Hanna Ljungberg
Encyclopedia
Hanna Carolina Ljungberg (born January 8, 1979 in Umeå
, Västerbotten
) is a Swedish
football
player, playing the position of forward. She plays for the club side Umeå IK
and for the Swedish national football team
. She debuted for Sweden, at age 17, on February 6, 1996 where Sweden won 8-0 against Spain
.
She is not related to Swedish male football star Fredrik Ljungberg
. Ljungberg is a fairly common Swedish surname formed by the words ljung (English: calluna
) and berg (English: mountain).
. She was chosen as Swedish Player of the Year in 2002, winning the Diamond Ball (Diamantbollen
). She also scored a record setting number of goals that season with 39 goals (roughly 1.78 goals per game). Ljungberg made altogether 227 league appearances for Umeå IK and scored 196 goals.
As a world class forward, Ljungberg was instrumental in the Swedish side that were runners up in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
held in the United States
, scoring three goals and assisting another. She was also voted 3rd best World Player of the Year by FIFA in 2003. Ljungberg is the goal leader of the Swedish national team
with 72 goals. During the UEFA Women's Cup 2002-03, Ljungberg was the top goalscorer in the tournament with 10 goals. Italian men's football club Perugia
contacted Hanna to hire her for their Serie A
roster, but the deal aborted.
She debuted as a goalkeeper on May 17, 2007 for Umeå IK
when they played against AIK
in the Swedish Cup because of Carola Söberg's injury at the 70th minute. She ended the game with a clean sheet. Her fame in Sweden has led to stamps commemorating her and several other Swedish footballers for the Swedish Football Association
's 100th year anniversary.
In August 2009 Ljungberg announced her retirement from football after a knee injury in a league match on July 5. The right anterior cruciate ligament, previously reconstructed in 2004, was again partly torn and she decided with her doctors that to continue to play presented too high a risk of permanent disability.
She is currently assisting Joakim Blomquist, head coach of Umeå IK, and Maria Bergkvist assisting coach, in the coaching of this years team. At the same time she is studying at Umeå university to become a physiotherapist, and is expected to graduate in June 2012.
Umeå IK
:
Sweden
:
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Västerbotten
Västerbotten
', English exonym: West Bothnia, is a province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders Ångermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is famous for the cheese with the same name as the province.- Administration :...
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, playing the position of forward. She plays for the club side Umeå IK
Umeå IK
Umeå IK is a prominent women's association football club based in the city of Umeå, Sweden. The club was established in 1917 as a general sports club, and started competing in women's in 1985. In 1996 the team reached the premier division, the Damallsvenskan but was relegated the following year. In...
and for the Swedish national football team
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
. She debuted for Sweden, at age 17, on February 6, 1996 where Sweden won 8-0 against Spain
Spain women's national football team
The Spain women's national football team represents Spain in international women's football.-World Cup record:- Olympic Games record :- European Championship record :- U-20 :- U-19 :- U-18 :- U-17 :- Current squad :...
.
She is not related to Swedish male football star Fredrik Ljungberg
Fredrik Ljungberg
Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg is a Swedish footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein underwear...
. Ljungberg is a fairly common Swedish surname formed by the words ljung (English: calluna
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
) and berg (English: mountain).
Career
Hanna Ljungberg is one of several professional players in the Swedish women's league, DamallsvenskanDamallsvenskan
The Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
. She was chosen as Swedish Player of the Year in 2002, winning the Diamond Ball (Diamantbollen
Diamantbollen
Diamantbollen, Swedish for The Diamond Ball, an annual award for Sweden's best female football player. The award is currently given out by the Swedish Football Association and Sydsvenskans newspaper...
). She also scored a record setting number of goals that season with 39 goals (roughly 1.78 goals per game). Ljungberg made altogether 227 league appearances for Umeå IK and scored 196 goals.
As a world class forward, Ljungberg was instrumental in the Swedish side that were runners up in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 was held in the United States and won by Germany. The tournament was originally scheduled for China. On May 3, 2003 the tournament was abruptly moved to the United States, as a result of the 2003 SARS outbreak in China...
held in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, scoring three goals and assisting another. She was also voted 3rd best World Player of the Year by FIFA in 2003. Ljungberg is the goal leader of the Swedish national team
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
with 72 goals. During the UEFA Women's Cup 2002-03, Ljungberg was the top goalscorer in the tournament with 10 goals. Italian men's football club Perugia
Perugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
contacted Hanna to hire her for their Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
roster, but the deal aborted.
