Kosovare Asllani facts for kids
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Asllani with Sweden in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kosovare Asllani | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kristianstad, Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker, attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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London City Lionesses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Vimmerby IF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Linköpings FC | 37 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 13 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Linköpings FC | 26 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Kristianstads DFF | 15 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Paris Saint-Germain | 59 | (39) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Manchester City | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Linköpings FC | 27 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Real Madrid | 63 | (24) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | AC Milan | 34 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | London City Lionesses | 16 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Sweden U17 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Sweden U19 | 15 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008– | Sweden | 201 | (49) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 July 2025 |
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Kosovare Asllani (born on July 29, 1989) is a talented Swedish professional footballer. She plays as a striker or an attacking midfielder. Currently, she plays for the Women's Super League club London City Lionesses and is a key player for the Sweden national team.
Asllani started her football journey with Vimmerby IF. She has played for several top clubs, including Linköpings FC and her hometown club Kristianstads DFF in Sweden. In 2010, she played in the United States for Chicago Red Stars. After that, she returned to Sweden before moving to big European clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. She then went back to Linköping and later played for Real Madrid and AC Milan.
Contents
Asllani's Club Football Journey
Early Days and Rising Star
Kosovare Asllani was born in Kristianstad, Sweden. Her parents came from Kosovo. When she was young, Asllani loved playing both football and ice hockey. She decided to focus on football. At just 15 years old, she began her career at Vimmerby IF, a team in the second division.
She was amazing at Vimmerby, scoring 49 goals in 48 games! This showed everyone she was a very special player. Her coach, Cecilia Wilhelmsson, praised her great football skills and fitness. Many clubs wanted her, but Asllani chose to join Linköpings FC in 2007. She quickly became a better player there.
Playing for Linköpings FC
In her first season at Linköping, Asllani often came on as a substitute. This helped her get used to playing in the top league, called the Damallsvenskan. In her second season, she became a regular starter and a very important part of the team. In 2009, she helped Linköping win the Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup) and their first-ever Damallsvenskan title.
Time in the USA with Chicago Red Stars
On December 4, 2009, an American club, Chicago Red Stars, signed Asllani. She played one season in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league in the United States. Fans really liked her. She even won the WPS Player of the Week award after a great game against FC Gold Pride. After her season in the US, Asllani went back to Sweden to play for Linköpings FC again.
Back to Linköping and Other Clubs
When Asllani returned, she helped Linköping a lot, especially in the UEFA Women's Champions League. She scored important goals against teams like Sparta Praha and Arsenal. However, a thigh injury affected her season. She left Linköping at the end of that year.
In December 2011, she moved back to her hometown to play for Kristianstads DFF.
Joining Paris Saint-Germain
In September 2012, Asllani signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. At PSG, she was introduced by famous football figures like Leonardo and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Ibrahimović even said, "If you want to win you need a Swedish striker." Asllani scored 17 goals in 19 games in the 2012–13 season, helping PSG finish second in the league. She played for PSG for three and a half years.
Manchester City and Another Return to Linköping
On January 22, 2016, Asllani joined the English club Manchester City. She signed a two-year contract with them.
On August 10, 2017, it was announced that Asllani would return to Linköpings FC for a second time. She stayed there for about two years.
Playing for Real Madrid
After leaving Linköping, Asllani signed with CD Tacón on July 18, 2019. This club later became Real Madrid's women's team in 2020. This made Asllani the first "Galáctica" (a term for star players) for Real Madrid's women's team.
She scored 5 goals in 17 games for Tacón in the 2019–20 season. When the team became Real Madrid CFF, she started the next season very strongly, scoring 8 goals in her first 8 games. This was impressive, especially since she was playing in a new position as a main striker. In the 2021–22 season, she scored 3 league goals and found it harder to keep her place in the team.
Moving to AC Milan and London City Lionesses
On June 30, 2022, Asllani joined the Italian club AC Milan. She scored 9 goals in her first season in Serie A.
Asllani joined the London City Lionesses in England on June 28, 2024. This team plays in the Women's Championship.
International Career with Sweden
Asllani made her first appearance for the Sweden national team in September 2008 against Romania. In 2009, she was chosen to play for Sweden in the UEFA Women's Euro 2009. She was a very important player during the qualification games for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. However, the coach, Thomas Dennerby, surprisingly did not pick her for the final squad. Many football experts were surprised by this decision.
Asllani was called back to the national team for the 2012 London Olympics.
She played for Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where the team won a silver medal. Even though she played in all six games, she didn't score any goals during regular play. However, she scored in the penalty shootout against the United States in the quarterfinals, which Sweden won. She also took a penalty against Brazil in the semi-final, but it was saved.
By 2017, Asllani had played more than 90 games for the Sweden national team.
She scored a goal in Sweden's 5–1 win over Thailand at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also scored against Chile and England in the same tournament. Sweden won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup.
In 2021, Asllani was part of the Sweden squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Like in 2016, her only goal was a penalty, this time in the quarter-final against Japan. She took a crucial penalty in the final against Canada, but she missed, and Sweden lost the shootout, earning another silver medal.
On June 13, 2023, she was chosen for the 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. She scored the final goal in Sweden's match against Australia on August 19, 2023. Sweden won that game and secured the bronze medals for the team.
Personal Life
Kosovare Asllani is of Albanian descent. Her parents moved to Sweden from Kosovo, where she was born. Asllani has a tattoo of a black double-headed eagle on her ankle, which is a symbol of Albania. She also has the words "Stay Strong" tattooed on her right arm.
Awards and Achievements
Asllani has won many awards and titles throughout her career:
With Linköpings FC
- Damallsvenskan (Swedish League): 2009, 2017
- Swedish Super Cup: 2009
- Swedish Cup: 2008, 2009
With Manchester City
- FA WSL (English League): 2016
- FA WSL Continental Cup: 2016
With Sweden National Team
- Olympic Games Silver Medal: 2016, 2020
- FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Medal: 2019, 2023
- Algarve Cup: 2018
Individual Awards
- Swedish women's footballer of the year: 2017
- Swedish women's midfielder of the year: 2017
- Women's Golden Foot: 2022
Images for kids
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Asllani with Sweden in 2015
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Asllani playing for PSG against FCF Juvisy in December 2012
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Asllani playing for Sweden in 2012
See also
In Spanish: Kosovare Asllani para niños
