Anders Svensson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Anders Svensson

Svensson playing for Elfsborg in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Anders Gunnar Svensson
Date of birth	(1976-07-17) 17 July 1976 (age 49)
Place of birth	Gothenburg, Sweden
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1980–1990	Guldhedens IK
1990–1992	Hestrafors IF
1993	IF Elfsborg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–2001	IF Elfsborg	155	(38)
2001–2005	Southampton	127	(9)
2005–2015	IF Elfsborg	266	(34)
Total		548	(81)
International career
1996–1998	Sweden U21	16	(2)
1999–2013	Sweden	148	(21)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Anders Gunnar Svensson (born 17 July 1976) is a Swedish former professional footballer. He played as a central midfielder. He was well-known for his great passing, free kicks, and how well he took set pieces. He often played in a playmaking role, helping to create scoring chances for his team.

Anders Svensson played for the Swedish national team an amazing 148 times. This made him the most capped male player for Sweden, meaning he played more games for his country than any other male footballer. He was also the team's captain many times before he stopped playing international football in 2013.

Besides leading the Swedish national team, Svensson was also captain for his club teams, Southampton and Elfsborg. He played important roles in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. His strong leadership skills led to him becoming the captain of the Swedish national team in 2009. He is one of the most capped European players in history. Svensson also played for Sweden in three European Championships: 2004, 2008, and 2012.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Anders Svensson was born on 17 July 1976 in Gothenburg, Sweden. His parents are Bertil and Gun Svensson. He has three brothers: Thomas, Kristoffer, and Marcus. His father, Bertil, was his coach when he played for Guldhedens IK. Anders joined Guldhedens IK in 1980 and played there for ten years.

Club Football Career

Playing for IF Elfsborg

After playing for Guldhedens IK, Anders Svensson moved to Borås. There, he started playing for IF Elfsborg. He became a well-known player for Elfsborg in the late 1990s. He usually played as an attacking midfielder, helping his team score goals.

Time at Southampton

In 2001, Svensson moved to England to play for Southampton. He joined the team on 14 June 2001. In his first season in the Premier League, he scored four goals in 35 games. Southampton finished 11th in the league that year.

He was a very important player for Southampton, especially during their journey in the 2002–03 FA Cup. In their first match, they won 4–0 against Tottenham Hotspur. Svensson scored one of the goals in that game. He also played in the 2003 FA Cup Final against Arsenal, but Southampton lost that match 1–0.

Svensson played 140 games for Southampton. He decided to leave the club in 2005 to return to his former team, IF Elfsborg.

Return to IF Elfsborg and Retirement

Anders Svensson playing for IF Elfsborg.

Anders Svensson rejoined Elfsborg in 2005. He became the team's captain and held that role until 2014. He helped Elfsborg win the Allsvenskan league titles in 2006 and 2012. After playing for Elfsborg for another 10 years, Svensson announced his retirement from professional football in 2015.

International Football Career

Early International Games

Anders Svensson started playing for the Swedish under-21 team in 1996. In 1998, he played in the U-21 championships with other talented players like Freddie Ljungberg. He made his first appearance for the senior Swedish national team in 1999 against South Africa.

World Cups and European Championships

Svensson was known for his excellent free kicks. He showed this skill at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He scored a fantastic free kick goal against Argentina, which helped Sweden eliminate Argentina from the group stages. He also set up a goal for Henrik Larsson against Senegal with a great corner kick. He almost scored a "golden goal" in extra time, but his shot hit the post.

He also played for Sweden in the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. Svensson played very well during the Euro 2008 qualifying stage, scoring two goals and providing one assist. This helped Sweden qualify for Euro 2008. He played every minute of every game during Euro 2008.

After Henrik Larsson retired and Zlatan Ibrahimović was unsure about playing for the national team, Svensson became the team captain for Sweden in a friendly match against Italy. When Ibrahimović returned to the national team in 2010, Svensson was named co-captain.

Record-Breaking Caps and Retirement

On 6 September 2013, Anders Svensson made history. He played his 143rd game for Sweden, matching Thomas Ravelli's record as the most capped male player in Swedish football. He later broke this record, playing even more games. It was a special night for Svensson, as he scored the winning goal when Sweden came from behind to beat Ireland 2–1.

After Sweden did not qualify for the World Cup 2014 in November 2013, Svensson decided to retire from playing for the national team.

After Playing Football

In 2014, while he was still playing, Anders Svensson started working as a football commentator for Kanal 5. This allowed him to stay involved in the sport he loves.

Personal Life

Anders Svensson married Emma Johansson in July 2007 at Thorberg Castle.

Career Statistics

International Games

Anders Svensson is the most capped player for the Sweden national team.

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Svensson goal.

List of international goals scored by Anders Svensson

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 September 2000	Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	1–0	1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	10 February 2001	Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	Thailand	2–0	4–1	2001 King's Cup
3	24 March 2001	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Macedonia	1–0	1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	25 April 2001	Charmilles Stadium, Geneva, Switzerland	Switzerland	1–0	2–0	Friendly
5				2–0
6	7 October 2001	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Azerbaijan	1–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
7	12 June 2002	Miyagi Stadium, Rifu, Japan	Argentina	1–0	1–1	2002 FIFA World Cup
8	11 June 2003	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Poland	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
9				3–0
10	20 August 2003	Idrottsparken, Norrköping, Sweden	Greece	1–0	1–2	Friendly
11	9 October 2004	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Hungary	3–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	4 June 2005	Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden	Malta	2–0	6–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	18 January 2006	King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	Saudi Arabia	1–0	1–1	Friendly
14	6 June 2007	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Iceland	2–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
15	13 October 2007	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
16	14 October 2009	Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden	Albania	4–1	4–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
17	20 January 2010	Seeb Stadium, Muscat, Oman	Oman	1–0	1–0	Friendly
18	19 January 2011	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	Botswana	2–1	2–1	Friendly
19	26 January 2013	700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand	Finland	3–0	3–0	2013 King's Cup
20	14 August 2013	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden	Norway	4–2	4–2	Friendly
21	6 September 2013	Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Football Achievements

Anders Svensson won several titles during his career:

IF Elfsborg

• Allsvenskan: 2006, 2012
• Svenska Cupen: 2000–01, 2013–14
• Svenska Supercupen: 2007
• Atlantic Cup: 2011

Southampton

• FA Cup runner-up: 2002–03

See also

In Spanish: Anders Svensson para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps