Magdalena Eriksson
Swedish footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magdalena "Magda" Lilly Eriksson (also Ericsson; born 8 September 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays for Frauen-Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. Primarily a centre-back, she can also play as a left-back. She represented Sweden at international level, and earned 123 caps between 2014 and 2025.
_(cropped).jpg)
|
Eriksson playing for Chelsea in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Magdalena Lilly Eriksson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 September 1993[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Bayern Munich | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Enskede IK | |||
| 2009–2010 | Hammarby IF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011 | Hammarby IF | 19 | (0) |
| 2012 | Djurgårdens IF | 19 | (1) |
| 2013–2017 | Linköpings FC | 88 | (5) |
| 2017–2023 | Chelsea | 104 | (8) |
| 2023– | Bayern Munich | 36 | (6) |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | Sweden U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2009 | Sweden U16 | 8 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Sweden U17 | 18 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Sweden U19 | 24 | (0) |
| 2013 | Sweden U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2025 | Sweden | 123[4] | (14) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 March 2026 | |||
At the beginning of her professional career, Eriksson played for the Stockholm clubs Hammarby IF and Djurgårdens IF until she moved to Linköpings FC in 2013, where she won two cup titles and the league title in 2016 during her five years at the club.
In 2017, Eriksson moved to England and signed for Chelsea in the Women's Super League (WSL). There, she established herself as one of the best central defenders in Europe and was named team captain in 2019. With Chelsea, she won five WSL titles, and also reached the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League in the 2020–21 season. In 2020, she was named Swedish Footballer of the Year.
Eriksson, like her fiancée Pernille Harder, is also known for her LGBTQ+ advocacy and LGBTQ+ rights in sport.[5][6]
Club career
Eriksson began her football career with local team Enskede IK, but was encouraged by her father to join Hammarby IF to improve her game. Aged 17, she broke into Hammarby's first team in the 2011 Damallsvenskan season and made her debut against Umeå IK.[7]
In November 2011, Eriksson left relegated Hammarby for their Stockholm rivals Djurgårdens IF.[8] After scoring one goal in 19 appearances in the 2012 Damallsvenskan, she left Djurgården, who were facing relegation, and joined Linköpings FC.[9]
In July 2017, after almost five years with Linköpings FC, Eriksson signed a two-year contract with Women's Super League team Chelsea Ladies.[10][11] In August 2018, she extended her contract until 2021,[12] and eventually became the team's captain in 2019.[13] She extended her contract once again in November 2020, this time until 2023.[14] On 9 December 2020, Eriksson made her 100th appearance for Chelsea in a 5–0 Champions League win over Benfica.[15]
Her performances over the years, especially following Chelsea's WSL title-winning 2020–21 season, have seen Eriksson hailed as one of the best defenders in Europe.[16] After six years with Chelsea, for whom she made over 180 appearances and won over 10 trophies, Eriksson left the club at the end of the 2022–23 season along with her partner Pernille Harder.[17]
On 1 June 2023, Eriksson and Harder were unveiled as a new players of Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, signing three-year contracts.[18][19] In December's Champions League clash against Ajax, she suffered a broken metatarsal in her left foot, which required surgery.[20] She returned to the team three months later, in March 2024, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 5–0 victory over RB Leipzig.[21] At the end of the season she won her first Championship with Bayern. Eriksson's 2024/25 season with FC Bayern was very successful: the team won the double for the first time with the German championship and the DFB Cup and also won the newly created World Sevens Football small-field tournament. On 19th December, she extended her contract till 30. June 2028.[22]
International career
As a Swedish under-19 international, Eriksson was part of the victorious squad at the 2012 U-19 European Championship.[23] In November 2013, national team coach Pia Sundhage called her to a senior squad training camp at Bosön.[24] Eriksson made her debut for the senior Sweden team in a 3–0 friendly defeat by France in Amiens on 8 February 2014. She was part of the Swedish squad that won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[25] Eriksson has since represented Sweden at every major tournament, namely UEFA Women's Euro 2017, 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup,[26] 2020 Summer Olympics,[27] UEFA Women's Euro 2022,[28] 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup,[29] and UEFA Women's Euro 2025. At the 2020 Olympics, she won the silver medal after Sweden lost to Canada in the final on penalties.[30] In November 2025 she announced her retirement from the national team. In her statement, she explained that this was not a decision she had taken lightly, but it was one she had to make, as she was now prioritizing her body and health after some injury problems.[31][32]
Personal life
