Career
Hanna Ljungberg is one of several professional players in the Swedish women's league, Damallsvenskan. She was chosen as Swedish Player of the Year in 2002, winning the Diamond Ball (Diamantbollen). She also scored a record setting number of goals that season with 39 goals (roughly 1.78 goals per game). Ljungberg made altogether 227 league appearances for Umeå IK and scored 196 goals.
As a world class forward, Ljungberg was instrumental in the Swedish side that were runners up in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 held in the United States, scoring three goals and assisting another. She was also voted 3rd best World Player of the Year by FIFA in 2003. Ljungberg is the goal leader of the Swedish national team with 72 goals. During the UEFA Women's Cup 2002-03, Ljungberg was the top goalscorer in the tournament with 10 goals. Italian men's football club Perugia contacted Hanna to hire her for their Serie A roster, but the deal aborted.
She debuted as a goalkeeper on May 17, 2007 for Umeå IK when they played against AIK in the Swedish Cup because of Carola Söberg's injury at the 70th minute. She ended the game with a clean sheet. Her fame in Sweden has led to stamps commemorating her and several other Swedish footballers for the Swedish Football Association's 100th year anniversary.
In August 2009 Ljungberg announced her retirement from football after a knee injury in a league match on July 5. The right anterior cruciate ligament, previously reconstructed in 2004, was again partly torn and she decided with her doctors that to continue to play presented too high a risk of permanent disability.
She is currently assisting Joakim Blomquist, head coach of Umeå IK, and Maria Bergkvist assisting coach, in the coaching of this years team. At the same time she is studying at Umeå university to become a physiotherapist, and is expected to graduate in June 2012.
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