She debuted as a goalkeeper on May 17, 2007 for Umeå IK
Umeå IK
Umeå IK is a prominent women's association football club based in the city of Umeå, Sweden. The club was established in 1917 as a general sports club, and started competing in women's in 1985. In 1996 the team reached the premier division, the Damallsvenskan but was relegated the following year. In...
when they played against AIK
Allmänna Idrottsklubben
Allmänna Idrottsklubben , currently located in Solna, north of Stockholm, is one of the largest and one of the oldest sports clubs in Scandinavia. AIK was founded in 1891 in central Stockholm, at the downtown address of Biblioteksgatan 8...
in the Swedish Cup because of Carola Söberg's injury at the 70th minute. She ended the game with a clean sheet. Her fame in Sweden has led to stamps commemorating her and several other Swedish footballers for the Swedish Football Association
Swedish Football Association
The Swedish Football Association is the governing body of football in Sweden. It organises the football leagues — Allsvenskan for men and Damallsvenskan for women — and the men's and women's national teams. It is based in Solna and is a founding member of both FIFA and UEFA...
's 100th year anniversary.
In August 2009 Ljungberg announced her retirement from football after a knee injury in a league match on July 5. The right anterior cruciate ligament, previously reconstructed in 2004, was again partly torn and she decided with her doctors that to continue to play presented too high a risk of permanent disability.
She is currently assisting Joakim Blomquist, head coach of Umeå IK, and Maria Bergkvist assisting coach, in the coaching of this years team. At the same time she is studying at Umeå university to become a physiotherapist, and is expected to graduate in June 2012.
Individual
- Diamond BallDiamantbollenDiamantbollen, Swedish for The Diamond Ball, an annual award for Sweden's best female football player. The award is currently given out by the Swedish Football Association and Sydsvenskans newspaper...
(1):
- 2001-02
- Sweden: Female Forward of the Year (1):
- 2004-05
- Damallsvenskan Top Goalscorer (1):
- 2001-02 (39 goals)
- FIFA World Player of the Year:
- 3rd Place: 2002-03
Club
Umeå IK
Umeå IK is a prominent women's association football club based in the city of Umeå, Sweden. The club was established in 1917 as a general sports club, and started competing in women's in 1985. In 1996 the team reached the premier division, the Damallsvenskan but was relegated the following year. In...
:
- DamallsvenskanDamallsvenskanThe Damallsvenskan, Swedish for ladies' all-Swedish, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is also referred as to the women's Allsvenskan, this term being used alone to refer to the men's division....
:
- Champion (6): 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Svenska Cupen Damer:
- Champion (4): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007
- Runners-up (2): 2005 ,2006
- SupercupenSupercupenSupercupen is a one-off fixture in Swedish football played between the Allsvenskan champions and the winners of Svenska Cupen. The fixture is played before the start of the Allsvenskan season. In the event of a club winning the Double the runner up of the Allsvenskan takes part...
:
- Champion (2): 2007, 2008
- Runners-up (1): 2009
- UEFA Women's CupUEFA Women's CupThe UEFA Women's Champions League is the first international women's association football club competition for teams that play in UEFA nations. Initially known as the UEFA Women's Cup, the competition has been re-branded since the 2009-2010 edition as the UEFA Women's Champions League...
:
- Champion (2): 2003, 2004 (did not play in final)
- Runners-up (3): 2002, 2007, 2008
National Team
Sweden women's national football team
Sweden women's national football team are a football team officially representing Sweden in women's football. They won the unofficial European Championships in 1984, a success the team has not managed to repeat, it has however won one World Cup-silver as well as three European Cup-silvers...
:
- FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
:
- Runners-up (1): 2003
- Algarve CupAlgarve CupThe Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
:
- Champion (1): 2001
- 3rd Place (3): 2002, 2006, 2007
External links
- Club Profile (in Swedish)
- Ljungberg and Svensson
- National Team Profile