Teddy Lučić facts for kids
Lučić lining up for Team Sweden during the FIFA World Cup in Germany in June 2006
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Teddy Mark Šime Lučić | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1973 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Gothenburg, Sweden | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Lundby IF | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Lundby IF | 63 | (13) | ||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Västra Frölunda IF | 68 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | IFK Göteborg | 58 | (2) | ||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Bologna | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | AIK | 58 | (4) | ||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | → Leeds United (loan) | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Bayer Leverkusen | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | BK Häcken | 70 | (8) | ||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | IF Elfsborg | 66 | (3) | ||||||||||
| 2012 | KF Velebit | 15 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 2015 | Holmalunds IF | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||
| Total | 444 | (33) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Sweden U21 | 18 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 1995–2006 | Sweden | 86 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | KF Velebit (manager) | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Teddy Mark Šime Lučić is a former Swedish professional footballer and manager. He was born on April 15, 1973. Teddy played as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field. He was known for his strong defense.
Teddy Lučić started playing for the Swedish national team in 1995. He played in many big tournaments for his country. These included three FIFA World Cups (in 1994, 2002, and 2006) and two UEFA European Championships (in 2000 and 2004). He played a total of 86 games for Sweden, which are called "caps" in football.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Teddy Lučić was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. His father, Krešimir, was from Croatia, and his mother, Annis, was from Finland. His father also played football. In 1966, Krešimir moved to Sweden and continued playing. The Lučić family often visited Croatia and Finland.
When Teddy was a boy, he went to Bjurslätt School in Hisingen. This school was very close to where the football club BK Häcken trained. Because of his parents' backgrounds, Teddy first had a Yugoslavian passport. This meant he could not play for the Swedish Junior Team at first.
Teddy's Club Football Journey
Starting His Career in Sweden
Teddy Lučić began his professional football career at Lundby IF when he was 18. He played 44 games for them and scored 10 goals as a defender. In 1993, he moved to Västra Frölunda IF, where he played for two years. He then joined IFK Göteborg in 1996. In his very first season with IFK Göteborg, his team won the Swedish championship!
Playing in Italy: Bologna
In 1998, Teddy left Sweden to play football in Italy for a club called Bologna. However, he did not get to play very often there. He only appeared in nine league games over two years in the top Italian league, Serie A.
Back to Sweden with AIK
Teddy Lučić returned to Sweden in 2000 and signed with AIK. He played 58 games for AIK and scored four goals. He stayed with the club until 2003.
Loan to Leeds United
During his time at AIK, Teddy also had a short period playing in England. He was loaned to the English club Leeds United in 2002. A "loan" means a player temporarily plays for another team. While at Leeds, he played 17 league games and scored one goal. His loan ended in 2003, and Leeds decided not to sign him permanently.
Playing in Germany: Bayer Leverkusen
After his loan at Leeds, Teddy moved to Germany in May 2003. He joined Bayer Leverkusen. He played 11 games for them in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top football league. He left Germany in December 2004 to return to Sweden.
Finishing His Career in Sweden
Teddy Lučić came back to Sweden for the second time and joined BK Häcken. He played 70 games for them and scored 8 goals. In 2008, he moved to his ninth club, IF Elfsborg. He was a regular player for IF Elfsborg until he decided to stop playing football professionally. Teddy officially ended his playing career after IF Elfsborg's last game of the season on November 7, 2010.
International Football for Sweden
Teddy Lučić played 86 games for the Swedish national team. He mostly played as a "full back" at the start of his international career. He played his first game for Sweden against Brazil in June 1995.
From 2004 onwards, he mainly played as a centre-back. Teddy played in the Euro 2004 tournament. He also played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. In the 1994 World Cup, he was part of the team but did not play in any games. In Sweden's final game of the 2006 World Cup against Germany, he received two yellow cards and was sent off the field in the 35th minute.
Personal Life and Background
Because of his family's background, Teddy Lučić could have chosen to play football for two other countries. His mother is Finnish, and his father is Croatian. Teddy can speak Croatian very well and also knows some Finnish. He has a summer house in Lappeenranta, Finland. He supports the local football team, Rakuunat, and the ice hockey team, SaiPa, from Lappeenranta.
Achievements and Awards
Teddy Lučić achieved some great things during his football career:
- IFK Göteborg
- Allsvenskan: 1996 (This is the top Swedish football league championship)
Sweden
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1994 (Sweden won the bronze medal)
See also
In Spanish: Teddy Lučić para niños
