Sara Larsson facts for kids
Sara Larsson in 2011
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sara Margareta Mattsson | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | Sara Margareta Larsson | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 May 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Kristinehamn, Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| –1996 | Villastadens IF | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Rävåsens IK | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Malmö FF Dam | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Linköpings FC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Saint Louis Athletica | 15 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Linköpings FC (loan) | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Philadelphia Independence | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | KIF Örebro DFF | 47 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | LB07 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden U-19 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sweden U-21 | 12 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2012 | Sweden | 112 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:21, 9 June 2013 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:21, 9 June 2013 (UTC) |
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Sara Margareta Mattsson (born 13 May 1979), whose maiden name was Larsson, is a former Swedish football player. She played as a defender, which means her main job was to stop the other team from scoring goals. Sara played for many teams, including KIF Örebro DFF in the top Swedish league called Damallsvenskan. She also played for the Sweden women's national football team, earning 112 "caps" (which means she played in 112 international games).
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Sara Larsson played for several football clubs during her career.
Early Club Years
She started her professional career playing for Malmö FF Dam. This was one of her early teams where she developed her skills as a defender.
Playing in the USA
In 2008, Sara got the chance to play in the United States. Her playing rights were picked up by a team called St. Louis. She played 15 games for them in their first season. After that season, she went back to Sweden for a short time. Later, she was chosen by another US team, the Philadelphia Independence. She played for them in 2010.
Return to Sweden and Retirement
After her time in the US, Sara returned to Sweden. She joined KIF Örebro DFF in 2011. She played for them until 2013. In 2014, she signed with a club called LB07. However, she decided to retire from football in April 2014 because she was expecting a baby.
Playing for Sweden
Sara Larsson was a very important player for the Sweden women's national football team. She played in over 100 games for her country.
National Team Debut
Sara made her first appearance for the Swedish national team in September 2000. It was a game against their rivals, Norway, which Sweden won 2-1. In 2000, she was even named the "rookie of the year" in Sweden, which is a big award for a new player.
World Cups and Olympics
Sara Larsson represented Sweden in two World Cups. She played in the 2003 World Cup in the USA and the 2011 World Cup in Germany. She was also part of the team for the 2007 World Cup, but she did not play in any matches during that tournament.
She also had the amazing experience of playing in three Olympic Games. These were the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Athens Olympics in 2004, and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
European Championships
Sara also played in three European Championship tournaments. These big competitions were held in Germany in 2001, England in 2005, and Finland in 2009.
About Sara's Life
On 15 August 2015, Sara Larsson married Jens Mattsson. She already had a son with him before they got married. After their wedding, she changed her last name to Mattsson.
