PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Have we really thanked Umeå IK enough?
And has Hanna Ljungberg really received the great recognition she deserves?
Well, I actually don’t think so – so here comes a proper and well-deserved tribute.
This is a comment. The opinions are the writer’s own.
When you talk about Swedish pioneers on the women’s side, it’s always the icon Pia Sundhage and the legendary club Öxabäcks IF, which comes first. They broke the ground and broke the norm for all female footballers to come.
Iconic Umeå IK
But the question is whether Umeå IK has not been more significant for football on the women’s side. They were the ones who made women’s football professional in Sweden and took the investment to a whole new level.
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The Umeå club completely conquered Swedish football in the early 2000s and aimed for the top of the world with a cocky edition of footballers who wanted to give everything to be the best. And it’s so beautiful to see tonight’s episode of the acclaimed SVT program “Footbollens historia” which dives into this fantastic Umeå IK.
Incredible Ljungberg
They won an incredible seven SM golds, four cup titles and two Women’s Cup titles, then the Champions League, during the 2000s and became Europe’s very best football team. The frame in Umeå also became the backbone of the Swedish national team for a long time with big names such as Hanna Marklund, Frida Östberg, Malin Moström, Tina Nordlund and then the unique Hanna Ljungberg.
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Ljungberg became the big poster name for a very successful period in the Swedish national team. This grater who never backed down, never gave up and won every single duel – then she was also damn sharp at scoring goals.
Close to a WC gold
The big highlight came in the WC 2003 when Sweden reached all the way to the final against Germany. 3.7 million Swedes sat down in front of the TV, we have hardly seen such high numbers on the men’s side over the years, and for five minutes and a half-time break we were world champions after Hanna Ljungberg’s lead goal.
READ MORE: Hanna Ljungberg put Sweden on the map and then disappeared – so the Swedish goal shooter lives on today
But even if Germany turned that World Cup final, this gave incredible waves for Swedish football on the women’s side. Young girls got their big idols, female footballers got their rightful respect and since then we have only looked forward.
We can never stop thanking Umeå IK and Hanna Ljungberg for that. Thank you for never giving up and writing Swedish sports history.
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