Nils Markus Rosenberg (; born 27 September 1982) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent the majority of his career with his boyhood club Malmö FF, as well as a notable five-year stint with German Bundesliga side Werder Bremen. Rosenberg served as captain of Malmö from 2015 to 2019. Rosenberg won 33 caps for the Sweden national team, scoring 6 goals, and represented them at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, and UEFA Euro 2012.

Rosenberg began his career at hometown club Malmö FF and became the Allsvenskan top scorer while on loan at Halmstads BK during the 2004 season. Rosenberg's Allsvenskan success attracted interest from abroad, and ultimately he ended up playing for football clubs all across Europe, including Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga, Ajax in the Eredivisie, Racing de Santander in La Liga, and West Bromwich in the English Premier League. After returning to Malmö FF in 2014, Rosenberg scored several key goals in the club's UEFA Champions League run and helped the team win the league title. The following year, Rosenberg once again played a pivotal role in securing consecutive group stage qualifications for Malmö FF in the Champions League. He was also involved in winning two more consecutive league titles in 2016 and 2017, as well as advancing past the 2018–19 and 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage levels with Malmö. His second spell at Malmö FF proved to be successful, as he was named the club's greatest footballer in the 21st century.

Club career Malmö FF Rosenberg began his playing career at Malmö FF at age five, having started to play football at a young age. He was successful in the youth team, where he started playing as a right-back before becoming a striker at age 16. Rosenberg made an impact playing for the club's reserves in the 2000 season, scoring 26 times and earning him promotion to the first team. While progressing through the Malmö FF youth system, he earned a nickname "Sillen", due to "being so small and witty".

2001–2003 seasons Rosenberg made his league debut on 10 May 2001 against AIK, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute in a 2–0 win. He then made his first start for the side, as they won 1–0 against Hammarby on 26 May 2001. On 2 July 2001, Rosenberg scored his first Malmö FF goal, in a 2–0 win against GIF Sundsvall, However, he struggled to become a first-team regular with strong competition from Niklas Skoog and Peter Ijeh, resulting in him being placed on the substitute bench, as well as, his own injury concern. Despite this, Rosenberg signed a three–year contract with the club. Until the end of the 2001 season, he made 15 appearances scoring once in all competitions.

In the 2002 season Rosenberg found his first-team opportunities limited by strong competition and injury problems. As a result, he found himself playing for the reserve side. But towards the end of the season, Rosenberg made a number of starts for the side. He finished the 2002 season with 13 appearances in all competitions.

Rosenberg started the 2003 season well scoring in the opening match of the season, a 2–0 win against Örebro. On 5 May 2003, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Hammarby. On 29 May 2003, in the third round of the Svenska Cupen against IFK Luleå, Rosenberg scored a brace for the side, as they won 4–0. Three months later, on 17 August 2003, Rosenberg scored his third goal of the season, in a 6–0 win against Hammarby. Despite being involved in the first team, Rosenberg mostly featured from the substitute bench and continued to be overshadowed by the likes of Skoog, Ijeh and Andreas Yngvesson. But he often received playing time in absence of Skoog. Rosenberg made his European debut in a 1–0 loss against Sporting CP in the second leg of the UEFA Cup first round, coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute. Until the end of the 2003 season, Rosenberg went on to make 21 appearances scoring five times in all competitions. Following this, he signed a three–year contract with the club, keeping him until 2006.

Loan to Halmstads BK When the club purchased strikers Afonso Alves and Igor Sypniewski ahead of the season, Rosenberg opted to go to Halmstads BK on loan in 2004.

Rosenberg quickly made an impact on his Halmstads debut, scoring the club's third goal in a 5–2 win against Örebro in the opening game of the season. After making his debut for the club, he quickly established himself in the starting line–up as a striker. On 25 April 2004, Rosenberg scored his second goal for the club, in a 3–2 win against Helsingborg. After adding three more goals for the next five months, he scored twice for the side, in a 2–2 draw against his parent club, Malmö FF on 14 September 2004. By the end of September, Rosenberg scored five more goals, scoring a brace against Trelleborg and then a hat-trick against Örebro. A month later, on 25 October 2004, he scored twice for the side, winning 2–1 against Helsingborgs. Playing at Halmstad, he became the top goalscorer of the 2004 season and just missed out on becoming the league champion after Halmstad finished two points behind Malmö. He finished the 2004 season with 29 appearances and 17 goals in all competitions.

2005 season and departure After his loan spell at Halmstads BK ended, Rosenberg returned to his parent club, Malmö FF, at the start of the 2005 season. He made his return to the starting line–up against IFK Göteborg in the opening game of the season and played the whole game, as they lost 2–1. In the following match against Landskrona BoIS, Rosenberg scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–0 win. On 19 May 2005, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–1 win against Landskrona BoIS in the Svenska Cupen. Rosenberg then scored three goals in three consecutive matches between 16 June 2005 and 27 June 2005. After the start of the 2005 season, he retained his first team place and formed a partnership with Afonso Alves. In his last match back in Malmö, he also topped the Royal League 2004–05 scoring list as well as leading Allsvenskan in assists before joining Dutch club Ajax. By the time Rosenberg departed from the club, he had made 13 appearances and scored 5 goals in all competitions.

