Chapter 1: Playing for fun
With two older sisters that played football and a father that had played football and tried coaching a minor team in the fith division called Franke it was only a matter of time before Johan Vesterlund would start playing football. At age 6 he joined the Västerås IK football school and at age 7 he joined the Västerås IK boys 74 team. The training ground was close to his home at Bilsta. He showed talent the first year already scoring five goals. He also tried goalkeeping, but never liked that. At age 12 his team began to play 11 man football and he tried every position before he and the coach saw that he was best as the right wing midfielder.
When he was 13 he only scored two goals, but he assisted 9 goals during the year when his team came last in the series and scored few goals in cups they were in and the total for the entire year for the team was 20 scored goals. The year after was much better. VIK played better than ever in fotbollens dag(Day of football, one day tournament in Västerås) and reached the semi final but lost to the winner Västerås SK. In the minor series they were in they finished second and Johan scored five goals and assisted 15. At age 15 he was picked for the county squad and after that he was picked for the U-15 national team, he would up playing four games for the U-15/16 national team. When he was 16 he choosed Social studies class at Carlforsska gymnasiet and ended up in the same class as Lotta Schultz who he had gotten to know the year before and they were good friends. After the 1990 season it was time for Johan to choose. Was he going to continue to play in the youth squad of Västerås IK or move to Västerås SK and their elite U-20 squad. He thought the choice was easy and in December 1990 he joined Västerås SK.
With two older sisters that played football and a father that had played football and tried coaching a minor team in the fith division called Franke it was only a matter of time before Johan Vesterlund would start playing football. At age 6 he joined the Västerås IK football school and at age 7 he joined the Västerås IK boys 74 team. The training ground was close to his home at Bilsta. He showed talent the first year already scoring five goals. He also tried goalkeeping, but never liked that. At age 12 his team began to play 11 man football and he tried every position before he and the coach saw that he was best as the right wing midfielder.
When he was 13 he only scored two goals, but he assisted 9 goals during the year when his team came last in the series and scored few goals in cups they were in and the total for the entire year for the team was 20 scored goals. The year after was much better. VIK played better than ever in fotbollens dag(Day of football, one day tournament in Västerås) and reached the semi final but lost to the winner Västerås SK. In the minor series they were in they finished second and Johan scored five goals and assisted 15. At age 15 he was picked for the county squad and after that he was picked for the U-15 national team, he would up playing four games for the U-15/16 national team. When he was 16 he choosed Social studies class at Carlforsska gymnasiet and ended up in the same class as Lotta Schultz who he had gotten to know the year before and they were good friends. After the 1990 season it was time for Johan to choose. Was he going to continue to play in the youth squad of Västerås IK or move to Västerås SK and their elite U-20 squad. He thought the choice was easy and in December 1990 he joined Västerås SK.