Sweden

Team Overview

The Swedish National Football Team and the Swedish Football Federation were created in 1904. Despite no major trophy, it is a strong international team that has been significantly developing and improving since 2000, year of the nomination of Lars Lagerbäck as the head coach. In the Euro 2008, Sweden finished second in Group F and is qualified for the final stage of the tournament.

History

The Swedish National Football Team played its first international game on July 12, 1908 against Norway, which was won by the Blueyellow (Sweden) 11-3!!!The same year, Sweden lost 12-1 against England Amateurs in the 1908 Summer Olympics, which became the biggest defeat in the Swedish national team's history. Sweden hosted the 1912 Olympics, and the team also played in the 1920 Olympics and won Bronze in the 1924 Olympics, the team's first medal ever!

The Blueyellow's first major competition was the 1934 World Cup in Italy. After beating Argentina 3-2, they lost 2-1 against Germany in the quarter-finals.

In the 1938 World Cup, Sweden were supposed to play against Austria, but because the German occupied the nation, the Swedish went directly to the quarter-finals, which they won 8-0 against Cuba! However, they lost 1-5 against Hungary in the semi-finals.

In the 1948 Summer Olympics, Sweden won their first game against Austria 3-0. Managed by Englishman George Raynor, the team won 12-0 against Korea. They also beat Denmark in the semi-finals and advanced to their first final in a major tournament. They played the final in the Wembley Stadium against Yugoslavia, wining 4-2: it was their first title in an international tournament.

In the 1950 World Cup, the Swedish Football Association didn't let the professional Swedish footballers play, so Sweden played only amateur players. Despite this handicap, Sweden managed to finish as the group leader, after a 3-2 victory over Italy and a draw against Paraguay. Their first game in the final group stage was against the host nation, Brazil, which ended in a 7-1 loss for the Blueyellow. They lost the next game against the eventual winner Uruguay 3-2. Their last game was a victory 3-1 over Spain. Sweden finished at the 3rd place and took their first World cup medal!

Sweden did not qualify for the 1954 World Cup. In 1956, after Sweden was designated as host for the upcoming World Cup, the Swedish Football Federation allowed the professional footballers to play on the national team again. Sweden were in the same group as Mexico, Hungary and Wales. They won against Mexico (3-0) and against Hungary (2-1), but drew a tie 0-0 against Wales. They won the quarter-finals 2-0 over USSR and the semi-finals 3-1 over West Germany. For the first time in their history, Sweden advanced to a World Cup Final. Despite a great match, they lost 5-2 against Brazil. It is still, so far, the best result of the Blueyellow in an international tournament.

Sweden was one of the best team in the world during the 50s. However, they didn't qualify for the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. Despite being qualified for the 1970 World Cup, they didn't pass Round 1.

In the 1974 World Cup, Sweden's first 2 games ended in a draw, respectively against Bulgaria and Netherlands. Their last game ended in a victory 3-0 against Uruguay, enough to advance to the second group stage. They played first against Poland, losing 1-0. Then, West Germany won 4-2 over the Swedish. After the tournament, the German players commented that the game against Sweden was their best game in that tournament. Sweden won their last game against Yugoslavia 2-1, finishing at the 5th place of the tournament.

Sweden didn't qualify for the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, and they didn't pass Round 1 in the 1978 and 1990 World Cups. However, in 1992, they played in their first Euro, as host of the competition. They were in the same group as France, England and the eventual winner Denmark. Sweden won against England and Denmark and drew a tie against France, finishing 1st of the group. However, they lost in semi-finals against Germany. Sweden was the only team in the tournament to defeat the winner Denmark.

In the 1994 World Cup, Sweden was in Group B with Brazil, Cameroon and Russia. They won only one game, against Russia, but with 2 draws, it was enough to advance to the second stage. In the first knockout stage match, Sweden faced Saudi Arabia and won 3-1. The quarter-final match against Romania became legendary. After Sweden scored late in the second half, Romania managed to equalize in the last minutes of the match, sending it into extra time. At the 101st minute, Romania scored and took the lead. But with five minutes left, Kennet Andersson scored with a header to make the score even at 2-2. After Sweden missed their first shot in the penalty shootout, their goalkeeper managed 2 saves and led his team to the semi-finals. Sweden was, again, opposed to Brazil, but lost the match 1-0. In the third place match Sweden played against Bulgaria and scored 4 goals in the game, wining the bronze medal. They finished as the top scorers of the tournament, with 15 goals.

Despite 2 good tournaments in a row, Sweden didn't qualify for the 1996 Euro and the 1998 World Cup.

In the 2000 Euro, they didn't pass Round 1. In the 2002 World Cup, they lost against Senegal in the Round of 16. In the 2004 Euro, they finished first of their group, in front of Denmark and Italy! However, they lost the quarter-finals against Netherlands, after the game went on the penalty shootout.

In the 2006 World Cup, Sweden finished second in the group stage, with a victory against Paraguay but also with 2 draws against England and Trinidad and Tobago. They advanced to the Round of 16, losing against the host of the competition, Germany.

They qualified for the 2008 Euro and are now in Group D, with Spain, Russia and Greece.

