Thomas Ravelli

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Thomas Ravelli
Ravelli at the Swedish Sports Awards inside the Stockholm Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in 2014
Personal information
Full name Thomas Ravelli
Date of birth (1959-08-13) 13 August 1959 (age 64)
Place of birth Västervik, Sweden
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Öster
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1976–1988 Öster 219 (0)
1989–1997 IFK Göteborg 211 (0)
1998 Tampa Bay Mutiny 23 (0)
1999 Öster 8 (0)
Total 461 (0)
International career
1977 Sweden U18 9 (0)
1979–1981 Sweden U21 10 (0)
1981–1997 Sweden 143 (0)
Medal record
 Sweden
FIFA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1994 United States
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas Ravelli (Swedish: [ˈtʊ̌mːas raˈvɛ̌lːɪ]; born 13 August 1959) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His 21-year professional career was almost exclusively associated with Öster and Göteborg, for whom he appeared in a combined 416 Allsvenskan games.[1] The most-capped player for the Sweden national team for several years, Ravelli represented the nation at the 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cups, and UEFA Euro 1992.

Club career[edit]

Ravelli was born in Västervik, but grew up in Vimmerby where he lived his first five years of life.[2] At the club level he played for Östers IF and IFK Göteborg, winning three Allsvenskan championships during his ten-year tenure with the former team before signing for the latter in 1989, at the age of 29.

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

International career[edit]

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 appeared in a total of 143 games.[3] The 1994 World Cup semi-final against Brazil was Ravelli's 116th game for Sweden, overtaking Björn Nordqvist's appearances record.

He is well known for saving two penalties during the shootout against Romania in 1994 World Cup's quarter-final clash, including one in the "sudden death" by Miodrag Belodedici (5–4 win).[4] This feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year,[5] and he was also named by France Football as the seventh best player in Europe.[6]

Style of play[edit]

Extroverted, experienced and highly competitive with a tall and slender frame, known for his leadership and vocal presence in goal in spite of his eccentric and temperamental personality, Ravelli was a traditional, consistent and efficient goalkeeper with solid all-round fundamentals, who was regarded in particular for his positional sense and ability to read the game and organise his defence; considered to be a world-class player in his position in his prime, as well as one of Sweden's greatest goalkeepers ever, he also possessed good elevation and shot-stopping abilities, which enabled him to produce acrobatic saves without having to resort to histrionics, and was known for his command of his area and speed when rushing off his line, as well as his ability to close down his opponents and get over the ball quickly. He also stood out for his longevity throughout his career; however, he also came into criticism at times from his managers over his poor work-rate in training.

Although Ravelli was not known to be a penalty-saving specialist, Ravelli drew attention to himself in the media when he stopped two penalties in Sweden's quarter-final penalty shoot-out victory over Romania at the 1994 World Cup.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

Ravelli was also known for his temperament among teammates, and he was also known to be a prankster, at one point cutting holes into Martin Dahlin's underwear.[18]

Personal life[edit]

Ravelli's twin brother, Andreas, is also a former footballer. Their father, Dr. Peter Ravelli, was an Austrian immigrant of Italian descent who moved to Sweden in 1952,[19][20][21] and the siblings played alongside each other at Öster and the national team.

Ravelli participated as a celebrity dancer in Let's Dance 2019, broadcast on TV4.[22][23]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[24][25][26]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Östers IF 1976 Allsvenskan 0 0 1[27] 0
1977 Allsvenskan 0 0
1978 Allsvenskan 0 0
1979 Allsvenskan 13 0
1980 Allsvenskan 26 0
1981 Allsvenskan 26 0
1982 Allsvenskan 24 0
1983 Allsvenskan 28 0
1984 Allsvenskan 17 0
1985 Allsvenskan 19 0
1986 Allsvenskan 20 0
1987 Allsvenskan 24 0
1988 Allsvenskan 22 0
Total 219 0
IFK Göteborg 1989 Allsvenskan 22 0 5 0 2 0 29 0
1990 Allsvenskan 26 0 2 0 – 28 0
1991 Allsvenskan 28 0 6 0 4 0 38 0
1992 Allsvenskan 24 0 1 0 4 0 29 0
1993 Allsvenskan 26 0 3 0 4 0 33 0
1994 Allsvenskan 25 0 1 0 8 0 34 0
1995 Allsvenskan 20 0 6 0 3 0 29 0
1996 Allsvenskan 17 0 5 0 8 0 30 0
1997 Allsvenskan 23 0 1 0 7 0 31 0
Total 211 0 30 0 40 0 281 0
Tampa Bay Mutiny 1998 Major League Soccer 23 0 –
Östers IF 1999 Division 1 Södra 8 0 –
Career total 461 0

