Lars-Ove Johansson

Lars-Ove "Larsa" Johansson (14 November 1938 – 11 November 2019) was a Swedish footballer who played as a forward, best known for representing Hammarby IF.

Lars-Ove Johansson
Johansson with Hammarby IF in 1958.
Personal information
Full name Lars-Ove Johansson
Date of birth (1938-11-14)14 November 1938[1]
Place of birth Härnösand, Sweden
Date of death 11 November 2019(2019-11-11) (aged 80)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1953–1956 IF Älgarna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1956–1964 Hammarby IF 116 (65)
1965–1966 IFK Västerås
National team
1956–1961 Sweden U21 6 (8)
1960 Sweden B 1 (1)
1961 Sweden 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Johansson was born in Härnösand and started to play football with local club IF Älgarna, making his debut for the senior team at age 14 in the Swedish lower divisions. As a youngster, he reportedly attracted interest from Degerfors IF.[3]

Before the 1956–57 season, Johansson instead transferred to Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan, the domestic top tier. Aged 18, he immediately established himself as a starting player, but Hammarby got relegated at the end of the year.[4]

In 1957–58, Hammarby scored an impressive 117 goals in 33 fixtures throughout the campaign, with Johansson playing an integral part, getting instantly promoted from the second division.[5]

Johansson established himself as a frequent starter for Hammarby in Allsvenskan between 1959 and 1963. He got known as a prolific goalscorer with a powerful shot, forming a fruitful partnership with forward Karl-Evert Skoglund.[6][3]

Being plagued by injuries his whole career, Johansson only played one game Hammarby in 1964, now competing in the second tier again, and left the club at the end of the year.[7][1] In total, Johansson made 116 league appearances for Hammarby, scoring 65 goals.[3]

Johansson ended his career with IFK Västerås, playing two seasons before announcing his retirement in 1966, aged 28.[1]

International career

After regularly featuring for the Swedish U21's and B-team,[1] Johansson won his first and only senior cap for Sweden on 18 September 1960. He played the full game in a 1–3 loss against Norway, in an away friendly.[8]

References
  1. "Landslagsdatabasen: Lars-Ove Johansson" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. "Lars-Ove "Larsa" Johansson" (in Swedish). Worldfotboll.net. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. ""Larsa" sköt lika hårt som Nordahl" (PDF) (in Swedish). Bolletinen. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. "1957" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. "1958" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  6. ""Ya" avstod från Italien – men inte från Skövde" (PDF) (in Swedish). Bolletinen. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  7. "1964" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  8. "Norge 3 – 1 Sverige" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
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