Magdalena Lilly Eriksson (also Ericsson; born 8 September 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for Frauen-Bundesliga side Bayern Munich and the Sweden national team.[5] Primarily a centre-back, she can also play as a left-back.

Magdalena Eriksson
Eriksson playing for Chelsea in 2021
Personal information
Full name Magdalena Lilly Eriksson[1]
Date of birth (1993-09-08) 8 September 1993 (age 31)[2]
Place of birth Stockholm, Sweden
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back, left-back
Team information
Current team
Bayern Munich
Number 5
Youth career
Enskede IK
2009–2010 Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Hammarby IF 19 (0)
2012 Djurgårdens IF 19 (1)
2013–2017 Linköpings FC 88 (5)
2017–2023 Chelsea 104 (8)
2023– Bayern Munich 16 (4)
International career
2008 Sweden U15 2 (0)
2009 Sweden U16 8 (1)
2009–2010 Sweden U17 18 (3)
2011–2012 Sweden U19 24 (0)
2013 Sweden U23 4 (0)
2014– Sweden 113[4] (13)
Medal record
Women's football
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo Team
FIFA Women's World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2019 France
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Australia/New Zealand
UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
Winner 2012 Turkey
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 October 2024

At the beginning of her professional career, Eriksson played for the Stockholm clubs Hammarby IF and Djurgårdens IF until she moved to Linköpings FC in 2013, where she won two cup titles and the league title in 2016 during her five years at the club.

In 2017, Eriksson moved to England and signed for Chelsea in the Women's Super League (WSL). There, she established herself as one of the best central defenders in Europe and was named team captain in 2019. With Chelsea, she won five WSL titles, and also reached the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League in the 2020–21 season. In 2020, she was named Swedish Footballer of the Year.

Eriksson, like her partner Pernille Harder, is also known for her LGBTQ+ advocacy and LGBTQ+ rights in sport.[6][7]

Club career

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Eriksson began her football career with local team Enskede IK, but was encouraged by her father to join Hammarby IF in order to improve her game. Aged 17, she broke into Hammarby's first team in the 2011 Damallsvenskan season and made her debut against Umeå IK.[8]

In November 2011, Eriksson left relegated Hammarby for their Stockholm rivals Djurgårdens IF.[9] After scoring one goal in 19 appearances in the 2012 Damallsvenskan, she left Djurgården, who were facing relegation, and joined Linköpings FC.[10]

In July 2017, after almost five years with Linköpings FC, Eriksson signed a two-year contract with Women's Super League team Chelsea Ladies.[11][12] In August 2018, she extended her contract until 2021,[13] and eventually became the team's captain in 2019.[14] She extended her contract once again in November 2020, this time until 2023.[15] On 9 December 2020, Eriksson made her 100th appearance for Chelsea in a 5–0 Champions League win over Benfica.[16]

Her performances over the years, especially following Chelsea's WSL title-winning 2020–21 season, have seen Eriksson hailed as one of the best defenders in Europe.[17] After six years with Chelsea, for whom she made over 180 appearances and won over 10 trophies, Eriksson left the club at the end of the 2022–23 season along with her partner Pernille Harder.[18]

On 1 June 2023, Eriksson and Harder were unveiled as a new players of Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, signing three-year contracts.[19][20] In December's Champions League clash against Ajax, she suffered a broken metatarsal in her left foot, which required surgery.[21] She returned to the team three months later, in March 2024, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 5–0 victory over RB Leipzig.[22]

International career

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As a Swedish under-19 international, Eriksson was part of the victorious squad at the 2012 U-19 European Championship.[23] In November 2013, national team coach Pia Sundhage called her to a senior squad training camp at Bosön.[24] Eriksson made her debut for the senior Sweden team in a 3–0 friendly defeat by France in Amiens on 8 February 2014. She was part of the Swedish squad that won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[25] Eriksson has since represented Sweden at every major tournament, namely UEFA Women's Euro 2017, 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup,[26] 2020 Summer Olympics,[27] UEFA Women's Euro 2022,[28] and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[29] At the 2020 Olympics, she won the silver medal after Sweden lost to Canada in the final on penalties.[30]