Eriksson's mother is of Finnish descent.[33] She is openly lesbian and, since 2014, has been in a relationship with Danish international Pernille Harder.[34][35][36] In July 2024, they announced their engagement after over a decade together.[37]
Eriksson and Harder work with the charity Common Goal and pledged 1% of their salaries to help tackle social issues throughout football. The couple also both push for equality and LGBTQ+ rights in sport.[38]
During her upbringing, she assumed her last name was spelled with a C because that was how her father spelled it. When she was 17 and looked in her passport she realised it was actually spelled with a K. As such, her last name is often misspelled as "Ericsson" rather than the correct "Eriksson".[39]
Eriksson has a bachelor's degree in political science and took a course in feminist theory and intersectional power analysis.[40]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | Leagues | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hammarby IF | 2011 | Damallsvenskan | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| Djurgårdens IF | 2012 | Damallsvenskan | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 1 | |||
| Linköpings FC | 2013 | Damallsvenskan | 19 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||||
| 2015 | 22 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2016 | 21 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 1[d] | 0 | 27 | 4 | ||||
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 88 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 115 | 8 | ||
| Chelsea | 2017–18 | Women's Super League | 15 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 31 | 2 | |
| 2018–19 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | |||
| 2019–20 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 23 | 3 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| Total | 104 | 8 | 22 | 1 | 22 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 185 | 12 | ||
| Bayern Munich | 2023–24 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 20 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 | 1[f] | 0 | 20 | 3 | |||
| 2025–26 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1[f] | 1 | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 36 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 57 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 266 | 20 | 54 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 52 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 399 | 31 | ||
- Includes Svenska Cupen Damer, Women's FA Cup
- Includes FA Women's League Cup
- Includes UEFA Women's Champions League
- Appearances in Svenska Supercupen
- Appearance in Women's FA Community Shield
- Appearance in DFB-Supercup
International
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Eriksson goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 January 2016 | Prioritet Serneke Arena, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Scotland |
2–0 |
6–0 |
Friendly |
| 2 | 21 October 2016 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Iran |
2–0 |
7–0 |
Friendly |
| 3 |
4–0 | |||||
| 4 |
7–0 | |||||
| 5 | 30 August 2018 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Ukraine |
2–0 |
3–0 |
2019 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 4 October 2019 | Diósgyőri Stadion, Miskolc, Hungary |  Hungary |
1–0 |
5–0 |
UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 7 | 17 September 2020 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Hungary |
4–0 |
8–0 |
UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 8 | 22 October 2020 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Latvia |
4–0 |
7–0 |
UEFA Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 9 | 30 July 2021 | Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan |  Japan |
1–0 |
3–1 |
2020 Olympics |
| 10 | 21 September 2021 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Georgia |
2–0 |
4–0 |
2023 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 22 September 2023 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Spain |
1–0 |
2–3 |
2023–24 UEFA Nations League |
| 12 | 27 October 2023 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Switzerland |
1–0 |
1–0 |
2023–24 UEFA Nations League |
| 13 | 4 June 2024 | Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden |  Republic of Ireland |
1–0 |
1–0 |
UEFA Euro 2025 qualifying League A |
| 14 | 8 April 2025 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden |  Wales |
1–0 |
1–1 |
2025 UEFA Nations League |
Honours
Linköpings FC
- Damallsvenskan: 2016
- Svenska Cupen: 2013–14, 2014–15
Chelsea
- Women's Super League: 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Women's FA Cup: 2017–18, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- FA Women's League Cup: 2019–20, 2020–21
- FA Community Shield: 2020
- UEFA Women's Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
Bayern Munich
- Frauen-Bundesliga: 2023–24, 2024–25
- DFB-Supercup Frauen: 2024, 2025
- DFB-Pokal: 2024–25
- World Sevens Football Tournament: 2025
Sweden U19
Sweden
- Summer Olympic Games silver medal: 2016, 2020[42]
- FIFA Women's World Cup third place: 2019, 2023
- Algarve Cup: 2018 (together with the Netherlands)
Individual
- Diamantbollen: 2020[43]
- Fotbollsgalan – Swedish Defender of the Year: 2020, 2021
- FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2021[44]
- FA WSL PFA Team of the Year: 2019–20,[45] 2020–21[46]
- The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World: 77 (2019),[47] 25 (2020),[48] 11 (2021),[49] 43 (2022),[50] 53 (2023)[51]
- Nominated for the Ballon d'Or Féminin: (2021 11.place)
