Thomas Ravelli (; 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. 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. In 1981, he was awarded Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year.
Club career Ravelli was born in Vimmerby where he lived his first five years of life. After a shorter stint in Åtvidaberg the family settled in Växjö. 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 500 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 appeared in a total of 143 games.Thomas Ravelli – Century of International Appearances; at RSSSF 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).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 This feat led to him finishing second in the year's race for Goalkeeper of the Year, behind Belgian Michel Preud'Homme,IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1994; at RSSSF and he was also named by France Football as the seventh best player in Europe.European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1994; at RSSSF
Style of play Ravelli was a goalkeeper who was regarded in particular for his positional sense and ability to read the game and organise his defence. As such, he is often considered to be a world-class player in his prime, as well as one of Sweden's greatest goalkeepers ever. Ravelli was also known for his leadership and vocal presence in goal in spite of his eccentric and temperamental personality. He 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.
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.
Personal life 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,Thomas Ravellis släkthistoria stolen (Thomas Ravelli's family history stolen) ; Aftonbladet, 10 June 2000 (in Swedish)Thomas Ravelli; UEFA, 10 July 2003 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.
Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsÖsters IF1976Allsvenskan00101977Allsvenskan001978Allsvenskan00 1979Allsvenskan1301980Allsvenskan2601981Allsvenskan2601982Allsvenskan2401983Allsvenskan2801984Allsvenskan1701985Allsvenskan1901986Allsvenskan2001987Allsvenskan2401988Allsvenskan220Total2190IFK Göteborg1989Allsvenskan22050202901990Allsvenskan26020–2801991Allsvenskan28060403801992Allsvenskan24010402901993Allsvenskan26030403301994Allsvenskan25010803401995Allsvenskan20060302901996Allsvenskan17050803001997Allsvenskan2301070310Total21103004002810Tampa Bay Mutiny1998Major League Soccer230–Östers IF1999Division 1 Södra80–Career total4610
International +Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSweden198110019827019831001984601985601986401987901988801989801990100199170199210019939019941701995701996501997100Total1430
Honours Östers IF Allsvenskan: 1978, 1980, 1981
IFK Göteborg Allsvenskan: 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 Svenska Cupen: 1991 Sweden FIFA World Cup bronze: 1994 Individual Guldbollen: 1981 Swedish Goalkeeper of the Year: 1995, 1997 IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper: Silver Ball 1994, Bronze Ball 1995IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1995; at RSSSF MLS All-Star, 1998 Årets Ärkeängel: 1991
See also List of European association football families List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
References
External links