Personal life

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Eriksson's mother is of Finnish descent.[31] She is openly lesbian and, since 2014, in a relationship with Danish international Pernille Harder.[32][33][34] In July 2024, they announced their engagement after over a decade together.[35]

Eriksson and Harder work with the charity Common Goal and pledged 1% of their salaries to help tackle social issues throughout football. The couple also both push for equality and LGBTQ+ rights in sport.[36]

During her upbringing, she assumed her last name was spelled with a C because that was how her father spelled it. When she was 17 and looked in her passport she realised it was actually spelled with a K. As such, her last name is often misspelled as "Ericsson" rather than the correct "Eriksson".[37]

Eriksson has a bachelor's degree in political science and took a course in feminist theory and intersectional power analysis.[38]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 20 October 2024[4][39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Leagues National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental[c] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hammarby IF 2011 Damallsvenskan 19 0 2 0 21 0
Djurgårdens IF 2012 Damallsvenskan 19 1 2 0 21 1
Linköpings FC 2013 Damallsvenskan 19 2 5 0 24 2
2014 16 0 4 0 20 0
2015 22 1 5 0 6 1 1[d] 0 34 2
2016 21 2 5 2 1[d] 0 27 4
2017 10 0 0 0 10 0
Total 88 5 19 2 0 0 6 1 2 0 115 8
Chelsea 2017–18 Women's Super League 15 2 5 0 3 0 8 0 31 2
2018–19 19 2 4 0 5 0 7 0 35 2
2019–20 14 1 2 0 7 2 23 3
2020–21 20 1 4 0 5 1 6 0 1[e] 0 36 2
2021–22 16 1 2 1 0 0 6 0 24 2
2022–23 20 1 5 0 2 0 9 0 36 1
Total 104 8 22 1 22 3 36 0 1 0 185 12
Bayern Munich 2023–24 Frauen-Bundesliga 13 4 3 0 3 1 19 5
2024–25 1 0 0 0 0 0 1[f] 0 2 0
Total 14 4 3 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 21 5
Career total 244 18 48 3 22 3 45 2 4 0 363 26

International

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Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Eriksson goal.
List of international goals scored by Magdalena Eriksson
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 26 January 2016 Prioritet Serneke Arena, Gothenburg, Sweden   Scotland

2–0

6–0

Friendly
2 21 October 2016 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Iran

2–0

7–0

Friendly
3

4–0

4

7–0

5 30 August 2018 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Ukraine

2–0

3–0

2019 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 4 October 2019 Diósgyőri Stadion, Miskolc, Hungary   Hungary

1–0

5–0

UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying
7 17 September 2020 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Hungary

4–0

8–0

UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying
8 22 October 2020 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Latvia

4–0

7–0

UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying
9 30 July 2021 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan   Japan

1–0

3–1

2020 Olympics
10 21 September 2021 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Georgia

2–0

4–0

2023 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 22 September 2023 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Spain

1–0

2–3

2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League
12 27 October 2023 Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden   Switzerland

1–0

1–0

2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League
13 4 June 2024 Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden   Republic of Ireland

