Thomas Ravelli
Encyclopedia
Thomas Ravelli is a retired Swedish
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster
and Göteborg
, for whom he amassed Allsvenskan
totals of 430 games.
Ravelli also ranked as the Swedish national team
's all-time leader in caps, at 143 (also one of best in the world), representing the nation at two World Cups
and one European Championship
.
and IFK Göteborg
, winning three national championships
in ten seasons with the former, before signing for the latter in 1989 at the age of 29.
With Göteborg, he won a further six leagues and his only Swedish Cup
. In 1998, already 39, Ravelli left for the Tampa Bay Mutiny
of the Major League Soccer
, closing out his career the following year with his first club; in total, he appeared in nearly 600 official matches as a professional.
, UEFA Euro 1992, and the 1994 World Cup
, with Sweden
finishing third in the latter tournament, and gained a total of 143 caps
.
He is especially well known for saving two goals during the penalty shootout that ended the quarterfinal match between Sweden and Romania
, in the 1994 World Cup in the United States
, including one in the "sudden death" by Miodrag Belodedici
(5–4 win); this feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year.
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brother of another footballer, defender
Andreas
. The sons of an Austria
n immigrant of Italian
descent, the siblings played alongside each other at Östers and the national team.
, as a member of the Classic XI team, where he could play alongside such greats as Zico
, Eric Cantona
, Hugo Sanchez
, and Franz Beckenbauer
; he could also be selected for the Sweden national team in the game.
He also appeared in FIFA Street 2
, with legends like Paul Gascoigne
, Hans Krankl
, Abedi Pelé
and Carlos Alberto
, FIFA 08
, FIFA 09
and FIFA Street 3
(in the "Classic XI" for the first two, and the "Classics" in the latter).
He appeared in FIFA 08 for DC United,as the best goalkeeper.
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....
footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster
Östers IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
and Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
, for whom he amassed Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
totals of 430 games.
Ravelli also ranked as the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
's all-time leader in caps, at 143 (also one of best in the world), representing the nation at two World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and one European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
.
Club career
At the club level, Ravelli played for Östers IFÖsters IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
and IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
, winning three national championships
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
in ten seasons with the former, before signing for the latter in 1989 at the age of 29.
With Göteborg, he won a further six leagues and his only Swedish Cup
Svenska Cupen
Svenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
. In 1998, already 39, Ravelli left for the Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
of the Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, closing out his career the following year with his first club; in total, he appeared in nearly 600 official matches as a professional.
International career
Ravelli's international career spanned almost two decades, starting in 1981. He played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, UEFA Euro 1992, and the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, with Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
finishing third in the latter tournament, and gained a total of 143 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
.
He is especially well known for saving two goals during the penalty shootout that ended the quarterfinal match between Sweden and Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, in the 1994 World Cup in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including one in the "sudden death" by Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici
Miodrag Belodedici is a Romanian former football player.Nicknamed The deer due to his elegant tackles, he won the European Cup twice, in 1986 with Steaua Bucureşti and 1991 with Red Star Belgrade, thus becoming the first player to win the trophy with two different clubs...
(5–4 win); this feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Honours
- Swedish LeagueAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
: 1978, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 - Swedish CupSvenska CupenSvenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
: 1991; Runner-up 1982, 1985
Club statistics
|-|1978||rowspan="11"|Öster
Östers IF
Östers IF is a Swedish football club located in Växjö. The club, formed 20 April 1930 , is currently playing in the second Swedish league called Superettan. In 1968, Öster won Allsvenskan as newcomers. The club is affiliated to the Smålands Fotbollförbund...
||rowspan="11"|Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
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|1989||rowspan="9"|IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....
||rowspan="9"|Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
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|1998||Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a charter franchise of Major League Soccer active from 1996 - 2001. They initially played in Tampa Stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in...
||Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
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Personal
Ravelli is the twinTwin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
brother of another footballer, defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
Andreas
Andreas Ravelli
Andreas Ravelli is a retired Swedish footballer who played as a central defender.-Football career:Born in Vimmerby, Ravelli started playing professionally for Östers IF, lasting ten seasons with the club and winning three Allsvenskan titles, before signing for IFK Göteborg.At age 31, he moved to...
. The sons of an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n immigrant of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
descent, the siblings played alongside each other at Östers and the national team.
Other ventures
Ravelli was featured as a playable character in the FIFA 10FIFA 10
carlos leivaFIFA 10 is the 17th title in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it was published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 30 September in Australia and 20 October 2009 in North America...
, as a member of the Classic XI team, where he could play alongside such greats as Zico
Zico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the...
, Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
, Hugo Sanchez
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez , popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. Sanchez is considered the first highly talented Mexican player. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and...
, and Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
; he could also be selected for the Sweden national team in the game.
He also appeared in FIFA Street 2
FIFA Street 2
FIFA Street 2 is the sequel to the video game FIFA Street. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game is available on the GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox...
, with legends like Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
, Hans Krankl
Hans Krankl
Johann "Hans" Krankl is a retired Austrian footballer. He was last manager of LASK Linz.-Club career:A prolific striker, Krankl is regarded by many as the greatest ever Austrian player. He started his professional career at Rapid Wien and stayed there for 8 years, apart from a year at Wiener AC...
, Abedi Pelé
Abédi Pelé
Abedi Ayew, known professionally as Abedi Pele is a former Ghana International football player and captain. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian great Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique...
and Carlos Alberto
Carlos Alberto Torres
Carlos Alberto Torres is a former Brazilian footballer, one of the most highly regarded defenders of all time. He captained Brazil to victory in the 1970 World Cup and is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, as well as the U.S...
, FIFA 08
FIFA 08
FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...
, FIFA 09
FIFA 09
FIFA 09 is the 2008 installment of Electronic Arts' FIFA series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released in October 2008 for Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii,...
and FIFA Street 3
FIFA Street 3
FIFA Street 3 is a video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS. It is the third game in the FIFA Street series. Electronic Arts confirmed that a third FIFA Street game was being developed for next-generation consoles to be released in 2008. The game will be using the same engine from...
(in the "Classic XI" for the first two, and the "Classics" in the latter).
He appeared in FIFA 08 for DC United,as the best goalkeeper.
External links
- Thomas Ravelli - Century of International Appearances, at RSSSFRec.Sport.Soccer Statistics FoundationThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation is an international amateur organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football...