Sam Larsson
 Larsson playing for IFK Göteborg. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Andreas Larsson | ||
| Date of birth | 10 April 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Gothenburg, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Heerenveen | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2009 | IK Zenith | ||
| 2010–2012 | IFK Göteborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2014 | IFK Göteborg | 49 | (6) |
| 2014– | Heerenveen | 86 | (23) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012 | Sweden U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Sweden U21 | 10 | (1) |
| 2016– | Sweden | 3 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 June 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13 June 2017 | |||
Sam Andreas Larsson (born 10 April 1993) is a Swedish footballer who plays for Heerenveen in Eredivisie as a winger.[1] He is younger brother to the Turkish Akhisar Belediyespor player Daniel Larsson.
Club career
IFK Göteborg
Born in Gothenburg, Sam Larsson made his first start in the Swedish top flight, Allsvenskan for IFK Göteborg in March 2013, in a game against local rivals BK Häcken.[2] By scoring once and assisting two more in a 3–0 Larsson quickly made his way to the headlines, with manager Mikael Stahre describing him as a "Swedish Brazilian", he further more earned him the nickname "Samba-Sam", due to his impressive skills on the ball and unpredictable moves.
After a successful first season Larsson made further progress during the following year, gaining much praise for his creative play and taking on a larger role in leading his team on the attack.[3]
Heerenveen
2014–15 season
On 12 August 2014, IFK Göteborg announced the transfer of Larsson to Dutch side Heerenveen. On 23 August, Larsson played his first league game for his new club, a game in which he scored once to settle a 2–0 win over SBV Excelsior. After an injury-plagued first period, Larsson started to achieve much praise for his performances, including comparisons being drawn by Heerenveen manager Dwight Lodeweges between Larsson and Argentinian star Lionel Messi.[4] Heerenveen ended the season in 7th place in the Eredevisie, with Larsson scoring eight and assisting to four goals in 25 games.[5]
2015–16 season
In his second season with Heerenveen the club experienced a struggling period, finding themselves in the lower half of the table. Larsson's goal-scoring was less frequent than the previous spring, although he was recognised as the one player creating the most goal-scoring opportunities in the Eredivisie,[6] while also being hailed by Heerenveen technical director Hans Vonk as the best dribbler in the league.[7] Heerenveen finished the season in 12th[8] while Larsson scored six goals and assisted another eight.[5] At the end of the year, Larsson was awarded a place in the team of the season by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.[9]
International career
Larsson got his first call up to the senior Sweden side for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Bulgaria in October 2016, however he later withdrew from the squad through injury.[10] In the 30th minute of his debut for Sweden away against Hungary on 15 November 2016 Larsson scored on a free kick.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| IFK Göteborg | 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 29 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |
| Total | 49 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 68 | 8 | |
| Heerenveen | 2014–15 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 8 | |
| 2015–16 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 1 | — | 43 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 0 | — | 32 | 9 | ||
| Total | 84 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 24 | |
| Career total | 133 | 29 | 23 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 164 | 32 | |
International
- As of 13 June 2017.[11]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 2016 | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 1 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2016 |  Groupama Arena, Budapest | Hungary | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
- IFK Göteborg
International
- Sweden U21
References
- ↑ "Sam på väg till Heerenveen". IFK Göteborg. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ Wagner, Michael (31 March 2013). "Glöm brorsan - här bjuds på Samba". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ Jönsson, Fredrik (25 May 2014). "Nytt vackert förarbete från Sam Larsson". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ Jongmans, Robin (3 April 2015). "'Sam Larsson snel als Messi'". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- 1 2 "Sam Larsson - History". WhoScored. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ Tivemo, Joel (29 January 2016). "Sam Larsson – mest kreativ i Eredivisie". Göteborgs Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ Ivanovski, Alexander (15 December 2015). "Sam Larsson hyllas av Heerenveens sportchef". Silly Season (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ "Eredivisie Table & Standings". SkySports. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ "PSV troeft Ajax ook in Elftal van het Jaar af". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 9 May 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
- ↑ "Oktobertruppen uttagen". svenskfotboll.se. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- 1 2 "Sweden - S. Larsson - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ↑ "S. Larsson - Voetbal International". Voetbal International. Retrieved 16 October 2016.