called up to the Sweden U17 for the first time and went on to make six appearances for the U17 side. In February 2008, Pękalski was called up to the Sweden U18 squad for the first time and he went on to make two appearances for the U18 side. In February 2009, Pękalski was called up to the Sweden U19 squad for the first time and he went on to make five appearances for the U19 side. On two occasions, Pękalski was called up to the Sweden U21. It wasn't until on 11 August 2010 when he made his U21 debut, starting a match and played 68 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw against Scotland U21. Pękalski went on to make five appearances for Sweden U21. Senior career Pękalski was selected for the annual training camp for the Sweden national team in January 2011, but withdrew due to minor injury problems. He was also selected for the same camp in 2012, but also this time he missed out due to injury problems. The squad selection for the camp traditionally feature the best Swedish players in domestic and other Scandinavian leagues. Pękalski was selected for the third time in 2013 and was finally able to accept the invitation after an injury-ridden season. He made his début for the national team in the 2013 King's Cup on 23 January 2013 against North Korea when he was subbed on in the second half. Pękalski played from the start in the following fixture against Finland on 26 January in the same tournament. Personal life Pękalski's parents are from Rzeszów, Poland. His father, Roman Pękalski, coached him until he was 14. He has a brother, Phillip, 12 years younger. Because of his parents’ nationality, Pękalski has a Polish passport, making him a dual citizen for Poland and Sweden. During his time at Malmö FF, Pękalski earned a nickname called "King Ivo", due to his always calm and controlled – preferably also reasonably angry. In February 2017, he spoke about mental health, dealing with his struggles as a footballer. Career statistics Club International As of 26 January 2013. Honours Malmö FF Allsvenskan: 2010, 2013 BK Häcken Svenska Cupen: 2015–16 Individual Swedish Newcomer of the Year: 2010 LISA (stands for Landskrona Idrottsföreningars Samorganisations): 2008 Footnotes External links Malmö FF profile 1990 births Living people Association football midfielders Landskrona BoIS players Malmö FF players BK Häcken