Kosovare Asllani (born 29 July 1989) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker or an attacking midfielder for Women's Championship club London City Lionesses and the Sweden national team.
Asllani began her club career with Vimmerby IF and has played in the Damallsvenskan for Linköpings FC and hometown club Kristianstads DFF. In the 2010 season she played in the United States, with Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She returned to Sweden to play for Kristianstad, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and then back to Linköping.
Club career
Childhood and early career
Asllani is of Kosovar Albanian descent, born in Kristianstad to Kosovar parents who had migrated to Sweden. Asllani grew up playing both football and ice hockey, but chose to focus her talents on football. At the age of 15, Asllani started her career at second division team Vimmerby IF. During her time at Vimmerby, she scored 49 goals in 48 matches, establishing herself as a football prodigy. Former coach Cecilia Wilhelmsson praised Asllani's football technique and fitness. After receiving offers from many clubs, Asllani accepted a move to Damallsvenskan team Linköpings FC in 2007, where she made quick progress.
Linköpings FC
During Asllani's first season, she generally came off the substitutes' bench early in the games to help her settle into the Damallsvenskan. During the following season, Asllani established herself as a regular starter and was an increasingly valuable member of the squad. In 2009, she helped Linköping win both the Svenska Cupen and the club's first ever Damallsvenskan title. On 4 December 2009 American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) club Chicago Red Stars confirmed that they had signed Asllani from Linköpings FC.
Chicago Red Stars
Asllani spent a single season in the WPS. She was established as a fan's favourite and in the 7th week of the season, Asllani received the WPS Player of the Week award after Chicago Red Stars' defeat of FC Gold Pride. After her season with the Red Stars, Asllani returned to Sweden and Linköpings FC.
Return to Linköping
Asllani's presence boosted Linköping, especially in the UEFA Women's Champions League. She scored goals against Sparta Praha and Arsenal. However, her season was disrupted by a thigh injury and she departed Linköping at the end of the campaign.
Kristianstads DFF
In December 2011, she moved back to her hometown Kristianstad to play with Kristianstads DFF who had finished seventh in the previous year's Damallsvenskan.
Paris Saint-Germain
When Asllani had a month left on her contract with Kristianstad she was subject to a transfer bid from Paris Saint-Germain. Although the teams were in dispute over the size of the transfer fee, Asllani flew to Paris and signed a two-year contract in September 2012, after completing a medical. At PSG Asllani was presented to the media by sporting director Leonardo and player Zlatan Ibrahimović, who declared: "If you want to win you need a Swedish striker." Asllani scored 17 goals in her 19 appearances in the 2012–13 Division 1 Féminine, as PSG finished second in the table behind Lyon. On 4 January 2016, Asllani announced on her Instagram account that she had ended her contract with Paris Saint-Germain, where she had played for three-and-a-half years.
Manchester City
On 22 January 2016, English FA WSL club Manchester City revealed that they had signed Asllani to a two-year contract.
Second return to Linköpings FC
On 10 August 2017, it was announced a two-and-a-half-year contract had been agreed for Asllani to return to Linköpings FC. She departed the club by mutual consent on 15 July 2019.
CD Tacón/Real Madrid
After her departure from Linköpings FC, Asllani signed with CD Tacón/Real Madrid on 18 July 2019. Upon Real Madrid's purchase of their license, CD Tacón will operate as Real Madrid's women's team starting from 2020, making Asllani the first Galáctica. Asllani scored 5 goals in 17 league appearances for Tacón in the prematurely ended 2019–20 Primera Iberdrola season. After the rebrand of the team to Real Madrid CFF, she started the season explosively, scoring 8 goals in the first 8 league appearances despite playing in an unfamiliar out-and-out-striker role. In 2021-22, Asllani struggled for form, scoring just 3 league goals. She lost her place in the team, and when she did start games, was often substituted relatively early having made little impact.
AC Milan
On 30 June 2022, Asllani joined Italian club AC Milan. She scored 9 goals in her first season in Serie A. In January 2023, she missed a penalty against bitter rivals Inter, as Milan lost 4-1.
London City Lionesses
Asllani joined the London City Lionesses of the Women's Championship on 28 June 2024.
International career
In September 2008 Asllani made her debut for the Sweden national team against Romania, and in 2009 she was called up to represent Sweden in UEFA Women's Euro 2009. Asllani was an important member of the national team during the qualification rounds of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup but coach Thomas Dennerby controversially did not select her in the squad sent to Germany for the finals. Football pundits, including Pia Sundhage, the Swedish coach of the United States national team, expressed surprise at Asllani's omission.
Dennerby recalled Asllani to the national squad for the 2012 London Olympics.
Asllani played for Sweden at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the team won a silver medal. She failed to score a single goal during the tournament, despite playing in all six of Sweden's games. She scored in the penalty shootout against the United States in the quarterfinals, in which Sweden won the shootout 4–3 after being tied 1–1 during extra time. She again stepped up to take a penalty against Brazil in the semi final, but her weak effort was saved.
As of 2017, Asllani had made more than 90 appearances for the Sweden national team.
She scored in the 5–1 win over Thailand at the 2019 Women's World Cup.
In 2021, Asllani was selected for the Sweden squad at the 2021 Summer Olympics. Like in 2016, her only goal was a penalty, this time in the quarter final vs Japan. She took a crucial penalty in the final against Canada, but missed the target from twelve yards, as Sweden lost the shootout, and once again had to settle for silver medals.
On 13 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. She made the final goal in Sweden's match against Australia on 19 August 2023. Sweden won and secured the bronze medals for the team.
Personal life
Kosovare Asllani is an ethnic Albanian from Koshutovë, Leposaviq, Kosovo. Her parents moved to Sweden where she was born. Asllani has a tattoo of a black double-headed eagle, symbolising Albania, on her ankle. She also has the words "Stay Strong" tattooed on the inside of her right biceps.
Career statistics
- Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Asllani goal.
Honours
Linköpings FC
- Damallsvenskan: 2009, 2017
- Svenska Supercupen: 2009
- Svenska Cupen: 2008, 2009
Manchester City
- FA WSL: 2016
- FA WSL Continental Cup: 2016
Sweden
- Summer Olympics runner-up: 2016, 2020
- FIFA Women's World Cup third place: 2019.
- Algarve Cup: 2018
Individual
- Swedish women's footballer of the year: 2017
- Swedish women's midfielder of the year: 2017
- Women's Golden Foot: 2022
References
- Match reports
External links
- Kosovare Asllani – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Kosovare Asllani – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Profile at SvFF (in Swedish)
- Kosovare Asllani at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish) (archive)
- Player French football stats (in French) at statsfootofeminin.fr
- Profile Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine at Paris Saint-Germain
- Linköping FC profile (in Swedish)
- "Kosovare Asllani Profile at Manchester City FC". Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
- Kosovare Asllani at Soccerway
- Kosovare Asllani on Twitter