1–0

1–0

UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying League A

Honours

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Linköpings FC

Chelsea

Bayern Munich

Sweden U19

Sweden

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 List of Players – Sweden" (PDF). FIFA. 27 May 2019. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson – Sveriges Olympiska Kommitté". sok.se.
  3. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Magdalena Eriksson – Spelarstatistik Svensk Fotboll". Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  5. ^ Magdalena Eriksson Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. nbcolympics.com
  6. ^ Burhan, Asif. "Chelsea's Pernille Harder And Magda Eriksson Proud To Be LGBTQ+ Ambassadors". Forbes. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  7. ^ Chulani, Nikhita (7 August 2019). "'We're powerful together': Harder and Eriksson on being a gay couple in football – video". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  8. ^ Andersdotter, Anna (19 May 2011). "Morsning Magda!". Hammarby IF DFF. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Hammarby tappar Magdalena Ericsson". Damfotboll.com (in Swedish). 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  10. ^ "Ännu en vinnare till LFC" (in Swedish). Linköpings FC. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  11. ^ "Linköpings FC – Linköpings Fotboll Club". Linköpings Fotboll Club.
  12. ^ "Ladies sign Sweden international". Chelsea F.C. 15 July 2017. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Eriksson extends and aims to be even better". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  14. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson to captain Chelsea Women". Chelsea F.C. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Captain Eriksson pens new deal". Chelsea F.C. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Women's Match Report: Benfica 0 Chelsea 5". Chelsea F.C. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  17. ^ Ruszkai, Ameé (10 May 2021). "Miedema, Kerr and the Women's Super League team of the season". goal.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Chelsea: Pernille Harder & Magdalena Eriksson to leave club in summer". BBC Sport. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Chelsea: Bayern Munich sign Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson from WSL champions". BBC Sport. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Bayern Munich sign Chelsea pair Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson on three-year deals". Sky Sports. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson has operation on broken metatarsal". FC Bayern Munich. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Siegesserie ausgebaut! FCB-Frauen jubeln gegen Leipzig im Sondertrikot" (in German). FC Bayern Munich. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  23. ^ Hammarlund, Pauline (13 July 2012). "Hammarlund's inside track on finalists Sweden". Uefa.com. Antalya: UEFA. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  24. ^ Åhlin, Per. "Ericsson uttagen i landslaget" (in Swedish). Östgöta Correspondenten. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  25. ^ Magdalena Eriksson Archived 26 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
  26. ^ "Women's World Cup: Magdalena Eriksson is enthusiastic about next stages". chelseafc.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  27. ^ Eriksson, Mia (18 July 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Can Magda Eriksson be the golden ticket for Sweden?". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson » Internationals". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Women's World Cup 2023: Sweden veteran Caroline Seger to play at fifth World Cup". BBC Sport. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  30. ^ "Women Olympic Games 2021 Tokyo – Final". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Ruotsin supertähdet odottavat Suomen kohtaamista EM-pettymyksen jälkeen – Chelsea-kapteenilta yllättävä paljastus: "Äitini on suomalainen"". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  32. ^ Wrack, Suzanne (13 February 2018). "Pernille Harder: 'I was the only girl in the team but they wanted to play with me'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  33. ^ Ames, Nick (7 August 2019). "Harder and Eriksson: 'After the photo people wrote and said how much we'd helped'". The Guardian. Wolfsburg. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  34. ^ "Pernille Harder & Magdalena Eriksson: Chelsea's football power couple". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  35. ^ Planell, Jacob (21 July 2024). "Förlovningslycka för Eriksson och Harder". aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  36. ^ Chulani, Nikhita (7 August 2019). "'We're powerful together': Harder and Eriksson on being a gay couple in football – video". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  37. ^ Bråstedt, Mats. ""Det är min pappa som har lurat mig"" (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  38. ^ "Eriksson hemma" (in Swedish). Sport Bladet. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  39. ^ "M. Eriksson". soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  40. ^ "Magdalena Eriksson". Olympics.com. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  41. ^ Andersson, Louise (24 November 2020). "Magdalena Eriksson vinner Diamantbollen 2020" (in Swedish). SVT Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  42. ^ "2020–2021 Women's FIFA FIFPRO World 11 revealed". FIFPRO. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  43. ^ "Bethany England named number one by peers". Chelsea F.C. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  44. ^ "Chelsea players, including Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr, dominate PFA WSL Team of the Year". Sky Sports. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
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