By Jorge Zavala | Creative Director
Sara Walker | Media Guru
The world of volleyball is a complex, intriguing, and adventurous one filled with confident, strong individuals full of talent and charisma. If you follow the world of volleyball, the name Marcus Nilsson will resonate with the aforementioned qualities in addition to assertive and cosmopolitan. Marcus Nils Jon Nilsson is a native of Torup, Sweden and the pride of the Swedish people.
The 33 year-old athlete received the acclaimed title of MVP during the European Champions League in 2012 and since has been a sensation to watch.
Sara Walker | Media Guru
The world of volleyball is a complex, intriguing, and adventurous one filled with confident, strong individuals full of talent and charisma. If you follow the world of volleyball, the name Marcus Nilsson will resonate with the aforementioned qualities in addition to assertive and cosmopolitan. Marcus Nils Jon Nilsson is a native of Torup, Sweden and the pride of the Swedish people.
The 33 year-old athlete received the acclaimed title of MVP during the European Champions League in 2012 and since has been a sensation to watch.
Growing up, Marcus probably didn't think he would become the international volleyball figure he is today. As a kid, he dabbled in all kinds of sports, everything from swimming, to soccer, tennis, and rugby. "Trying volleyball came very natural. When I got older and it came to choosing one sport it became volleyball just by chance because a relative of mine applied to the Swedish volleyball high school and thought I should do the same, which I did and got accepted," Marcus told PdM.
In a PdM exclusive, when asked about the inspiration and motivation behind his athletic career, Marcus was gleeful and honest. "I really hate to lose...and in order to avoid losing I train more than my opponents. My motivation I've always felt is the support of my family and friends. Even though I've lived outside of Sweden for about 13 years now they continue to support what I'm doing and as long as they see that I'm happy, they're happy."
In a PdM exclusive, when asked about the inspiration and motivation behind his athletic career, Marcus was gleeful and honest. "I really hate to lose...and in order to avoid losing I train more than my opponents. My motivation I've always felt is the support of my family and friends. Even though I've lived outside of Sweden for about 13 years now they continue to support what I'm doing and as long as they see that I'm happy, they're happy."
Marcus has mainly spent his volleyball career in Europe, and his last 3 seasons were spent in Siberia and Russia. Within Russia, he spent one year in Novosibirsk and two years in Kemerovo. However, he's also been in Kuwait, Dubai and Qatar for some short playoffs.
While the Swedish superstar admits he enjoys traveling, he stated that there is one place he holds dear to his heart: Paris. "Paris is definitely a favorite. I spent one year there having so much fun! I had a coach that year that was really cool and he allowed me, in addition to practice with some great people, go to a university to learn French and only practice in the evening. Consequently, that meant that I met a lot of "non-volleyballers" which gave me a super social life. Plus, Paris is one of the coolest cities in the world so I had a lot to do that year (and we won the championship, so just a perfect year)."
While the Swedish superstar admits he enjoys traveling, he stated that there is one place he holds dear to his heart: Paris. "Paris is definitely a favorite. I spent one year there having so much fun! I had a coach that year that was really cool and he allowed me, in addition to practice with some great people, go to a university to learn French and only practice in the evening. Consequently, that meant that I met a lot of "non-volleyballers" which gave me a super social life. Plus, Paris is one of the coolest cities in the world so I had a lot to do that year (and we won the championship, so just a perfect year)."
While Paris is definitely a place Marcus was influenced by, Greece is not too far behind on his adventure trail.
"Thessaloniki, Greece, is another favorite. I spent 3 years there and enjoyed it very much. Greek people love sports, so the atmosphere during the games is amazing. The weather is great and the mentality there is perfect if you are an athlete. They take really good care of you."
When asked about his opinion on the best place in Sweden to live, Marcus had great insights. "I would have to say Halmstad, which is the city I live in. It's a real summer city with one of the best beaches in Sweden. The city explodes during the summer with a lot of tourists.Then, of course, Stockholm is really pretty during the summer. There is so much water running through the city and it has everything from high end shopping to beautiful parks and historic old town."
In our opinion, this guy definitely knows where the party is and how to live the good life a la Swede.
"Thessaloniki, Greece, is another favorite. I spent 3 years there and enjoyed it very much. Greek people love sports, so the atmosphere during the games is amazing. The weather is great and the mentality there is perfect if you are an athlete. They take really good care of you."
When asked about his opinion on the best place in Sweden to live, Marcus had great insights. "I would have to say Halmstad, which is the city I live in. It's a real summer city with one of the best beaches in Sweden. The city explodes during the summer with a lot of tourists.Then, of course, Stockholm is really pretty during the summer. There is so much water running through the city and it has everything from high end shopping to beautiful parks and historic old town."
In our opinion, this guy definitely knows where the party is and how to live the good life a la Swede.
When asked about Chicago, the wonderful city where PdM is based, Marcus smiled it off. "I've unfortunately never been to Chicago. The only thing I know about it is that it's one of the biggest cities in the U.S. It's a huge sports city with big teams in all the major sports, such as the Blackhawks, the Bulls, the Cubs and the White Sox. It's also called the Windy City. That's about it!"
The same way we've had the pleasure to visit Sweden, we're sure Marcus will have the opportunity to come to Chicago one day!
The same way we've had the pleasure to visit Sweden, we're sure Marcus will have the opportunity to come to Chicago one day!
What's next for Marcus? Well, plenty, and, you guessed it, there's more volleyball magic to be made. "I'm getting back to playing in the European Champions League once again, which I won 3 years ago with my Siberian team and was also named the MVP of that competition then. It's going to be fun to see how far we can reach this time around with this new team in this competition. Moreover, I do enjoy languages and seeing different cultures so I'm gonna try to learn Turkish (because I will be living there next) and it's going to be great to experience more of the Turkish culture."
Looks like another adventure is soon-developing for the awesome Marcus! Lycka, bror, and we can't wait to receive updates from your experiences!
Looks like another adventure is soon-developing for the awesome Marcus! Lycka, bror, and we can't wait to receive updates from your experiences!