Lotta Schelin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lotta Schelin

Schelin in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Charlotta Eva Schelin
Date of birth	(1984-02-27) 27 February 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Trångsund, Sweden
Height	1.79 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1990	Kållereds SK
1991–1998	Hällesåkers IF
1999–2000	Mölnlycke IF
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2008	Göteborg	123	(92)
2008–2016	Lyon	138	(143)
2016–2018	FC Rosengård	17	(10)
National team‡
2000–2001	Sweden U17	6	(3)
2001–2002	Sweden U19	7	(2)
2004–2017	Sweden	185	(88)
Honours Representing  Sweden Women's football Olympic Games Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team FIFA Women's World Cup Third 2011 Germany
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:49, 5 August 2016 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:32, 25 July 2017 (UTC)

Charlotta Eva Schelin (born February 27, 1984) is a Swedish former professional football player. She played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals. Her last team was FC Rosengård in Sweden.

Lotta Schelin first played for the Swedish national team in March 2004. In October 2012, she became a joint captain of the team with Caroline Seger. She played for Sweden in many big tournaments, including the UEFA Women's Championship (in 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2017) and the FIFA Women's World Cup (in 2007, 2011, and 2015). She also played in the Olympic football tournaments in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016.

In October 2014, Schelin made history by scoring her 73rd goal for Sweden. This made her the country's all-time top goalscorer.

She started her club career with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in 2001. She became a great goalscorer in the Swedish league, Damallsvenskan. In 2008, she moved to Lyon in France. During her eight years at Lyon, she won many titles. These included eight French league titles in a row, five French Cups, and three UEFA Women's Champions League titles. She was also the top goalscorer in the French league in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons. In 2013, she was named the first non-French UNFP Player of the Year.

In 2016, Lotta Schelin went back to play in Sweden for FC Rosengård. She left Lyon as their all-time top goalscorer with 225 goals in 225 games. She has won the Diamantbollen (the Diamond Ball), which is given to Sweden's best female player, a record five times. Four of these wins were in a row from 2011 to 2014.

On August 30, 2018, she announced her retirement from football. This was because of ongoing head and neck pain from an injury she got in 2017 while playing for FC Rosengård.

Early Life and Start in Sports

Lotta Schelin was born in Stockholm, Sweden. When she was two years old, her family moved to Kållered, near Gothenburg. She grew up there with her parents, Kjell and Nina. She started playing football for Kållereds SK with her older sister, Camilla. She also played for other youth teams like Hällesåkers IF and Mölnlycke IF.

Besides football, Lotta was good at other sports too. She played table-tennis, did track and field, and enjoyed snowboarding. But she decided to focus on football. As a teenager, she had problems with her spine. Doctors told her she might have to stop playing sports. However, Lotta worked hard on strengthening her body. She recovered by the time she was 17. She has said that her sister Camilla and former player Tina Nordlund were important role models for her.

Club Football Journey

Playing for Göteborg FC

In 2001, when Lotta Schelin was 17, she started playing in the top Swedish league, Damallsvenskan. Her team was Landvetter FC, which is now called Göteborg FC. In her first season, she scored eight goals in 19 games.

She had an injury in August 2002, which kept her out of the game for about a year and a half. She came back in June 2003. In 2004, Lotta was named the "Breakthrough Player of the Year" after scoring 14 goals in 15 games for Göteborg. In 2006, she scored 21 goals in 21 league games. At the end of that season, she won many awards, including "Forward of the Year," "Player of the Year," and "Top Goalscorer." She was also considered for the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year award.

In 2007, she was again the top scorer in the league, with 26 goals. Even though big clubs wanted her, Schelin chose to stay with her hometown team. She played over 120 league games for Göteborg, becoming one of their most important players.

Time at Lyon

Lotta Schelin playing for Lyon in 2013

After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lotta Schelin announced she would join Olympique Lyonnais in France. This move was a big step for her career. When she first arrived in Lyon, she was dealing with some health issues. Her coach, Farid Benstiti, wanted her to focus on scoring goals.

