Emil Pakebba Joof Roback (born 3 May 2003) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Thai League 1 club Muangthong United. Born in Sweden to Gambian parents, Roback has represented Sweden at various youth levels internationally.
Roback started playing football as a youngster with IFK Norrköping, before representing IK Sleipner and Västerhaninge IF in two brief spells.[1]
In 2015, he joined the academy of Allsvenskan side Hammarby IF from Stockholm.[2] On 3 January 2020, Roback signed his first professional contract with Hammarby.[3] On 24 April 2020, Roback played striker alongside Hammarby IF shareholder Zlatan Ibrahimović in an internal friendly game with Hammarby during the COVID-19 pandemic that was televised by Dplay.[4]
He was loaned out to affiliated club IK Frej in Ettan, Sweden's third tier, for the remainder of the 2020 season.[5] He ended up playing 8 games for Frej in 2020.[6]
On 25 June 2020, Roback returned to Hammarby for their Svenska Cupen match against IFK Göteborg.[7] He made his professional debut after coming on as a 74th minute substitute for Imad Khalili as Hammarby would succumb to a 1–3 defeat.[8]
On 14 August 2020, Roback completed a transfer to Italian Serie A club AC Milan.[9][10] The transfer fee was reportedly set at around 15-20 million Swedish kronor (approximately £1.3-1.8 million).[11] On January 13, 2022 he made his first team debut, as a substitute, playing the final minutes of a 3–1 victory against Genoa in the Coppa Italia.
On 31 August 2022 it was confirmed, that Roback had joined Danish Superliga club Nordsjælland on a season-long loan deal, with a reported purchase option of €2 million. However he only featured once with the team at the Danish Cup, and once with the reserve team, subsequently his loan was cut short before the season concluded.[12]
In March 2023, Roback returned to Swedish Allsvenskan club IFK Norrköping on a season-long loan deal, the club where he had spent time as a youngster.[13]
On 15 July 2024, Roback signed with Muangthong United of the Thai League 1.[14]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hammarby IF | 2020 | Allsvenskan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| IK Frej (loan) | 2020 | Ettan Norra | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| AC Milan | 2021–22 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Nordsjælland (loan) | 2022–23 | Superliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| IFK Norrköping (loan) | 2023 | Allsvenskan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Muangthong United | 2024–25 | Thai League 1 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 7[b] | 1 | 38 | 9 |
| Total | 28 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 38 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 39 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 55 | 9 | ||
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