Pär Zetterberg facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 October 1970 | ||
| Place of birth | Falkenberg, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.74 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1986 | Falkenbergs FF | ||
| 1986–1991 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1986 | Falkenbergs FF | 7 | (0) |
| 1989–2000 | Anderlecht | 195 | (49) |
| 1991–1993 | → Charleroi (loan) | 62 | (11) |
| 2000–2003 | Olympiacos | 61 | (7) |
| 2003–2006 | Anderlecht | 89 | (23) |
| Total | 414 | (90) | |
| National team | |||
| 1986–1987 | Sweden U17 | 11 | (2) |
| 1990 | Sweden U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1999 | Sweden | 30 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2018–2020 | Anderlecht (assistant) | ||
|
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Pär Johan Zetterberg, born on October 14, 1970, is a Swedish former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both defend and attack. He is most famous for his time playing with R.S.C. Anderlecht in Belgium. He also played for Falkenbergs FF in Sweden, Charleroi in Belgium, and Olympiacos in Greece. His career lasted from 1986 to 2006.
Pär Zetterberg also played for the Swedish national team from 1993 to 1999. He played in 30 international games, which are called "caps" in football, and scored six goals. In 1997, he won the Guldbollen award, which means he was named Sweden's best footballer of the year.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Zetterberg started his football journey with Falkenbergs FF in 1978. He made his first appearance for the senior team when he was just 15 years old in 1986. This was in Division 3, a lower league in Sweden. After playing seven games for Falkenberg, he moved to Anderlecht in Belgium later that same year. He joined their youth team first.
He made his debut for Anderlecht's main team in the Belgian First Division in 1989. From 1991 to 1993, he played for Charleroi on a "loan spell." This means he played for Charleroi for a while but was still officially an Anderlecht player. He stayed with Anderlecht until the year 2000. During this first time with the team, he helped them win four league titles.
In 2000, Zetterberg joined Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He helped them win three league titles in a row from 2000 to 2003. He then returned to Anderlecht in 2003. He helped Anderlecht win two more league titles before he stopped playing professional football in 2006. Overall, he played in about 300 games for Anderlecht during his two periods with the club.
Playing for His Country
Zetterberg played for Sweden's younger national teams, the U17 and U21 teams. He played a total of 12 games for these teams and scored two goals.
He played his first game for the main Swedish national team on May 19, 1993. This was a game to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He came into the game in the 70th minute, helping Sweden win 1–0 against Austria. Two weeks later, on June 2, 1993, he scored his first goal for Sweden. It was in another World Cup qualifier against Israel, a game Sweden won 5–0. Zetterberg helped Sweden qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, he could not play in the tournament because of a serious knee injury.
He also played in the games to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Even though he scored three goals in the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, Sweden did not make it to either of those tournaments.
In 1999, Zetterberg had a disagreement with the national team manager, Tommy Söderberg. Because of this, he said he would not play for the Swedish national team again as long as Söderberg was the manager. He played his last international game for Sweden at age 28. It was a 1–0 win against Luxembourg in a game to qualify for UEFA Euro 2000. In total, Zetterberg played 30 games for Sweden and scored six goals.
Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Pär Zetterberg became an assistant manager. On March 21, 2020, he left his role as assistant manager at RSC Anderlecht. He had been in that position for two years.
About His Life
Pär Zetterberg has type 1 diabetes, a health condition that affects how the body uses sugar. He is also the father of another professional footballer, Erik Zetterberg.
Awards and Achievements
Anderlecht
- Belgian First Division (League Titles): 1990–91, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1999–00, 2003–04, 2005–06
- Belgian Cup: 1993–94
- Belgian League Cup: 2000
- Belgian Sports Team of the Year: 2000
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece (League Titles): 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03
Individual Awards
- Belgian Golden Shoe (Best Player in Belgium): 1993, 1997
- Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 1993, 1997, 1998
- Man of the Season (Belgian First Division): 1996–97
- Swedish Golden Ball (Sweden's Best Footballer): 1997
- Belgian Fair Play Award: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006
- Platina Eleven (Best Team in 50 Years of Golden Shoe Winners): 2003
- Honorary Citizen of Anderlecht: 2006
- The Best Golden Shoe Team Ever: 2011
- Pro League Hall of Fame: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Pär Zetterberg para niños