With Brazil's Kátia Cilene Teixeira, Schelin helped Lyon's attack. The team won the French title and reached the semi-finals of the 2008–09 UEFA Women's Cup. The next season, injuries kept Schelin from playing in the 2010 UEFA Women's Champions League Final, which Lyon lost.

However, Schelin played in the 2011 final. Lyon won 2–0, getting their first European title. Schelin scored nine goals on the way to the final, including two in the semi-final. She called this "the proudest moment" of her career. Lyon won both the French league and cup in 2011–12. They also won their second European title in the 2012 final.

In the 2012–13 season, Schelin was in top form. She was the top scorer in the French league with 24 goals in 16 games. She was also named "French Player of the Year." However, Lyon lost the Champions League final that year. In May 2013, she signed a new three-year contract with Lyon.

In the 2013–14 season, Schelin scored 12 league goals. Lyon won another league and cup double. She faced some challenges with her coach during this time. But she bounced back the next season. She scored Lyon's 1000th goal in the French league in November 2014. She also became Lyon's all-time top scorer. In the 2014–15 season, she was the top scorer in the French league with 34 goals.

At the end of the 2015–16 season, Lyon announced that Schelin would leave the club. Her last game for Lyon was the 2016 UEFA Women's Champions League Final. She scored in the penalty shootout, helping Lyon win. With Lyon, Schelin won eight French league titles, five French Cups, and three Champions League titles. She left as the team's all-time top goalscorer with 225 goals in 225 games. Her 41 goals in the UEFA Women's Champions League made her one of the top scorers in the competition's history.

Return to Sweden with Rosengård

On June 8, 2016, Schelin joined Swedish champions FC Rosengård in Malmö. She had turned down an offer to rejoin Göteborg FC because they couldn't offer Champions League football. Schelin made her debut for Rosengård sooner than planned. She came on as a substitute and scored a goal in the 90th minute, helping her team get a 2–2 draw.

International Career Highlights

In March 2004, Lotta Schelin scored two goals in her first game for the Swedish under-21 team. This was in a 6–0 win against the Republic of Ireland. Before that, she had scored three goals for Sweden's under-16 team and two goals for the under-18 team.

Lotta Schelin playing for Sweden in April 2013

Schelin made her debut for the senior Swedish national team on March 16, 2004. This was in a 3–0 loss to France in the Algarve Cup. She was praised for scoring in a penalty shootout win against China in another game. She was chosen to play for Sweden at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. During this time, she had some injuries that needed rest.

She was selected for the UEFA Women's Euro 2005 tournament. She came on as a substitute, but Sweden lost to Norway in the semi-final.

Schelin was a key player in the 2006 Algarve Cup. She scored the only goal in the bronze medal game against France, helping Sweden finish third. After recovering from her injuries, she won the Diamantbollen award as Sweden's best female football player. She was also named "Forward of the Year" in the Damallsvenskan.

At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, Schelin scored two goals. However, Sweden did not make it out of their group. After this, some older players retired, and coach Thomas Dennerby gave Schelin and other younger players a bigger role in the team. The next year, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she scored three goals. But Sweden lost to Germany in the quarter-finals.

Schelin helped Sweden win a bronze medal at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. She was also named to the tournament's All-Star Team. Sweden lost to Japan in the semi-final. They won third place by beating France 2–1, with Schelin scoring her second goal of the tournament. This third-place finish also meant Sweden qualified for the 2012 Olympic football tournament in London. Schelin played in London, where Sweden lost to France in the quarter-finals. She scored two goals in four games.

Lotta Schelin (right) being marked by Germany's Jennifer Cramer during the Euro 2013 semi-final.

In October 2012, the new national team coach, Pia Sundhage, decided that Schelin and Caroline Seger would share the captaincy. Sundhage included Schelin in the squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013, which Sweden hosted. Schelin was the top scorer of the tournament with five goals. However, she was disappointed when Sweden lost 1–0 to Germany in the semi-final. She felt that her equalizing goal was unfairly disallowed by the referee. In October 2014, Schelin's goal against Germany broke the national record for goals scored, passing Hanna Ljungberg with her 73rd goal for Sweden.

