Kim Hellberg stuns Middlesbrough with shock announcement minutes after dramatic Derby comeback
Middlesbrough manager Kim Hellberg delivered one of the most extraordinary post-match press conferences in Championship history last night, announcing that he will leave the club at the end of the season just moments after masterminding a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Derby County at the Riverside Stadium.
The 41-year-old Swede, who has transformed Middlesbrough from mid-table mediocrity into genuine promotion contenders since taking charge in the summer of 2024, appeared emotionally charged as he confirmed the news to a stunned media room barely ten minutes after Finn Azaz’s 89th-minute winner had sent the Riverside into raptures.
“I want to be completely honest with everyone,” Hellberg began, his voice steady but laced with emotion. “Tonight might be one of the proudest moments of my managerial career, but I have made the decision that this will be my final season as Middlesbrough manager. I will not continue beyond May 2026.”
The announcement came after a match that seemed to encapsulate everything Hellberg has brought to Teesside in just 18 months: resilience, tactical intelligence, and an unyielding belief that no deficit is unassailable.
Middlesbrough had fallen 2-0 behind inside 28 minutes against a Derby side managed by Paul Warne and buoyed by their own play-off ambitions. Goals from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and a Curtis Nelson header had silenced the home crowd and threatened to derail Boro’s automatic promotion push.
Yet what followed was a display of character that has become Hellberg’s trademark. Hayden Hackney pulled one back with a deflected 25-yard drive on the stroke of half-time, Tommy Conway equalised from the penalty spot after a contentious handball decision against Eiran Cashin, and then, in the dying moments, Azaz curled home a sublime first-time finish from Emmanuel Latte Lath’s cut-back to spark scenes of delirium among the 28,117 in attendance.
As the players embraced on the pitch and the PA system blared “Sweet Caroline”, few could have predicted what was to come in the press room.
Hellberg, who had been mobbed by supporters chanting his name as he walked off the pitch, refused to be drawn on specific reasons for his departure but hinted at personal circumstances and a desire to return to Scandinavia.
“I have given everything to this club, to these players, to these fans,” he said. “Middlesbrough has become my home. The people here have welcomed me and my family in a way I will never forget. But sometimes in life, you have to make difficult decisions for reasons bigger than football. My family and I need to be closer to Sweden next season. That is the truth.”
The news has sent shockwaves through the club and the Championship. Hellberg’s stock has risen meteorically since he arrived from IFK Värnamo, where he won back-to-back Swedish titles. His possession-based, high-pressing style, married to an ability to extract the best from players once written off (notably Latte Lath, who has 19 goals this season after arriving for £15m from Atalanta), has made Middlesbrough the division’s form side since November.
Sources close to the dressing room described the squad as “devastated” by the news. One senior player, speaking anonymously, said: “The gaffer told us before the press conference. Some of the lads were in tears. We’re top two because of him. We’ll fight like hell to send him off with promotion, that’s the least he deserves.”
Club chairman Steve Gibson, who persuaded Hellberg to choose Middlesbrough over approaches from Ajax and Anderlecht in 2024, issued a short statement: “Kim informed me of his decision earlier this week. While I am personally heartbroken, I respect his reasons. He will forever be welcome on Teesside. Our focus now is ensuring his final months here end with the Premier League football this club craves.”
Speculation is already rife about Hellberg’s next move. Malmö FF, where he spent three years as a player, are reportedly preparing a lucrative offer, while the Swedish national team job – vacant since Jon Dahl Tomasson’s departure – is another possibility. Some within the game believe a Premier League club could yet tempt him to stay in England.
For now, though, Hellberg’s sole focus is the remaining 22 league games. After last night’s victory, Middlesbrough sit second, level on points with Leeds United and three ahead of Sheffield United, with a game in hand.
“This group is special,” he said, eyes glistening. “I told the players in the dressing room: the job is not finished. We came back from 2-0 down tonight because they believe in each other. I want them to keep believing until the very last kick in May. If we do that, I know what this team is capable of.”
As he left the press room, Hellberg paused to sign autographs for a group of young fans who had waited in the cold. One held a banner reading “Tack Kim” – Swedish for thank you. The manager hugged the boy tightly before disappearing into the Riverside night.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, one thing is certain: Middlesbrough will never forget the quiet Swede who arrived as an unknown quantity and departs as a club legend.
On a night when his team produced one of the comebacks of the Championship season, Kim Hellberg ensured the loudest headline would not be about three points gained, but about a love affair with a football club that will end all too soon.