Pontus Jansson arrived in England when Leeds United initially signed him on a loan deal from Torino in 2016, and a year later made his stay permanent at Elland Road.
After spending three seasons with the Whites, he joined Brentford last summer.
Since the start of the 2016/17 season, the centre-back has been ever present as long as he’s been fit.
The Swede’s last appearance for the Bees came in his side’s 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on January 11th as an injury forced him to stay away from the pitch.
“I was injured in the autumn and still played on. I came from several seasons in a row without any break really and without any actual preseason. There have been championships and there have been preseasons and there has been almost no break in three years really,” he told Kvällsposten.
Jansson was handed the arm-band upon his arrival at Griffin Park and has developed his leadership skills at Brentford.
The 29-year-old was happy to receive praise from Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa for his performances last season. Jansson, however, believes he got even better this term, not just as a player.
“I received a great deal of praise last year. Bielsa said I was the best player in the league, the best in his team and my name were very visible. This year, I have matured both as the captain and as the leader,” Jansson explained.
“To see how good I have been, you need to sit down and analyse the matches as a whole more than just look at what I have done.
“It has become more team focus for me. I have tried to lead in the best possible way, to be there when it blows, and I myself feel I have lifted my entire game. Pontus Jansson says we’ll see how everything gets.”
“I have tried to lead in the best possible way, be there when it is windy and I feel myself lifting my whole game. We’ll see how everything gets.”
Jansson will be in his 30s when his contract with Brentford expires in 2022.
When asked if he will return to Sweden later in his career, he said: “That’s the thing about age. You see things differently. Now it’s harder to plan.
“When I was younger and moved to Italy, I was clear that I wanted to go back and I still want to. But now I feel more like I’m taking one season at a time. The season I’ve had so far is probably the best I’ve had.”