Ajax

Rosenberg joined Eredivisie side Ajax at the start of the 2005–06 season for a €5.3 million transfer fee. He previously rejected a multi-million contract from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow, saying: "With such a salary, I could provide for my entire family for several decades. At the same time, money isn't everything. I also want to feel that I come to the right country and the right league."

2005–06 season Manager Danny Blind showed his faith in Rosenberg by immediately inserting him into the starting 11. He quickly made an impact for Ajax, scoring on his debut, in a 2–2 draw against Brøndby in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. In the return leg, Rosenberg helped the side go through to the group stage with a 3–2 win. He then scored on his Eredivisie debut as well as setting up the club's first goal of the game, in a 2–0 win against RBC Roosendaal in the opening game of the season. A month later, on 27 September 2005 (his 23rd birthday), Rosenberg scored against Arsenal in a 2–1 loss in the UEFA Champions League. As the 2005–06 season progressed, his performances dropped until Blind decided to play in a 4–4–2 system, with Rosenberg and Angelos Charisteas as strikers instead of the 4–3–3 system, with Rosenberg as the only central striker, as was played before. Rosenberg scored four more goals until the end of 2005. With the new system, Ajax were still underachieving in that period, and during the winter break, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar joined them for a €9 million transfer fee. Consequently, Rosenberg was moved from central forward to the left wing in a 4–3–3 the club reverted to. Despite this, he went on to score five consecutive goals between 15 January 2006 and 8 February 2006. A week later, on 19 February 2006 against RBC Roosendaal, he scored twice for the side, in a 6–0 win. Playing in this line-up for the second half of the season, Ajax performed better and were able to reach the newly born Eredivisie play-offs after finishing in the fifth position in the regular competition. In the play-offs, they defeated Feyenoord and Groningen to claim a spot in the Champions League preliminaries for the following season. Ajax also won the KNVB Cup that season. Until the end of the 2005–06 season, Rosenberg went on to make 48 appearances scoring 15 times in all competitions.

2006–07 season and departure

When the 2006–07 season began, Rosenberg played the whole game, as they beat PSV Eindhoven 3–1 to win the Johan Cruyff Shield. However, he was no longer a regular first team player, mostly backing-up Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. He scored three goals in two UEFA Cup appearances against Start. Despite being involved in the first team, Roseneberg still could not take Huntelaar's place as the main striker under new coach Henk ten Cate. By the time Rosenberg departed from Ajax, he had made 14 appearances and scored three goals in all competitions.

Werder Bremen

Having been linked a move away from Ajax, it was announced on 26 January 2007 that Rosenberg moved to Bundesliga club Werder Bremen on a four–year contract, keeping him until 2011 for an undisclosed fee. Upon joining the club, he was given a number nine shirt for the side.

2006–07 spring season Two days after signing for Werder Bremen, Rosenberg made his debut for the club, coming on as an 83rd-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win against Hannover 96. On 11 March 2007, he scored his first goal for the club, with the back of the head, as they drew 1–1 against Bayern Munich. After adding only two goals in April in Bremen's fight for the Bundesliga title, Rosenberg scored his first hat-trick for the club in a 4–1 win over Hertha BSC on 6 May 2007. Despite setting up the club's only goal of the game against Eintracht Frankfurt on 12 May 2007, the club, however, lost 2–1, thereby putting Werder Bremen out of the title race. In the last game of the season, scored twice in a 2–0 win over VfL Wolfsburg on 19 May 2007. By the end of the 2006–07 season, Rosenberg had scored eight goals in 14 starts in his first Bundesliga season, five of them as a substitute, making him the most effective substitute in the league.

2007–08 season

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Rosenberg's goal scoring form began to dip, leading to criticism from manager Thomas Schaaf, who was not satisfied with his performance in the club's pre–season tour. Despite this, he continued to regain his first team place for the Werder Bremen, appearing in and out of the starting line–up. On 29 September 2007, he scored his first goal of the season as well as setting up the club's eighth goal of the game in an 8–1 win against Arminia Bielefeld. After adding only two goals throughout October, Rosenberg then scored the club's first goal of the game and set up a goal for Boubacar Sanogo, in a 3–2 win over Real Madrid in a UEFA Champions League group stage match on 28 November 2007. He then scored three goals in two matches between 8 December 2007 and 15 December 2007, including a brace against Hannover 96. Rosenberg, once again, scored four goals in three matches between 16 February 2008 and 8 March 2008, including a brace against Borussia Dortmund. Later in the 2007–08 season, he added five more goals, as his further goal scoring form contributed in helping Werder Bremen qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Rosenberg made 42 appearances and scoring 16 times in all competitions, making him Bremen's top goal scorer in the league with 14, ahead of Diego with 13 goals, though he scored 18 in all competitions, himself.

2008–09 season