Hanna Ljungberg was 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. She also scored a record setting number of goals that season with 39 goals. 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. Until October 2014 when she was surpassed by Lotta Schelin, Ljungberg was 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 clubPerugia contacted Ljungberg to hire her for their Serie A roster, but the deal aborted. She debuted as a goalkeeper on 17 May 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 anniversary. In August 2009 Ljungberg announced her retirement from football after a knee injury in a league match on 5 July. 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. For two years Ljungberg helped Joakim Blomqvist, head coach of Umeå IK, and Maria Bergkvist assistant coach, in the coaching of her old team. At the same time she was studying at Umeå University to become a physiotherapist and graduated in June 2012. She then began a new career as a personal trainer.
Matches and goals scored at World Cup & Olympic tournaments
Hanna Ljungberg appeared at three European Championship tournaments: Norway/Sweden 1997, Germany 2001, and England 2005. In the 2005 Semi-Final, she scored twice against Norway, erasing Norwegian leads each time. Her second goal in the 89th minute knotted the score at 2-2 and forced extra time. Sweden could not find a match winner though, and exited the tournament in a 2-3 defeat.