World Cup 2002

Goalkeepers

Magnus Hedman (Coventry, England), Magnus Kihlstedt (FC Copenhagen), Andreas Isaksson (Djurgarden)

Defenders

Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa, England), Patrik Andersson (Barcelona, Spain), Johan Mjallby (Celtic, Scotland), Michael Svensson (Troyes, France), Tomas Antonelius (FC Copenhagen), Erik Edman (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Andreas Jakobsson (Hansa Rostock, Germany), Teddy Lucic (AIK)

Midfielders

Tobias Linderoth (Everton, England), Niclas Alexandersson (Everton, England), Anders Svensson (Southampton, England), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, England), Magnus Svensson (Brondby, Denmark), Mattias Jonsson (Brondby, Denmark), Daniel Andersson (Venezia, Italy), Andreas Andersson (AIK)

Forwards

Marcus Allback (Heerenveen, Netherlands), Henrik Larsson (Celtic, Scotland), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ajax, Netherlands

Stars of the Current Squad

Kim Källström is a midfielder currently playing for Olympique Lyonnais. Nicknamed Kongo-Kim, he is well-known for his powerful shots and his passing. He started his international career in 2001 against Finland. He showed a great potential in the 2006 World Cup, helping Sweden to reach the second tour. So far, he has scored a total of 8 goals in 52 appearances.

Anders Svensson is the playmaker and one of the most experienced players in the Swedish National Team. He has a personal record of 86 caps and 15 goals. He plays as a midfielder and earned his first cap in 1999 against South Africa. In the 2008 Euro Qualifying Stage, he started in 11 games and scored 2 goals. He is currently playing for IF Elfsborg, a Swedish Football Club.

Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the best strikers in the world and is currently playing for Inter Milan.He started his international career on January 31, 2001 in a friendly against Faroe Islands. His first international competition was the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but Senegal eliminated Sweden in the Round of 16.In Euro 2004, he netted a penalty against Bulgaria, and did an impressive match against Italy by scoring a wonderful equalizer in the last minute. However, Sweden lost against Netherlands in a shootout after he missed his penalty. He didn’t score any goals in the 2006 World Cup, even though he was the top scorer of the qualifications with 8 goals in 10 matches. He didn’t play the first 3 Euro 2008 qualifiers against Liechtenstein, Iceland and Spain after having an argument with his coach. However, he returned for Sweden’s loss against Northern Ireland on March 28, 2007. On November 12, 2007, he was named 2007 Swedish Golden Ball. He has scored 18 goals in 49 matches with his national team.

Niclas "Alex" Alexandersson is a side midfielder who also plays full back. He started his international career in 1993 and has since earned 104 caps and scored 7 goals. He is the most capped player of the Swedish National Team. He is currently playing for IFK Göteborg, a Swedish Football Club.

Fredrik Ljungberg plays as a winger and is one of the most experienced players in the Swedish National Team. He started his international career in 1998 in a match against USA. He has been the captain of his national team since 2006 and has a personal record of 67 caps with a total of 13 goals.

Team Legends

Henrik Larsson is a striker who started his international career for Sweden in 1993. He originally chose to retire from the national team in 2002, but eventually returned to the team for their campaign at the 2004 Euro: he scored 3 goals in 4 matches, leading Sweden to the quarter-finals of the tournament. Moreover, his diving header against Bulgaria was voted Best Goal of the 2004 European Championships. He definitely retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup. He scored a total of 36 goals in 93 games, many of which he played in midfield or as a winger.

Thomas Ravelli is a former goalkeeper who played for the Swedish National Team from 1981 to 1997; he played in the 1990 World Cup, Euro 92, and the 1994 World Cup, when Sweden finished third. He is the all-time appearance leader with a record 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, leading his team to the semi-finals.

Gunnar Gren is a former striker. One of Sweden's all-time greats, he started his international for Sweden career in 1940 in a friendly against Finland. Member of the Swedish team that were runners-up in the 1958 World Cup, he made 57 appearances for the national team, scoring 32 goals. He played his last game in 1958 against Denmark in a 4-4 draw.

Kenneth Anderson is a former striker. He started his international for Sweden career in 1990. In the 1994 World Cup, he led his team to reach the semi-finals by scoring 5 goals in the tournament, especially his header in the quarter-final against Romania. He made 83 appearances and scored 31 goals for the Swedish National Team.

Most International Matches Played

Most Appearances

Most Goals

Player Recognition & Awards

• Thomas Ravelli: Swedish Player of the Year, 1981
• Fredrik Ljungberg: Swedish Player of the Year, 2002, 2006

Team Honours

World Cup Record

• Third place: 1950, 1994
• Runner-Up: 1958

European Championship Record

• Semi-Finals: 1992
• Quarter-Finals: 2004

Management

Head Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

Lars Lagerbäck first joined the national team's coaching staff in 1997 as an assistant to Tommy Söderberg, and was promoted to joint coach in 2000. He became the sole manager after the 2004 Euro.

Assistant Coach: Roland Andersson

Uniforms

Home: Yellow shirt and blue shorts

Away:

Important Links

• http://www.svenskfotboll.se/t2e.aspx?p=165402 (Official site) (English version under construction)
• http://www.svenskfotboll.se/ (Official league site)

References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_national_football_team
• http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89quipe_de_Su%C3%A8de_de_football
• http://footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=natteam&Id=25&b=true&cont=Europe&ntn=Sweden
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_K%C3%A4llstr%C3%B6m
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Svensson
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niclas_Alexandersson
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredrik_Ljungberg
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ravelli
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Lagerb%C3%A4ck
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_Gren
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennet_Andersson
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark_and_Sweden_football_rivalry