continued to be a first team regular for the side, playing in the right–back position. At one point during the 2014 season, Krafth was given the club's vice captaincy. On 3 October 2014, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–1 win against Kalmar. Despite missing two matches during the 2014 season, he made thirty–two appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014 season, Krafth helped Helsingborgs reach the quarter–finals of the Svenska Cupen, as they were eliminated in the quarter–finals. Since the start of the 2015 season, he continued to be a first team regular for the side, playing in the right–back position. However, Krafth suffered a back injury while training that saw him miss one match. But he made his return, starting a match against Elfsborg on 20 May 2015, scoring in a 2–1 loss. Krafth kept two consecutive clean sheets on two separate occasions. By the time he left the club, Krafth made twelve appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
It was announced on 19 August 2015 that Krafth swapped Sweden for Italy as he joined Serie A outfit Bologna. It came after when Krafth announced his intention to leave Helsingborgs in the summer transfer window. Upon joining the club, he was given a number four shirt.
However, Krafth continued to recover from a back injury that he sustained over the summer. On 24 October 2015 he made his Bologna debut against Carpi, starting a match and played 42 minutes before being substituted, due to a knee injury, as they won 2–1. Following this, it was announced that Krafth was sidelined for the rest of the year after suffering another injury while on international duty with Sweden U21, and continued to do for the first four months of 2016. On 11 April 2016, he made his first appearance in months, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Roma. Krafth made two more appearances later in the 2015–16 season, including a start against Chievo in the last game of the season. At the end of the season, he made four appearances in all competitions. Following this, Krafth said: "I didn't have a lucky season: the recovery from my injury was longer than expected and it kept me out for a long time. However, it was a year in which I learned a lot, especially in terms of mentality. I always hope to train well and play as much as possible in the championship to come, I intend to show that I am a good right back and show you how much I am worth."
Krafth started in the first four league matches of the 2016–17 season in the right–back position before being sent–off for a straight red card in the 81st minute, losing 3–1 against Napoli on 17 September 2016. After serving a one match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up against Inter Milan on 25 September 2016 and played 80 minutes before being substituted, as Bologna drew 1–1. However, his return was short–lived when Krafth was sidelined on two occasions that saw him out for two months. On 6 November 2016, he returned to the starting line–up, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Roma. Following this, Krafth found himself in and out of the starting eleven for the side, competing with Vasilis Torosidis and Ibrahima Mbaye over the right–back position. He then scored his first goal for Bologna, and set up the club's second goal of the game, in a 4–0 win against Hellas Verona in the fourth round of the Coppa Italia. However, Krafth was sent–off for a straight red card in the last minute, in a 1–1 draw against Cagliari on 29 January 2017. During a 1–1 draw against Genoa on 26 February 2017, he suffered a knee injury and was substituted in the 53rd minute. Initially out in a follow–up match against Lazio, Krafth returned to the starting line–up and started the whole game, in a 2–0 loss. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he made twenty–nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions.