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 | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | 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) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Sweden U21 | 18 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 1995–2006 | Sweden | 86 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | KF Velebit (manager) | ||||||||||||
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Honours
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Teddy Mark Šime Lučić (born 15 April 1973) is a Swedish former professional footballer and manager. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. Lučić started playing for the Swedish national team in 1995. He played for his country in three FIFA World Cup tournaments (1994, 2002, and 2006) and two UEFA European Championships (2000 and 2004). Overall, he played 86 games for Sweden.
Contents
Early Life and Background
Teddy Lučić was born on April 15, 1973, in Gothenburg, Sweden. His father, Krešimir, was from Croatia, and his mother, Annis, was from Finland. Teddy's father was also a football player. In 1966, Krešimir moved to Sweden and continued to play football there.
The Lučić family decided to live in Sweden. However, they often visited Croatia and Finland. When Teddy was a boy, he went to Bjurslätt School in Hisingen, which was very close to where the football club BK Häcken trained. Because of his parents' backgrounds, Teddy had a Yugoslavian passport instead of a Swedish one. This meant he could not play for the Swedish Junior Team when he was younger.
Club Career Highlights
Teddy Lučić played for many different football clubs during his career. He was known for being a strong defender.
Starting Out in Sweden
Teddy began his professional career at Lundby IF when he was 18 years old. He played 44 games for them and scored 10 goals. In 1993, he moved to Västra Frölunda IF and played 68 matches over two years. In 1996, he joined IFK Göteborg. In his first season with IFK Göteborg, his team won the Swedish championship, which was a great achievement!
Playing in Italy: Bologna
After playing in Sweden, Lučić moved to Italy in 1998 to play for Bologna. However, he didn't get to play very often there. He only appeared in nine league games over two years in Italy's top league, Serie A.
Back to Sweden with AIK
In 2000, Lučić returned to Sweden and signed with AIK Fotboll. 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 Lučić also had a short loan period with the English club Leeds United. This was in 2002. While playing in England, he appeared in 17 league games and scored one goal. His loan ended in 2003 when Leeds decided not to sign him permanently.
Time in Germany: Bayer Leverkusen
In May 2003, Lučić moved to Germany to play for Bayer Leverkusen. He didn't play much for the main team in the Bundesliga, which is Germany's top league. He only played 11 games for the club before returning to Sweden in December 2004.
Finishing His Career in Sweden
Lučić went back to Sweden for a second time to join 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 retired from playing football. Teddy Lučić officially ended his career as a player on November 7, 2010.
International Career with Sweden
Teddy Lučić played 86 games for the Swedish national team. He mostly played as a full-back, which is a defensive position on the side of the field. His first game for Sweden was against Brazil in June 1995.
From 2004 onwards, he mainly played as a centre-back. Lučić played in the Euro 2004 tournament. He also played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He was also part of the team for the 1994 World Cup, but he didn't play in any games.
In Sweden's last 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
Because of his family background, Teddy Lučić could have chosen to play for two other countries. His mother is Finnish and his father is Croatian. He can speak Croatian very well and also knows some Finnish. He has a summer house in Lappeenranta, Finland. He is also a fan of the football team Rakuunat and the ice hockey team SaiPa, both from Lappeenranta.
Honours
- IFK Göteborg
- Allsvenskan: 1996 (Swedish Championship)
Sweden
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1994
Images for kids
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Lučić lining up for Team Sweden during the FIFA World Cup in Germany in June 2006
See also
In Spanish: Teddy Lučić para niños
