Kim Hellberg


Kim Alexander Hellberg is a Swedish professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of EFL Championship club Middlesbrough.
He played as a midfielder in Sweden's lower divisions and began coaching during his playing career. In 2018, he led IF Sylvia to promotion to the third-tier Ettan. He was appointed assistant manager of Allsvenskan club IFK Norrköping in 2020, and at the end of the following year was named in his first top-flight head coach job at IFK Värnamo. He led Hammarby IF to consecutive runners-up positions in 2024 and 2025.

Playing career

Born and raised in Norrköping, Hellberg played football in the Swedish lower leagues with clubs including Kuddby IF and Dagsbergs IF. While playing, Hellberg started his coaching career with Kimstad GoIF in 2011 at age 23, winning Division 5 in his debut season.

Coaching career

Early career

In 2013, Hellberg was appointed as the head coach of Kuddby IF. In just three seasons, he led Kuddby from Division 5 to Division 3.
In 2017, Hellberg joined IF Sylvia in Division 2, Sweden's fourth tier. In 2018, his second season in charge of the club, he led the side to a promotion to Ettan.
On 4 January 2020, Hellberg joined Allsvenskan club IFK Norrköping as an assistant coach to Jens Gustafsson. He also joined his father Stefan Hellberg in the coaching staff. On 10 April 2021, Hellberg signed a new two-year contract with the club, continuing as an assistant to new head coach Rikard Norling.

IFK Värnamo

On 6 December 2021, Hellberg was appointed as the new head coach of IFK Värnamo, signing a two-year contract ahead of the first ever Allsvenskan season in the club's history. In 2022, Värnamo surprisingly finished 10th in the Allsvenskan table, avoiding relegation by 20 points.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Hellberg attracted interest from fellow Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg, but he decided to turned down the move. Instead, he led Värnamo to a 5th place in Allsvenskan, after a strong second half of the campaign. At the end of the season, Hellberg was nominated for the award Allsvenskan Manager of the Year, but the prize ultimately went to Jimmy Thelin from IF Elfsborg. On 17 November 2023, it was announced that Hellberg would leave Värnamo at the end of the year at the expiration of his contract.

Hammarby IF

On 14 December 2023, Hellberg was announced as the new head coach of Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan, signing a three-year contract. He led the club to consecutive second-place finishes in the league.
In November 2025, Hellberg had talks with EFL Championship club Swansea City. Days later, he was interviewed for the vacancy at Middlesbrough in the same division, with his appointment being subject to receiving a work permit.

Middlesbrough

On 24 November 2025, Hellberg was appointed head coach of EFL Championship club Middlesbrough. He joined after Middlesbrough moved to secure his services ahead of Swansea City, who had been close to appointing him, with the club reportedly paying around £250,000 in compensation to release him from his contract at Hammarby. On 29 November 2025, Hellberg won his first game in charge of Middlesbrough, with a 2-1 home victory over Derby County in the EFL Championship. This was followed up by a 4-1 away win at Hull City, a 2-1 away win at Charlton Athletic, and a 3-1 home win against Queens Park Rangers for a 100% start.

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

;Dagsbergs IF
  • Division 5 Östergötland Östra: 2011

    As a manager

;Kimstad GoIF
  • Division 5 Mellersta: 2011
;Kuddby IF
  • Division 4 Östergötland Östra: 2015
  • Division 5 Östergötland Östra: 2014
;IF Sylvia
  • Division 2 Södra Svealand: 2018
;Individual