Thomas Ravelli

Thomas Ravelli

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Ravelli
Date of birth	(1959-08-13) 13 August 1959
Place of birth	Vimmerby, Sweden
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Öster
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1978–1988	Öster	219	(0)
1989–1997	IFK Göteborg	211	(0)
1998	Tampa Bay Mutiny	23	(0)
1999	Öster	8	(0)
Total		461	(0)
International career
1981–1997	Sweden	143	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Ravelli (born 13 August 1959 in Vimmerby) is a retired Swedish footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster and Göteborg, for whom he amassed Allsvenskan totals of 430 games.

Ravelli also ranked as the Swedish national team's all-time leader in caps, at 143 (also one of best in the world), representing the nation at two World Cups and one European Championship.

Club career

At the club level, Ravelli played for Östers IF and IFK Göteborg, winning three national championships in ten seasons with the former, before signing for the latter in 1989 at the age of 29.

With Göteborg, he won a further six leagues and his only Swedish Cup. In 1998, already 39, Ravelli left for the Tampa Bay Mutiny of the Major League Soccer, closing out his career the following year with his first club; in total, he appeared in nearly 600 official matches as a professional.

International career

Ravelli's international career spanned almost two decades, starting in 1981. He played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1992, and the 1994 World Cup, with Sweden finishing third in the latter tournament, and gained a total of 143 caps.

He is especially well known for saving two penalties during the shootout that ended the quarterfinal match between Sweden and Romania, in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, including one in the "sudden death" by Miodrag Belodedici (5–4 win); this feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year.

Honours

• Swedish League: 1978, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
• Swedish Cup: 1991; Runner-up 1982, 1985

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sweden			League		Svenska Cupen		League Cup		Europe		Total
1978	Öster	Allsvenskan	0	0
1979			13	0
1980			26	0
1981			26	0
1982			24	0
1983			28	0
1984			17	0
1985			19	0
1986			20	0
1987			24	0
1988			22	0
1989	IFK Göteborg	Allsvenskan	22	0
1990			26	0
1991			28	0
1992			24	0
1993			26	0
1994			25	0
1995			20	0
1996			17	0
1997			23	0
USA			League		Open Cup		League Cup		North America		Total
1998	Tampa Bay Mutiny	Major League Soccer	23	0
Total	Sweden		430	0
	USA		23	0
Career total			453	0

Personal

Ravelli is the twin brother of another footballer, defender Andreas. The sons of an Austrian immigrant of Italian descent, the siblings played alongside each other at Öster and the national team.

Other ventures

Ravelli was featured as a playable character in the FIFA 10, as a member of the Classic XI team, where he could play alongside such greats as Zico, Eric Cantona, Hugo Sanchez, and Franz Beckenbauer; he could also be selected for the Sweden national team in the game.

He also appeared in FIFA Street 2, with legends like Paul Gascoigne, Hans Krankl, Abedi Pelé and Carlos Alberto, FIFA 08, FIFA 09 and FIFA Street 3 (in the "Classic XI" for the first two, and the "Classics" in the latter).

He appeared in FIFA 08 for DC United, as the best goalkeeper.

External links

• Thomas Ravelli at National-Football-Teams.com
• Thomas Ravelli - Century of International Appearances, at RSSSF