Anders Limpar
Encyclopedia
Anders Erik Limpar (born September 24, 1965 in Solna
) is a Swedish
former football
er of Hungarian
origin, who played as a winger
. He has played for clubs in Switzerland
, Sweden
, Italy
, England
, and the United States
.
He was part of one of the most successful Swedish sides ever, the Sweden
team that finished third at the 1994 FIFA World Cup
in the United States, but did not have a large role during the tournament. In total, he won 58 caps for Sweden, scoring 6 goals.
Being Swedish he started playing football in Brommapojkarna
, famous for its production of footballing talent. He then played for Örgryte
, joining in the wake of its sensational Swedish championship title in 1985. Although the team was not that successful, Limpar quickly became one of the hottest properties in Swedish football, which meant he was offered the chance to moved abroad to Switzerland
with the Young Boys club of Bern. This was followed by a one season spell in Italy
with Cremonese during the 1989-90 season.
His club career peaked when he signed for Arsenal
in the summer of 1990 from Cremonese, going on to win the Football League in 1990-91
, and the FA Cup
and League Cup
in 1992-93
. He played a particularly notable part in the 1990-91
campaign, scoring some important goals, and impressing in his first season with exciting wing play and crowd-pleasing displays.
On transfer deadline dayin March 1994, Limpar transferred to Everton
for £1.6million, and while there he won the FA Cup
a second time with Everton in 1995. Indeed, he played a vital role, his run from inside his own half leading to the winning goal by Paul Rideout
. He also hit a memorable 50-yard reverse-pass which led to an Everton break-away that BBC
commentator Barry Davies
described as the 'pass of the match'.
However, Limpar fell out of favour at Goodison Park
after 1995-96
, making only two appearances for the club during the 1996-97
season, and was sold to Birmingham City
in January 1997 for £100,000. This move proved unsuccessful as he made only 4 appearances before moving back to his homeland on a free transfer to AIK Stockholm in the summer of 1997.
After two years in Stockholm
, he signed for Major League Soccer
side Colorado Rapids
in February 1999. He stayed until November 2000, before returning to Sweden and signing for Djurgårdens IF. He failed to make an appearance for them, however, as he retired from the game in March 2001 at the age of 35, due to his declining physical condition, he began coaching the youth team at Djurgårdens IF.
After retiring from football in 2001, Limpar opened a bar, The Limp Bar, in central Stockholm
, although it has since closed. Whilst the bar's closure was initially shrouded in mystery, it has since emerged that it was probably a decision taken on health and safety grounds, due to an incident that occurred in late November 2000. Rumour has it that an over-zealous punter drunkenly slipped and suffered a broken leg, in the process of congratulating Limpar on the afore-mentioned 50-yard reverse ball which lit up the '95 cup final so memorably.
He won the Guldbollen
(the Golden Ball - Sweden's player of the year award) 1991. He also won the Swedish championship (Allsvenskan
) with AIK
in 1998.
Limpar is currently the Assistant Coach for the Swedish second division team Sollentuna United.
's childhood hero when Rooney was growing up. Limpar played for the forward's former club, Everton in the 1990s. He owns a betting shop and a sweet shop. In October 2008, aged 43, he played a one-off game for Sollentuna United's reserve side in the position of left back.
Solna Municipality
Solna Municipality is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, located just north of the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the 'city' of Solna....
) is a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
origin, who played as a winger
Winger (sport)
In certain sports, such as football, field hockey, ice hockey, handball, rugby union, lacrosse and rugby league, the term winger is the name of a position. It refers to positions on the extreme left and right sides of the pitch . In American football and Canadian football, the analogous position...
. He has played for clubs in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He was part of one of the most successful Swedish sides ever, the Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
team that finished third at the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
in the United States, but did not have a large role during the tournament. In total, he won 58 caps for Sweden, scoring 6 goals.
Being Swedish he started playing football in Brommapojkarna
IF Brommapojkarna
IF Brommapojkarna, also called BP, is a Swedish football club located in the borough of Bromma, in the western parts of Stockholm municipality. Brommapojkarna is the largest football club in Europe in terms of the number of active teams of all ages - in 2007 there were 247 teams and 3,000 players....
, famous for its production of footballing talent. He then played for Örgryte
Örgryte IS
Örgryte IS, also commonly referred to as ÖIS, is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg.-History:The club was founded on 4 December 1887 and participated in the first football match in Sweden on 22 May 1892. Örgryte IS has won 12 national championship titles and one national cup title. After...
, joining in the wake of its sensational Swedish championship title in 1985. Although the team was not that successful, Limpar quickly became one of the hottest properties in Swedish football, which meant he was offered the chance to moved abroad to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with the Young Boys club of Bern. This was followed by a one season spell in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
with Cremonese during the 1989-90 season.
His club career peaked when he signed for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in the summer of 1990 from Cremonese, going on to win the Football League in 1990-91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, and the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 1992-93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
. He played a particularly notable part in the 1990-91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
campaign, scoring some important goals, and impressing in his first season with exciting wing play and crowd-pleasing displays.
On transfer deadline dayin March 1994, Limpar transferred to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
for £1.6million, and while there he won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
a second time with Everton in 1995. Indeed, he played a vital role, his run from inside his own half leading to the winning goal by Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout is a retired English professional football player who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a youth coach with Sporting Kansas City, heading their U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.-Playing career:...
. He also hit a memorable 50-yard reverse-pass which led to an Everton break-away that BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commentator Barry Davies
Barry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
described as the 'pass of the match'.
However, Limpar fell out of favour at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
after 1995-96
1995-96 in English football
- Premiership :Newcastle United were 12 points clear at the top of Manchester United, but Alex Ferguson's relatively young and inexperienced side overhauled them during the second half of the season to win the title....
, making only two appearances for the club during the 1996-97
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
season, and was sold to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in January 1997 for £100,000. This move proved unsuccessful as he made only 4 appearances before moving back to his homeland on a free transfer to AIK Stockholm in the summer of 1997.
After two years in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, he signed for Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
side Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
in February 1999. He stayed until November 2000, before returning to Sweden and signing for Djurgårdens IF. He failed to make an appearance for them, however, as he retired from the game in March 2001 at the age of 35, due to his declining physical condition, he began coaching the youth team at Djurgårdens IF.
After retiring from football in 2001, Limpar opened a bar, The Limp Bar, in central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, although it has since closed. Whilst the bar's closure was initially shrouded in mystery, it has since emerged that it was probably a decision taken on health and safety grounds, due to an incident that occurred in late November 2000. Rumour has it that an over-zealous punter drunkenly slipped and suffered a broken leg, in the process of congratulating Limpar on the afore-mentioned 50-yard reverse ball which lit up the '95 cup final so memorably.
He won the Guldbollen
Guldbollen
Guldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
(the Golden Ball - Sweden's player of the year award) 1991. He also won the Swedish championship (Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
) with AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
in 1998.
Limpar is currently the Assistant Coach for the Swedish second division team Sollentuna United.
Trivia
Anders Limpar was Wayne RooneyWayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
's childhood hero when Rooney was growing up. Limpar played for the forward's former club, Everton in the 1990s. He owns a betting shop and a sweet shop. In October 2008, aged 43, he played a one-off game for Sollentuna United's reserve side in the position of left back.