| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elma Novah Junttila Nelhage | ||
| Date of birth | May 21, 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Hisingen, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | IK Zenith | ||
| 2019–2020 | Kopparbergs/Göteborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021 | Kolbotn | 14 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | BK Häcken | 51 | (2) |
| 2025– | Lyon | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2020 | Sweden U17 | 22 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Sweden U19 | 10 | (1) |
| 2022– | Sweden U23 | 16 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 August 2025 | |||
Elma Novah Junttila Nelhage (born 21 May 2003) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Lyon.
Elma Junttila Nelhage was born on 21 May 2003 in Hisingen, Sweden. [1]
Elma Junttila Nelhage began her professional career with BK Häcken, which she signed her first professional contract with in March 2021. She spent most of the 2021 campaign out on loan, playing for Kolbotn, who placed sixth in the Norwegian top division Toppserien. Nelhage made 14 league appearances of which she started in 12. [2]
She made her debut in the Damallsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish women's football, in 2022. [3] [4] Nelhage scored her first Damallsvenskan goal on October 10, 2024, against Vittsjö GIK. [5] With BK Häcken, she made a total of 91 appearances across all competitions, scoring 3 goals. In the league alone, she played 51 matches, including 18 starts in 20 appearances during the 2023/2024 season. [6]
On 3 January 2025, she joined Lyon, after her contract with BK Häcken expired, [7] signing a contract until 30 June 2027. [8] [6] At the time of her signing, she was the only left-footed central defender in the squad. [9] She made her debut for Lyon on 14 March 2025, coming on as a substitute in a league match against Stade de Reims. [10]