{{Short description|Swedish footballer (born 1979)}} {{for|the politician|Sara Larsson (politician)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Sara Larsson | image = Sara Larsson 2011.jpg | alt = Sara Larsson 2011 | caption = Sara Larsson in 2011 | fullname = Sara Margareta Mattsson | birth_name = Sara Margareta Larsson<ref>{{cite web|title=Sara Larsson|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/sara-larsson-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417204019/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/sara-larsson-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 April 2020|publisher=Sports-Reference.com|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|05|13|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Kristinehamn]], [[Sweden]] | height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}} | position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]] | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthclubs1 = | youthyears1 = | clubs1 = [[Villastadens IF]] | years1 = &ndash;1996 | caps1 = <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals1 = | clubs2 = [[Rävåsens IK]] | years2 = 1996&ndash;1998 | caps2 = <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals2 = | clubs3 = [[FC Rosengård|Malmö FF Dam]] | years3 = 1998&ndash;2004 | caps3 = <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals3 = | clubs4 = [[Linköpings FC]] | years4 = 2004&ndash;2008 | caps4 = <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals4 = | clubs5 = [[Saint Louis Athletica]] | years5 = 2009 | caps5 = 15 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals5 = 0 | clubs6 = → [[Linköpings FC]] (loan) | years6 = 2009 | caps6 = 6 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals6 = 0 | clubs7 = [[Philadelphia Independence]] | years7 = 2010 | caps7 = 11 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals7 = 0 | clubs8 = [[KIF Örebro DFF]] | years8 = 2011&ndash;2013 | caps8 = 47 <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals8 = 2 | clubs9 = LB07 | years9 = 2014 | caps9 = <!-- LEAGUE APPEARANCES & GOALS ONLY--> | goals9 = | totalcaps = | totalgoals = | nationalteam1 = Sweden U-19 | nationalyears1 = | nationalcaps1 = 7 | nationalgoals1 = 1 | nationalteam2 = Sweden U-21 | nationalyears2 = | nationalcaps2 = 12 | nationalgoals2 = 5 | nationalteam3 = [[Sweden women's national football team|Sweden]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Damlandslagsspelare 1973–2012|url=https://svenskfotboll.se/ImageVault/Images/id_69553/ImageVaultHandler.aspx|publisher=Svenskfotboll.se|accessdate=9 June 2013}}</ref> | nationalyears3 = 2000&ndash;2012 | nationalcaps3 = 112 | nationalgoals3 = 8 | club-update = 15:21, 9 June 2013 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = 15:21, 9 June 2013 (UTC) | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Women's [[Association football|football]]}} {{Medal|Country| {{SWE}}}} {{Medal|Competition|[[FIFA Women's World Cup]]}} {{Medal|Bronze|[[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup|2011 Germany]]|Team}} {{Medal|Competition|[[UEFA Women's Championship]]}} {{Medal|Silver|[[UEFA Women's Euro 2001|2001 Germany]]|Team}} }}

'''Sara Margareta Mattsson''' ({{nee|'''Larsson'''}}; born 13 May 1979) is a [[Swedes|Swedish]] former [[association football|football]] [[defender (association football)|defender]] who played for [[KIF Örebro DFF]] of the [[Damallsvenskan]] league. She won 112 [[Caps (sports)|caps]] as a member of the [[Sweden women's national football team]].

==Club career== She formerly played for [[FC Rosengård|Malmö FF Dam]]. In November 2008, her Woman's Professional Soccer playing rights were obtained by [[Saint Louis Athletica|St. Louis]] who named her as a post-draft discovery player. She played fifteen games for the team in its inaugural season, then returned to Linköpings for the WPS off-season, during which she was drafted by the [[Philadelphia Independence]] in WPS's first [[2009 WPS Expansion Draft|expansion draft]].

After the 2010 season Larsson returned to Sweden, with [[KIF Örebro DFF]]. She signed for [[Elitettan]] club LB07 ahead of the 2014 season, but retired in April 2014 due to [[pregnancy]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jönsson|first1=Kent|title=Graviditet stoppar LB07:s Sara Larsson|url=http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sport/graviditet-stoppar-lb07s-sara-larsson/|accessdate=25 January 2016|publisher=[[Sydsvenskan]]|date=10 April 2014|language=Swedish}}</ref>

==International career== Larsson earned over 100 caps for the [[Sweden women's national football team]]. She won the rookie of the year (Sweden) in 2000, after making her national team debut in September 2000 in a 2–1 win over rivals [[Norway women's national football team|Norway]].

