Bengt Ulf Sebastian Larsson (; born 6 June 1985) is a Swedish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. Beginning his career at hometown club
IFK Eskilstuna
IFK Eskilstuna is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna in Södermanland County. In their early seasons IFK had a proud record as an Allsvenskan club but they now play in Division 2 Västra Svealand, which is the fourth tier of Swedish ...
, Larsson was signed by
Arsenal. He made three
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
appearances for the Gunners, before joining
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
, initially on loan for the
2006–07 season, before a permanent transfer in the winter of 2007. Larsson spent five years at Birmingham, experiencing promotion to, and relegation from, the Premier League on two occasions. He joined
Sunderland on 1 July 2011 upon the expiry of his contract, after Birmingham suffered relegation. He left Sunderland in 2017 to sign for
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
in the
EFL Championship where he spent one season. He returned to his native Sweden in 2018 to sign for
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
, and helped them win the
2018 Allsvenskan
The 2018 Allsvenskan, part of the 2018 Swedish football season, was the 94th season of Allsvenskan since its establishment in 1924. A total of 16 teams participated. As the 2018 FIFA World Cup will start on 14 June, the last round before stopp ...
title before retiring in 2022. Larsson is renowned for being a set-piece specialist.
A full international between 2008 and 2021, Larsson represented
Sweden at the
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
editions of the
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA). The competition is conte ...
, as well as the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
, at which he helped his country reach the quarter-finals. He amassed
133 caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
for his country, scoring ten goals.
Club career
Early career
Larsson was born in
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna h ...
and initially played football for his hometown team,
IFK Eskilstuna
IFK Eskilstuna is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna in Södermanland County. In their early seasons IFK had a proud record as an Allsvenskan club but they now play in Division 2 Västra Svealand, which is the fourth tier of Swedish ...
. He joined
Arsenal aged 16 during the summer of 2001, on a four-year professional contract.
Arsenal
Having been on the substitutes bench for a match against
Panathinaikos, he made his first-team debut against
Manchester City in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
on 27 October 2004, where he played out of position at
left back. He played in two further League Cup matches that season.
He made his Premier League debut on 1 February 2006, replacing
Sol Campbell
Sulzeer Jeremiah Campbell (born 18 September 1974) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of club Southend United. He previously managed Macclesfield Town from November 2018 to August ...
at half time as Arsenal lost 3–2 at home to
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
. Due to Campbell's defensive errors in that match, Larsson started the next two league matches in defence in his absence, a 2–0 win away to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
three days later, and a 1–1 draw at home to
Bolton Wanderers on 11 February, in which he was substituted for
Dennis Bergkamp as Arsenal sought their equaliser.
Loan to Birmingham City
Larsson joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
on a season-long loan from Arsenal in August 2006, with an option to make the move permanent. Larsson made an immediate impact, scoring late winners in his first few games, against
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
and
Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...
. He also scored two goals against
Newcastle United in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
.
Birmingham City
At the end of January 2007, Larsson signed permanently for Birmingham City on a four-year deal for a £1 million fee. He scored Birmingham's goal of the season, against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...
in April 2007, running half the length of the field with the ball and finishing from inside the goal area.
In the
2006–07 season, Larsson was used mainly on the right wing, occasionally filling in at right-back or left-back when players were injured. His performances on the wide right of midfield in the
2007–08 season, in particular a man-of-the-match showing against
Bolton Wanderers, indicated this to be his best position.
Recalled to the starting eleven by new manager
Alex McLeish
Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for ...
for the game at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
in December 2007, Larsson scored a spectacular
stoppage-time goal to give Birmingham their first away win in the Premier League for over three months. He scored half of his six goals that season with
direct free kick
A free kick is a method of restarting play in association football. It is awarded after an infringement of the laws by the opposing team.
Direct and indirect free kicks
Free kicks may be either direct or indirect, distinguished as follows:
...
s, two in consecutive games, against Tottenham and
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, and one from against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
. With four weeks of the season remaining,
Opta statistics rated Larsson as the most accurate taker of a direct free kick in the Premier League, though this ability failed to save Birmingham from relegation.
On the opening day of the 2010–11 season, Larsson recovered from what the ''
Observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
s reporter described as an "anonymous" start to provide assists for both Birmingham's goals as they drew 2–2 with
Sunderland at the
Stadium of Light. He again provided an assist, this time for
Craig Gardner
Craig Gardner (born 25 November 1986) is an English professional football coach and former player who made 260 appearances in the Premier League and a further 67 in the Championship. He joined the coaching staff at Birmingham City in January 20 ...
, in his side's first home game, a 2–1 win against
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
. Away to
Fulham on 27 November,
Alexander Hleb
Aliaksandr Paulavich Hleb ( be, Аляксандр Паўлавіч Глеб, ; russian: Александр Павлович Глеб; born 1 May 1981), commonly referred to in English as Alexander Hleb, is a Belarusian former professional foot ...
made "a terrific run" and a "slide-rule" pass to Larsson, who opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, a low shot across the goalkeeper. The game finished 1–1.
