( CNN ) -- He dreamed of being a tennis star , but it was not to be . Instead , Olof Mellberg had to settle for captaining his country on arguably the biggest sporting stage -- and attracting a cult following due to his distinctive facial hair . Playing at the World Cup is the fantasy of millions of football fans across the globe , and the hirsute Mellberg did it twice for Sweden . Not bad for someone who did n't get serious about football until he was 15 . `` I would n't say it was my dream to play at the World Cup , '' the 36-year-old tells CNN 's Human to Hero series . `` I never really thought about it . I never thought about becoming a professional football player . '' Mellberg spent his his formative years honing his skills on the tennis court , but he did n't get the chance to emulate the exploits of all-conquering compatriot Bjorn Borg , who retired prematurely with 11 grand slam titles to his name before Olof reached the age of five . Instead , by his mid-teens , he was looking for a new sporting love -- which he found kicking a ball around with his friends in his hometown of Gullspang , about 300 kilometers west of Sweden 's capital city Stockholm . `` Both my parents are teachers in physical education so I 've grown up with all kinds of sports , '' he explains . `` For a couple of years there , I only played tennis . I actually did n't start playing football properly until I was about 14 , 15 . `` I just enjoy the physical side of it and I think it suits me , my physique , and also the mental aspect . `` I feel it 's a privilege to be able to play a game on this level every week . It 's difficult to get everything out of your body in a normal life so I like that -- to be able to just release everything once a week . '' A rock-solid center-back who has played in most of the top European leagues , his first World Cup outing was in 2002 and then he captained Sweden in Germany four years later . `` Being captain for Sweden was special as well -- gives you that extra responsibility towards the team and the country , '' he recalls . `` I will probably say the best memory was when we beat Paraguay in Germany . It felt like playing at home . I think there were 40,000 Swedish fans at the big stadium in Berlin . `` The whole buildup to that game , when we were on the bus on our way to the stadium , we saw all these fans walking from the city to the stadium and also the support we had there when we won the game . '' The Swedes finished second in their group -- which contained Paraguay , England and Trinidad and Tobago -- but lost 2-0 in the second round against host Germany in Berlin . Four years earlier Mellberg was part of the Sweden team which also reached the second round of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan , this time beaten by Senegal in a match decided by a `` golden goal '' in extra time . Earlier in the tournament , Sweden recorded an impressive 1-1 draw with football powerhouse Argentina . `` It was fantastic , '' says Mellberg . `` It 's probably my best experience as a tournament in 2002 , mainly because we did really well and I think that year we could 've gone all the way . `` I thought we improved game by game and we were really unlucky to get beaten by Senegal , but the whole experience ... it was only my second ( international ) tournament at the time so it was nice . '' Focusing on football . After giving up tennis , Mellberg 's footballing progress was swift . His talents were spotted by Degerfors IF , a club then playing in the Allsvenskan -- Sweden 's top division -- where he came under the guidance of Tord Grip , a coach who is best known for being the assistant to former England and Lazio manager Sven Goran Eriksson . His performances during two seasons with Degerfors earned Mellberg a move to Stockholm 's AIK , where he won the first silverware of his career as the club clinched the 1998 league title by two points . Mellberg left Sweden in 1998 , swapping Stockholm for the idyllic Spanish port of Santander . He signed a three-year contract with Racing , hoping to help the club succeed in the Primera Division . `` They wanted me to adapt to Spain and learn the language before giving me the opportunity , '' Mellberg says of his first months after the move . Once he was given his chance though , Mellberg shined . His performances saw him linked with a number of more prestigious Spanish clubs -- including Barcelona -- but instead he headed for England . Premier League adventure . He was signed by Aston Villa manager John Gregory in 2001 as a replacement for Gareth Southgate , the England defender who had left the Birmingham club to join Middlesbrough . Mellberg became a firm favorite at Villa Park , endearing himself to the fans , who would routinely chant , `` There 's only one Mellberg . '' `` That 's obviously where I spent the major part of my career . I spent seven years there and had a fantastic time , '' he says . `` We changed manager a lot of times , we changed the squad around , and we changed the training ground . Every season was different so I learned a lot during my time there . '' Eventually he chose to move on , announcing in January 2008 that he had agreed to join top Italian club Juventus the following season . But before he left Villa , Mellberg had a gift for the fans who had taken him to their hearts . He paid Â£40,000 ( $ 67,000 ) of his own money to give every Villa fan who attended the team 's final game of the 2007-08 season a replica shirt with the message `` Thanks 4 your support '' on the back . Four was Mellberg 's shirt number . Time in Turin . The switch to Juventus allowed Mellberg to play in the Champions League , the pinnacle of European club football . `` I was only there for one year but it was a fantastic experience , '' he says . `` I had a great time there and that was the first year I got to play in the Champions League and that was a great experience . '' Playing for one of Italy 's leading clubs also exposed Mellberg to new levels of pressure and expectation . `` You learn there 's no hiding . Whenever you play , wherever you play , there 's pressure -- from yourself obviously but also from the club and a lot of fans . I enjoyed that , I liked that and I learned you need to give 100 % wherever you are , whenever you play . '' Upon leaving Turin in 2009 , Mellberg embarked on a three-year stint with Olympiakos in Greece before spending a year back in Spain with Villarreal . He signed for Denmark 's FC Copenhagen in 2013 , returning to Scandinavia after 15 years spent traveling the continent . `` I 'm almost back home in Sweden after 15-20 years abroad and I feel everything is very similar to how it was when I left Sweden a long time ago , '' he says . `` Football both on and off the pitch , I would say , the way things work around football and also the way things work in and around the club -- even though many years has passed . `` I feel it 's more similar to when I played back home in AIK or Degerfors , more similar to that than life in the Premiership or La Liga or Italy or Greece . '' End of an era . Mellberg retired from international football following the 2012 European Championships , the fourth time he had played at the continent 's showpiece event . He scored twice against England but could not prevent a 3-2 defeat which cost Sweden a place in the quarterfinals . His country did not qualify for this year 's World Cup in Brazil , where the focus will be on the host nation -- which beat Sweden in the 1958 final in the first of its record five triumphs . `` I think that the World Cup this year will be between a few teams -- Spain , Germany , Brazil and Argentina , '' Mellberg predicts . `` Obviously a lot of attention will be on Brazilian players . '' Mellberg 's time in the spotlight is now fading , after a 17-year professional career that has brought him financial security and a host of cherished experiences . With only one year remaining on his Copenhagen contract , he 's determined to enjoy playing the game while he still can . `` When I was younger , there were a lot of things on my mind , '' he reflects . `` You think about the future , about playing for your country in the future , you think about going to bigger teams , bigger leagues , making more money . `` I think all of that , I 've left behind me and just focus on the football and enjoying the football . '' One thing he has n't left behind is the iconic beard that makes him stand out on the football field -- it even has a Twitter page dedicated to it . `` At one point , I started growing a beard and I left it like that . Maybe part laziness and I realized I kind of liked it , so I 've had it more or less almost throughout my whole career , '' Mellberg says . `` Now , it 's probably a little bit less -- but it will grow bigger soon ! ''
Peter Mellberg played for Sweden at two World Cups and four European Championships . The defender was national champion and made 117 international appearances . He has experienced most of Europe 's top clubs in a 17-year career . Now retired , Mellberg plays for Danish club FC Copenhagen .