Gary Sundgren
Swedish footballer
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Kari Juhani "Gary" Sundgren (born 25 October 1967) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as either a right back or a central defender. He played professionally with AIK and Zaragoza between 1988 and 2003. A Swedish international for nearly a decade, he won a total of 30 caps and represented his country at UEFA Euro 2000.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kari Juhani Sundgren | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Vammala, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1973 | Västerås SK | ||
| 1974–1987 | IK Franke | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1997 | AIK | 221 | (12) |
| 1997–2002 | Real Zaragoza | 111 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | AIK | 24 | (1) |
| 2004 | Sollentuna | ||
| 2006 | Djursholm | ||
| Total | 356 | (15) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–2000 | Sweden | 30 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
Sundgren was born in Vammala, Finland, but moved to Sweden with his parents as a toddler, being raised in Västerås. There, he was often called Gary and it caught on, being addressed in the latter manner for the duration of his career.[1]
Sundgren started playing professionally with AIK, being an undisputed starter from an early age. He scored the winner against Malmö FF when they became Swedish champions for the first time in 55 years, in 1992.
Subsequently, Sundgren moved abroad and joined La Liga club Real Zaragoza.[2] He played 31 games in his first season, while also being instrumental in the Aragonese team's fourth place in 1999–2000.
After the 2001–02 campaign, with Zaragoza relegated, Sundgren returned to AIK, retiring from the game in 2006 after two seasons with two modest Stockholm sides, IFK Sollentuna and FC Djursholm.
International career
Personal life
Sundgren is the father of four children. One of his sons, Daniel, has also played for AIK, while his nephew Mikael Backlund is captain of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.[6]
Career statistics
International
International goals
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 February 1997 | Supachalasai, Bangkok, Thailand |  Thailand | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1997 King's Cup |