Sebastian Larsson

Infobox Football biography
playername = Sebastian Larsson


fullname = Alfe Inge Sebastian Larsson
height = height|ft=5|in=10
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1985|6|6
cityofbirth = Eskilstuna
countryofbirth = Sweden
currentclub = Birmingham City
clubnumber = 7
position = Midfielder
youthyears = 0|0000–2001
2000–2001
2001–2004
youthclubs = Eskilstuna City FK
IFK Eskilstuna
Arsenal
years = 2004–2007
2006–2007
2007–
clubs = Arsenal
→ Birmingham City (loan)
Birmingham City
caps(goals) = 03 0(0)
27 0(1)
58 (10)
nationalyears = 2004–2006
2008–
nationalteam = Sweden U21
Sweden
nationalcaps(goals) = 12 0(0)
07 0(0)
pcupdate = 18:28, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
ntupdate = 18:28, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Alfe Inge Sebastian Larsson (born June 6 1985) is a Swedish international footballer born in Eskilstuna, who currently plays for Birmingham City. He normally plays as a central midfielder or wide midfield, but has sometimes been used as emergency cover at fullback.

Club career

Initially a player at his home team, IFK Eskilstuna, he joined Arsenal at the age of 16 courtesy of an Arsenal scout who watched him play a game for his country. Having been on the substitutes bench for a match against Panathinaikos, he made his debut against Manchester City on October 27, 2004, where he played out of position at left back.

Larsson joined Birmingham City on a season-long loan from Arsenal in August 2006,cite news
title = Arsenal pair to join Birmingham
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/birmingham_city/5221880.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2006-07-27
accessdate = 2007-03-25] with an option to make the move permanent. At Birmingham, he made an immediate impact, scoring late winners in his first few games against Crystal Palace and Shrewsbury Town. He also scored two goals against Newcastle United in the FA Cup. At the end of January 2007 he signed permanently for Birmingham City on a four-year deal for £1 million.cite news
title = Birmingham wrap up Larsson deal
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/birmingham_city/6235117.stm
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-01-31
accessdate = 2007-03-04] He scored Birmingham's goal of the season against Sheffield Wednesday in April 2007, running half the length of the field with the ball and finishing from inside the goal area. [cite news
url = http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/birmingham-city-fc/tm_headline=clemence-scoops-top-award-at-blues&method=full&objectid=19037550&siteid=50002-name_page.html | title = Clemence scoops top award at Blues
work = Birmingham Mail
publisher = Trinity Mirror
date = 2007-05-03
accessdate = 2008-04-27
author = Colin Tattum] [cite news
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20070429/ai_n19051590
format = reprint
title = Larsson takes Blues to brink
work = The Independent
publisher = Independent News & Media
author = David Instone
date = 2007-04-29
accessdate = 2008-04-27]

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, [cite news
url = http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2966927.ece
title = Birmingham City 1 Bolton Wanderers 0: The Kapo fits as Birmingham pile pressure on Lee
author = Mike Rowbottom
work = The Independent
publisher = Independent News & Media
date = 2007-09-16
accessdate = 2007-10-01] indicate this to be his best position.

Recalled to the starting eleven by new manager Alex McLeish for the game at Tottenham Hotspur 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. [cite news
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7110967.stm
title = Tottenham 2-3 Birmingham
author = Paresh Soni
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2007-12-02
accessdate = 2007-12-03] He has scored half of his six goals in the 2007–08 season with direct free kicks, two in consecutive games, against Tottenham Hotspur [cite news
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7260372.stm
title = Birmingham 4-1 Tottenham
author = Nabil Hassan
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-01
accessdate = 2008-04-27] and Portsmouth, [cite news
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7284942.stm
title = Portsmouth 4-2 Birmingham
author = Nabil Hassan
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-03-12
accessdate = 2008-04-27] and one from convert|30|yd against Liverpool. [cite news
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7356017.stm
title = Birmingham 2-2 Liverpool
author = Mandeep Sanghera
publisher = BBC Sport
date = 2008-04-26
accessdate = 2008-04-27] With four weeks of the season remaining, Sky Sports' Opta statistics rated him as the most accurate taker of a direct free kick in the Premier League. [cite web
url = http://www.skysports.com/experts/expert_story/0,19793,12038_3397705,00.html
title = Dead ball demons
author = Martin Tyler
publisher = Sky Sports
date = 2008-04-07
accessdate = 2008-04-27]

International career

Larsson received his first call-up to the Sweden squad for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying games against Liechtenstein and Northern Ireland in October 2007. [cite web
url = http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=468944&cc=5739
title = Birmingham's Larsson given Sweden chance
publisher = ESPN
work = Soccernet
date = 2007-10-02
accessdate = 2007-10-02] He was an unused substitute against Liechtenstein [cite web
url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=197426
title=Liechtenstein 0-3 Sweden: Easy for Swedes
publisher = ESPN
work = Soccernet
date=2007-10-13
accessdate=2008-02-07] but did not make the bench for the Northern Ireland game. [cite web
url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=197447&cc=5739
title=Sweden 1-1 Northern Ireland
publisher = ESPN
work = Soccernet
date=2007-10-17
accessdate=2008-02-07] He made his debut for Sweden in February 2008, playing the whole 90 minutes of a friendly against Turkey in Istanbul. [cite web
url=http://www.svenskfotboll.se/t2.aspx?p=152141&x=1&a=1121880
title= Herr: Mållöst på Inönü
publisher=Swedish Football Association
date=2008-02-06
accessdate=2008-02-07
language=Swedish] He was named in Sweden's 23-man squad for the 2008 European Championships. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7399871.stm |title=Larsson returns for Sweden again |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-05-14 |accessdate=2008-04-27]

Notes

External links

*soccerbase|id=39951|name=Sebastian Larsson
* [http://www.arsenal.com/player.asp?thisNav=first+team&plid=60103&clid=4421&cpid=703 Profile] at arsenal.com
* [http://www.blues.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10412~31901,00.html Profile] at bcfc.com
* [http://www.4thegame.com/club/arsenal-fc/player-profile/27677/sebastianlarsson.html Profile] at 4thegame.com
* [http://premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=forwardOnly&nextPage=enPlayerProfile&playerId=297197 Profile] at premierleague.com

Persondata
NAME = Larsson, Sebastian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Larsson, Alfe Inge Sebastian, Larsson, Seb
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Professional footballer
DATE OF BIRTH = 1985-6-6
PLACE OF BIRTH = Eskilstuna, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =