Jacob Bergstrom, a 31-year-old striker who once worked at Subway to make ends meet, is preparing to face Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League after helping tiny Swedish club Mjallby win their first-ever league title and cup. His journey is remarkable given he was never scouted by a youth academy, remained an amateur player until 22, and only turned full-time professional at 24 after joining Mjallby in 2018.

Mjallby are based in Hallevik, a coastal village of fewer than 1,000 residents in southern Sweden, yet their surprise championship win last season made global headlines. Bergstrom, who grew up nearby in Karlskrona, still cycles to matches and training at the club's seaside ground and remains a familiar face around the local supermarket. He scored on his Champions League debut and now hopes to help Mjallby continue their fairytale run against Slovan Bratislava, whose new head coach is Champions League winner Yaya Toure.