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Schelin was dealing with knee pain. Sweden drew 3–3 with Nigeria in their first game. In the next round, Sweden lost 4–1 to Germany.

With 165 games played and 84 goals, Schelin was the most experienced player in Sweden's team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. When the team lost 5–1 to hosts Brazil, Schelin scored a late goal and tried to encourage her teammates. In the quarter-final against the United States, Schelin had a goal disallowed. The game ended 1–1, and Sweden won in a penalty shootout. Sweden reached the gold medal match but lost 2–1 to Germany. Schelin was sad about the loss but proud to win a silver medal.

How Lotta Schelin Played

In June 2015, Lotta Schelin said she wasn't a "typical center-forward." She liked to move around the field to find open space. She explained, "I always think of the team because danger can come from all players. Even if I don't score, I pass, I run to attract defenders. In the end, I want to win." She believed her team-focused play came from growing up in Sweden. When she first moved to Lyon, her coach, Farid Benstiti, wanted her to score more goals herself, even if she liked to pass.

Sweden's former coach, Thomas Dennerby, thought Schelin became better with the ball after joining Lyon. She also kept her speed and skill in one-on-one situations. Schelin could also play as a winger, but her club coach felt she was too good not to play in a central attacking role. China's coach once said Schelin was Sweden's best player, noting her "fast pace and excellent technique." Even though she was tall and slim, she was also very strong. England captain Steph Houghton called Schelin the "toughest opponent" she had ever faced.

Because she was a tall, skilled, and high-scoring Swedish forward, people often compared Schelin to the famous male footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. In 2005, a former Danish coach even called her "the female Zlatan." However, in December 2013, Ibrahimović said he didn't like the comparison. He felt his achievements were on a different level. Schelin's national team coach, Pia Sundhage, said his comments were "sad and boring." A journalist who writes about Ibrahimović noted that Schelin had a different personality. She was "polite, charming, she does not have the same arrogance."

Statistics

Lotta Schelin in 2014

Club Performance

Updated May 21, 2018

Awards and Achievements

Lotta Schelin receiving the Diamantbollen award in November 2006.

Schelin (right) receiving an award from SvFF President Karl-Erik Nilsson in April 2015, for breaking Sweden's international scoring record. Therese Sjögran (left) received an award for playing 200 games.

Club Trophies

Lyon

• Division 1 Féminine (French League): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 (8 times)
• Coupe de France Féminine (French Cup): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 (5 times)
• UEFA Women's Champions League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2015–16 (3 times)
• International Women's Club Championship: 2012
• Valais Women's Cup: 2014

FC Rosengård

• Svenska Cupen (Swedish Cup): 2016

National Team Achievements

Sweden

• 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup: Third place
• 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio: Silver medal (Runner-up)
• UEFA Women's Euro 2005: Semi-finals
• UEFA Women's Euro 2013: Semi-finals

Sweden U17

• Nordic Cup: Runner-up 2001

Individual Awards

• 2004: Sweden Breakthrough Player of the Year
• 2006: Diamantbollen Winner, Forward of the Year, Topscorer in Damallsvenskan
• 2007: Topscorer in Damallsvenskan
• 2011: FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team
• 2011: Diamantbollen Winner, Forward of the Year
• 2012: Diamantbollen Winner
• 2013: Best player in France (UNFP Player of the Year)
• 2013: Topscorer in Division 1 Féminine
• 2013: Golden Boot UEFA Women's European Championship (top scorer)
• 2013: UEFA Women's European Championship All-Star Team
• 2013: UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe Award Third place
• 2013: Diamantbollen Winner, Forward of the Year
• 2014: Diamantbollen Winner, Forward of the Year
• 2015: Topscorer in Division 1 Féminine
• All-Time Top Scorer for Sweden women's national football team with 88 goals.

Images for kids

• 

  Lotta Schelin (right) being marked by Germany's Jennifer Cramer during the Euro 2013 semi-final.

See also

In Spanish: Lotta Schelin para niños