Sara Larsson featured for Sweden in two [[FIFA Women's World Cup|World Cups]]: [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup|USA 2003]] and [[2011 FIFA Women's World Cup|Germany 2011]]. She was also on the roster for the [[2007 FIFA Women's World Cup|2007 World Cup]], but did not appear in any of Sweden's matches. Larsson played in three [[Football at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]: [[Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney 2000]], [[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Athens 2004]], and [[Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing 2008]].

Sara Larsson appeared at three [[UEFA Women's Championship|European Championship]] tournaments: [[UEFA Women's Euro 2001|Germany 2001]], [[UEFA Women's Euro 2005|England 2005]], and [[UEFA Women's Euro 2009|Finland 2009]].

==Personal life== Larsson married Jens Mattsson on 15 August 2015, with whom she already had a son. She subsequently took his surname.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nwt.se/kristinehamn/2015/08/18/sara-larsson-har-gift-sig |title=Sara Larsson har gift sig |trans-title=Sara Larsson has married |work=[[Nya Wermlands-Tidningen]] |date=18 August 2015 |access-date=22 December 2021 |language=sv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075649/http://nwt.se/kristinehamn/2015/08/18/sara-larsson-har-gift-sig |archive-date=11 February 2017}}</ref>

== Career statistics == ===International=== :''Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Larsson goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Sara Larsson |- !scope="col"|No. !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition !scope="col" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- |style="text-align:center"| |{{dts|2004-8-20}} |[[Volos]], Greece |{{fbw|AUS}} |style="text-align:center"|2–0 |style="text-align:center"|2–1 |[[Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament|2004 Summer Olympics]] |<ref group=m name=mat010>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/womensolympic/athens2004/matches/round=8686/match=37179/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318110258/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/womensolympic/athens2004/matches/round=8686/match=37179/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 March 2013 |title=2004 Olympic Games: MATCH Report: Sweden - Australia: Quarter-Finals |publisher=FIFA}}</ref> |}

==References== {{reflist}}

;Match reports {{reflist|group=m|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== * {{FIFA player|201322}} * [https://svenskfotboll.se/in-english/national-teams/womens-a-team/players-portraits-2008/?profile=16882 Sweden player profile] * [http://www.linkopingfc.com/index.php?playerid=3 Linköpings FC player profile] {{in lang|sv}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090925053732/http://www.womensprosoccer.com/atlanta/players/bios/larsson-sara Atlanta Beat player profile]

{{navboxes |title=Sweden squads |bg= #FFF01C |fg= #005B99 |bordercolor= #005B99 |list1= {{Sweden women's football squad 2000 Summer Olympics}} {{Sweden squad UEFA Women's Euro 2001}} {{Sweden squad 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup}} {{Sweden women's football squad 2004 Summer Olympics}} {{Sweden squad UEFA Women's Euro 2005}} {{Sweden squad 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup}} {{Sweden women's football squad 2008 Summer Olympics}} {{Sweden squad UEFA Women's Euro 2009}} {{Sweden squad 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, Sara}} [[Category:Swedish women's footballers]] [[Category:21st-century Swedish sportswomen]] [[Category:1979 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Kristinehamn]] [[Category:Footballers from Värmland County]] [[Category:People from Kristinehamn Municipality]] [[Category:Olympic footballers for Sweden]] [[Category:Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Saint Louis Athletica players]] [[Category:Atlanta Beat (WPS) players]] [[Category:Sweden women's international footballers]] [[Category:FIFA Women's Century Club]] [[Category:2011 FIFA Women's World Cup players]] [[Category:Damallsvenskan players]] [[Category:KIF Örebro DFF players]] [[Category:FC Rosengård players]] [[Category:Linköpings FC players]] [[Category:Women's association football defenders]] [[Category:Women's association football midfielders]] [[Category:2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players]] [[Category:2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players]] [[Category:Women's Professional Soccer players]] [[Category:UEFA Women's Euro 2009 players]]