Larsson played his part in Birmingham's run to the
2011 League Cup Final. He scored from the penalty spot before
Nikola Žigić
Nikola Žigić ( sr-cyr, Никола Жигић, ; born 25 September 1980) is a Serbian former footballer who played as a centre forward.
Žigić was born in Bačka Topola, in what was then SFR Yugoslavia. He began playing football as a you ...
headed an 84th-minute winner in the quarter-final against local rivals
Aston Villa. In the first leg of the semi-final against
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
,
Liam Ridgewell
Liam Matthew Ridgewell (born 21 July 1984) is an English retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He was primarily a centre back but could also play at left back. He is currently a coach for the Portland Timbers.
Ridgewell, wh ...
scored from Larsson's corner before
Victor Obinna
Victor Nsofor Obinna (born 25 March 1987) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Obinna in Igbo, literally means "father's heart". He played for Chievo in Italy's Serie B, having played regularly in Serie A with ...
was sent off for kicking Larsson in the groin in an off-the-ball incident. Despite speculation over his future at Birmingham – with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, his advisor was given permission to talk to Newcastle United about a proposed move during the January transfer window, but personal terms were not agreed, and the player was booed when he came on as a substitute in the previous game, against
Manchester United – Larsson returned to the starting eleven in place of the
cup-tied
In association football, a player who has appeared for a football club during a knockout cup but subsequently transfers to another club is ineligible to play for the new club in the remainder of that season's cup competition. Such a player is said ...
David Bentley and played 100 minutes as Birmingham overturned a 2–1 deficit to win the semi-final 4–3 on aggregate.
Roger Johnson flicked on Larsson's corner for Žigić to give his team an unexpected lead in the final at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
against firm favourites Arsenal. Though
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...
equalised,
Obafemi Martins
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins (born 28 October 1984) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is known for his speed on the ball. After leaving Nigeria for Italy at age 16, he has since played for a number of top-d ...
scored an 89th-minute winner to give Birmingham their first trophy since 1963.
Larsson took advantage of a defensive mix-up to open the scoring as Birmingham beat Sunderland 2–0 at
St Andrew's on 16 April, and four days later, marked his 200th appearance for the club in all competitions with a penalty, albeit in a losing cause, against reigning champions
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. On 1 May, he exploited
Michael Mancienne's mistake to score the equalising goal against
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
, helping his side earn a point despite playing with ten men for more than an hour after Gardner was sent off. No new contract was agreed, and following relegation to the Championship, the club confirmed that Larsson was to leave at the end of the season when his existing deal expired.
Sunderland
On 22 June 2011,
Sunderland confirmed that Larsson would join the club on a free transfer under the
Bosman ruling on 1 July, thus linking him up with former Birmingham manager
Steve Bruce. He was given squad number 7 for the 2011–12 season. He marked his debut with the second-half equaliser in a 1–1 draw on the opening day of the season against Liverpool at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
, when given room at the far post to produce a "superb first-time angled volley." His second Sunderland goal, direct from a free kick, put his team 4–0 up against
Stoke City at the Stadium of Light in their first win of the season. Larsson scored directly from another free-kick against Arsenal at the
Emirates Stadium a month later, prompting Arsenal manager
Arsène Wenger to label his former player "maybe the best in the league as a free-kick-taker."
He scored the opening goal in Sunderland's 2–1 home defeat by
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
on 26 November, which proved to be Bruce's last game in charge of the Black Cats. Sunderland visited Wolves the following week under caretaker manager
Eric Black
John Eric Black (born 1 October 1963) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. Black played as a striker for Aberdeen and Metz, winning major trophies with both clubs, and earned two international caps for the Scotland nat ...
. With Sunderland 1–0 up, Larsson won a penalty, although replays suggested he dived. His penalty was saved by
Wayne Hennessey; less than 30 seconds later,
Steven Fletcher equalised for Wolves, and went on to add a late winner. Larsson made amends in the following game, scoring from a free kick against Blackburn Rovers in injury-time to secure a late 2–1 win in
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
's first game as manager. Larsson scored another free kick on 8 January in the FA Cup in a 2–0 win against
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
at
London Road. In the fifth round tie with Arsenal, a quick counterattack from Sunderland saw Larsson hit the woodwork, and the ball subsequently hit
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alexander Mark David Oxlade-Chamberlain (born 15 August 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Liverpool.
After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010–11 season aged 17, Oxlade-Chambe ...
to put Sunderland 2–0 up and into the quarter-finals. Larsson scored twice as Sunderland drew 3–3 with
Manchester City at the
Etihad Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...
on 31 March.
Larsson produced a "25-yard thunderbolt" as his first goal of the
2012–13 Premier League
The 2012–13 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st season of the Premier League, the English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 114 ...
season against West Ham United on 12 January 2013 in a 3–0 win. He provided the assist for
Stéphane Sessègnon
Stéphane Sessègnon (born 1 June 1984) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays for Sirens F.C. in the Maltese Premier League. He is a Benin international, having represented the nation at the 2008, 2010 and 2019 editions of the Af ...
's goal in Sunderland's 1–0 defeat of
Everton on 20 April, pushing the club clear of the relegation zone. The strike against West Ham proved to be Larsson's only goal of the campaign, a season in which was underwhelming on both individual and club levels as Sunderland barely managed to avoid relegation.