International[edit]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[28]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 1981 10 0
1982 7 0
1983 10 0
1984 6 0
1985 6 0
1986 4 0
1987 9 0
1988 8 0
1989 8 0
1990 10 0
1991 7 0
1992 10 0
1993 9 0
1994 17 0
1995 7 0
1996 5 0
1997 10 0
Total 143 0

Honours[edit]

Östers IF

IFK Göteborg

Sweden

Individual

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nu blir du mest i Sverige, Sven". Aftonbladet.se. 25 June 2001. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Aftonbladet sport: Erik Haag intervjuar Ravelli". www.aftonbladet.se. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. ^ Thomas Ravelli – Century of International Appearances; at RSSSF
  4. ^ WORLD CUP USA '94 / Quarterfinals: There once was a man named Ravelli... : Sweden: Goalkeeper's performance against Romanian penalty kicks seems like the stuff of legends.; Los Angeles Times, 11 July 1994
  5. ^ a b IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1994; at RSSSF
  6. ^ European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1994; at RSSSF
  7. ^ Hersh, Phil (12 July 1994). "A wild and crazy goalie". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Lindahl brings award back to Cobham". Chelsea F.C. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  9. ^ Hall, Richard (25 March 2016). "OPINION: Buffon may never be bettered... but Italy can replace him!". Calcio Mercato. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Happy birthday to you!". FIFA. 12 August 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  11. ^ Hughes, Rob (8 February 1995). "Peter Shilton's despond". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. ^ L. Jones, Grahame (12 July 1994). "WORLD CUP USA '94: Semifinals: The nut in the nets: Sweden's Ravelli seems like a normal fellow, but the truth cuts holes in that scenario". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  13. ^ Clarey, Christopher (11 July 1994). "WORLD CUP '94; A would-be salesman buys dream for Sweden". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  14. ^ Goff, Steven (2 July 1994). "Round of 16". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  15. ^ Howard, Johnette (11 June 1994). "Save the world, a shot at a time". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  16. ^ Hughes, Rob (13 July 1994). "Chance of a lifetime is in their hands". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  17. ^ "World Cup team capsules". The Washington Post. 17 June 1994. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. ^ "A WILD AND CRAZY GOALIE". Chicago Tribune.
  19. ^ Thomas Ravellis släkthistoria stolen (Thomas Ravelli's family history stolen) Archived 5 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine; Aftonbladet, 10 June 2000 (in Swedish)
  20. ^ Thomas Ravelli; UEFA, 10 July 2003
  21. ^ Fredriksson, Jimmy (4 May 2014). "Ravelli: "Jag var rädd för att göra bort mig"" [Ravelli: "I was afraid of making a fool out of myself"] (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Thomas Ravelli & Jasmine Takács – Vals" [Thomas Ravelli & Jasmine Takács – Waltz] (in Swedish). TV4. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Dan Ekborg had to leave "Let's dance"". AFAAE. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  24. ^ Thomas Ravelli at FootballDatabase.eu
  25. ^ "Thomas RAVELLI" (in Japanese). Level K. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
  26. ^ "Thomas Ravelli - ifkdb.se". ifkdb.se. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Thomas Ravelli » Europa League 1976/1977". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  28. ^ "Thomas Ravelli, Svensk fotboll". Svensk fotboll.
  29. ^ IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1995; at RSSSF
  30. ^ "1998 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. 2 August 1998. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Alla 47 ärkeänglar | ifkdb.se". ifkdb.se. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

External links[edit]

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