1034 Sebastian Larsson

Biography

Experienced Swedish international midfielder and set-piece specialist Sebastian Larsson joined the Tigers in August 2017, ending a three month spell as a free agent following his release by Sunderland.  His versatility in central and wide positions made him a valuable asset in the modestly sized squad assembled by Leonid Slutsky and taken on by Nigel Adkins, and he carved a regular role in the midfield workhouse as City hovered above the relegation zone.  But after just one season the lure of a move back to Sweden was strong and his spell as a Tiger came to a rapid and unblemished end during the 2018 World Cup Finals.

Born in Eskilstuna, Sweden’s Steel City, Bengt Ulf Sebastian Larsson spent his early years with local side IFK before being snapped up in 2001 as a raw 16 year old by Premier League side Arsenal.  Larsson spent six years at Arsenal and made his first team debut in an October 2004 League Cup tie against Manchester City. He made his Champions League debut in December 2005 against Ajax Amsterdam but it took until February 2006 for Seb to make his Premier League debut against West Ham United. By the summer of 2006 he had made 12 senior appearances for Arsenal.

Larsson started the 2006/07 season on loan at Championship side Birmingham City where he saw regular first team action and netted his first senior goal in August 2006 against Crystal Palace. His loan move was made into a permanent switch in January 2007 and he returned to the Premier League in the 2007/08 season thanks to the Blues finishing Championship runners-up in May 2007. Seb scored his first Premier League goal in December 2007 against Tottenham Hotspur but his six goals that season were not enough to avoid immediate relegation back to the second tier. Bouncing back again as Championship runners-up in the 2008/09 season, Larsson spent two more seasons in the English top flight with the St Andrews side until they were relegated at the end of the 2010/11 season, though not before he played in the Blues’ League Cup Final team that lifted the trophy in February 2011 after defeating former club Arsenal at Wembley Stadium. Larsson left Birmingham City in the 2011 close season having scored 25 goals in 205 senior appearances.

In June 2011 Larsson joined Premier League side Sunderland on a free transfer and served the Black Cats for six seasons as they hovered above the relegation places and reached the League Cup Final in March 2014 only to be defeated by Manchester City – he also played in the FA Cup Quarter Final against Hull City in March 2014 as the Tigers headed to a Wembley final against Arsenal. The Black Cats finally succumbed to relegation and dropped to the Championship in May 2017, prompting Larsson to end his time at the Stadium of Light ahead of his move to the Tigers – he scored 14 goals in 203 senior appearances across six seasons at Sunderland.

At the end of June 2018 Larsson announced a switch from Hull City to Stockholm side AIK Solna, where he lifted the 2018 Allsvenskan league title and scored 32 goals in 159 appearances during four years before retiring from playing in November 2022 and settling in his home town of Eskilstuna.

Larsson was a decorated international footballer throughout his career. He debuted for the Swedish under-15 side in August 2000 and rose through the youth team ranks over the next five years, playing regularly for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18 and Under-21 teams. His Under-21 debut came against France in February 2005 and he made 12 appearances at that level. In October 2007 Larsson was called up to the Swedish senior squad for the first time but he did not win his first senior cap until February 2008 against Turkey – he was then a regular choice for the national side until his playing career was nearing its end. He scored his first senior international goal in March 2011 against Moldova and in thirteen years representing his country Larsson won 133 caps (13 as a Hull City player), scored 10 goals and played in the Euro 2008, Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 Finals. He also played in the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, reaching the Quarter Finals before losing to England in July 2018, seven days after he left the Tigers. His 100th Swedish cap was earned in a June 2018 pre-World Cup friendly against Peru and his 133rd and final cap came as he captained the side against Ukraine in June 2021 as Sweden exited the Euro 2020 Finals tournament.

Details

Nationality: Sweden
Date/Place of Birth: 6 June 1985, Eskilstuna (Sweden)
Hull City First Game: 12 August 2017, Burton Albion H (Championship), 32 years, 67 days old
Hull City Final Game: 6 May 2018, Brentford A (Championship), 32 years, 334 days old

Clubs

Arsenal (2001-2007), Birmingham City (2006-2007, loan), Birmingham City (2007-2011), Sunderland (2011-2017), Hull City (2017-2018), AIK (2018-2022)

Hull City Record

Career: 40 apps, 2 goals

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2 thoughts on “1034 Sebastian Larsson”

  1. Fantastic to read all the history about Hull City. I just want to update you on one thing about Sebastian Larsson. He played 133 senior caps for Sweden and scored 10 goals.

    Best regards,
    Stefan Mellerborg
    Press officer
    AIK

    Reply

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