His first goal of the 2013–14 season came on 6 November 2013, in a 2–1 win against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
in the League Cup. His first league goal of the season came against
Manchester United on 3 May 2014, where he scored the only goal of the game. The result gave Sunderland their first win at
Old Trafford since 1968. After contributing to Sunderland's escape from relegation, he was given a new contract to run until 2017.
On 16 August 2014, Larsson scored a late equaliser for Sunderland in their 2–2 draw with
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...
on the opening day of the
2014–15 Premier League
The 2014–15 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...
season. His second goal of the season was a free kick to open the scoring in a 1–1 draw with Everton on 9 November, and his third, another direct free kick, came in a 2–1 loss at Tottenham on 17 December. Larsson was named Sunderland's Supporters' Player of the Year for the 2014–15 season.
Hull City
After being released by Sunderland when their relegation from the Premier League coincided with the expiry of his contract, Larsson signed a one-year contract with Championship club
Hull City
Hull City Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving from Boothferry Park in 2002. The club's t ...
on 9 August 2017. He made his first appearance for the club when he came off the bench as a 74th-minute substitute for
Kamil Grosicki
Kamil Paweł Grosicki (; born 8 June 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ekstraklasa club Pogoń Szczecin and the Poland national team.
A full international for Poland with over eighty caps since 2008, he repres ...
in the 4–1 home win against
Burton Albion
Burton Albion Football Club is a professional association football club in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club moved its home grou ...
on 12 August 2017. On 30 September 2017, he scored his first goal for Hull City, when he scored the 6th goal in a 6–1 home victory over
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
.
He was offered a new contract by Hull at the end of the 2017–18 season.
AIK
On 11 June 2018, Larsson signed for
Allsvenskan club
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
. His first season with AIK was very successful, as he helped the team win the
Swedish Championship for the twelfth time in the club's history after claiming the
2018 Allsvenskan
The 2018 Allsvenskan, part of the 2018 Swedish football season, was the 94th season of Allsvenskan since its establishment in 1924. A total of 16 teams participated. As the 2018 FIFA World Cup will start on 14 June, the last round before stopp ...
title. Larsson retired after the
2022 season.
International career
Larsson received his first call-up to the
Sweden squad for the
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying games against
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in October 2007. He was an unused
substitute against Liechtenstein but did not make the bench for the Northern Ireland game. He made his debut for Sweden in February 2008, playing the whole 90 minutes of a
friendly draw against
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
in
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
. He was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2008
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
, and has since become a regular in the national team.
He scored his first goal at senior international level in March 2011 as Sweden beat
Moldova
Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...
2–1 in a
Euro 2012 qualifier.
During the qualifiers in October, Larsson added two more goals to his international tally. The first was the opener in a 2–1 away victory over
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
in Helsinki,
and the second was a penalty as Sweden came from behind to beat the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
3–2 on 11 October at the
Råsunda Stadium in Stockholm.
In February 2012, Larsson scored two second-half goals to down
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
3–1 at the
Maksimir Stadium
Maksimir Stadium ( hr, Stadion Maksimir, ) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top club of the country with 23 league ...
in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
.
Larsson was selected in Sweden's squad for
Euro 2012
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
. He started all three of their
group games and scored the second goal in their 2–0 win over
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, but Sweden did not make it through to the knockout stages of the competition.
Larsson was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for the
2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
In the last warm-up match before the tournament, a goalless draw with
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
on 9 June, he made his 100th senior appearance for his country. At the 2018 World Cup, Larsson played in four games for Sweden as they were eliminated by
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the
quarter-finals
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. He got his ninth international goal on 28 March 2021, scoring from the penalty spot in a 3–0
World Cup qualifying win over
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
.
Larsson started in all four matches of Sweden at
Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
, serving as
captain in the absence of
Andreas Granqvist. Following the tournament, he announced his retirement from international football.
Personal life
Larsson lives in
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna h ...
with his wife Tina. , the couple have two daughters.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Sweden score listed first, score column indicates score after each Larsson goal.''
[
]
Honours
Birmingham City
* Football League Cup: 2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
[
Sunderland
*Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14][
AIK
* Allsvenskan: ]2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
Individual
*Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...
Player of the Year: 2007–08
*Birmingham City Players' Player of the Year: 2007–08[
*Birmingham City Goal of the Season: 2007–08][
*Sunderland Supporters' Player of the Year: 2014–15][
]
See also
* List of footballers with 100 or more caps
References
External links
*
*
Profile
at Swedish Football Association
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, Sebastian
1985 births
Living people
People from Eskilstuna
Swedish footballers
Sweden youth international footballers
Sweden under-21 international footballers
Sweden international footballers
Association football midfielders
IFK Eskilstuna players
Arsenal F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Sunderland A.F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
AIK Fotboll players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Allsvenskan players
UEFA Euro 2008 players
UEFA Euro 2012 players
UEFA Euro 2016 players
2018 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2020 players
FIFA Century Club
Swedish expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Swedish expatriate sportspeople in England
Sportspeople from Södermanland County