# Amanda Ilestedt

Amanda Ilestedt (born 17 January 1993) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women’s Super League club Arsenal and the Sweden national team.

## Club career

Ilestedt started playing football in her birthplace with the local Sölvesborgs GIF and moved up to their first team in 2006. After one season, she signed with Karlskrona FF in 2007. In 2009 she moved to LdB FC Malmö, initially playing for the B team. She broke into the Damallsvenskan side in 2010, playing ten league games and winning the championship.
In August 2011, she moved on loan to the second division club Vittsjö GIK. After one season, she moved back to LdB FC Malmö, which changed their name to FC Rosengård in 2013. Rosengård reached the quarter-finals of the 2014–15 Champions League, in which she met defending champions VfL Wolfsburg. After the 1-1 draw with Wolfsburg and the 3-3 draw in the second leg, she and her team were eliminated from the competition due to the away goals rule. Ilestedt played over ninety minutes in all six games.
In June 2017, Ilestedt joined German club Turbine Potsdam on a two-year deal. In May 2019, she moved to fellow German side Bayern Munich, signing a contract until June 2021. She made her debut for Bayern on 17 August 2019, first matchday, in the 3-1 away win against SC Freiburg. Against SC Freiburg in the home game on 6 December 2019, she scored her first Bundesliga goal in the 81st minute. She scored four goals from 18 league matches in 2020–21 season, helping the club to win their first league title in five years.
On 12 July 2021 Ilestedt joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal. In the 2021–22 Champions League she played in five of six group games and scored one goal. On 17 June 2023 PSG announced she would leave at the end of her contract after two years in the French capital.
On 27 June 2023 Arsenal announced the signing of Ilestedt. She scored her first goal for Arsenal on 23 November 2023 in the Conti Cup match against Southampton, giving her team a 2-1 victory in the 92nd minute.
On 29 January 2025, following the birth of her daughter, Ilestedt returned to the bench, in Arsenal’s FA Cup campaign, coming on in the 79th minute, to help secure a 5-0 victory over Bristol City.

## International career

From 2009 Ilestedt took part with the under-17 national team in qualifying for the 2010 European Championship, but lost in the second round at the under-17 national team of Ireland. In 2012 she won the European Championship with the U19 national team, of which she was captain, and thus the second title for a Swedish selection after 1999.
Ilestedt made her debut for the senior Sweden team in a 4–1 win over England in a European Championship preparation game on 4 July 2013. Coach Pia Sundhage named Ilestedt in the Sweden squad for Euro 2013. In May 2015 she was nominated for the 2015 World Cup. She was used in all four games, but retired with her team in the round of 16 against the Germany national team from the tournament. In 2018 she played four international matches, two of them in the Algarve Cup tournament.
On 16 May she was nominated for the 2019 World Cup. In the tournament, she was used in three of seven games. Her only ninety-minute appearance was in the group final against the United States national team, which they lost 2–0. As group runners-up, they reached the knockout stages, where she came on as a 66th-minute substitute against the German team in the quarter-finals. The Swedes won another competitive match against Germany after 24 years, thereby qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Football Tournament. Her third appearance was in the 3rd place match against the England national team, which was won 2–1 by coming on as a substitute after 72 minutes.
In the successful qualification for Euro 2022, she was used five times, scoring two goals.
She was nominated for the national team squad for the Olympic Football Tournament to be held in Japan from 21 July to 7 August 2021. During the games, she was used in all games, making one and one substitution. In the end, the Swedes won the silver medal.
For the successful qualification for the 2023 World Cup, she was always nominated and played six times, always playing full time and scoring two goals. She was used in her team's five games at the finals of the European Championship in England, which was also postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a 4–0 defeat against hosts England, the Swedes were eliminated in the semi-finals.
On 23 July 2023, Ilestedt was included in the 23-player squad for the 2023 World Cup. Her late goal gave Sweden the win in their opening match against South Africa. It was her first goal at a World Cup. On 29 July 2023 she scored 2 goals in their 2nd group stage match against Italy. She scored her 4th goal of the World Cup on 11 August 2023 in the quarter-final win against Japan. She was her country's top scorer in the tournament, and one goal behind Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa.

## Style of play

Ilestedt is renowned for her heading technique. Three of her four 2023 World Cup goals were headers. In the Arsenal fan song it reads: "It's Amanda Ilestedt - Better in the air than Ryanair or Easyjet."

## Personal life

Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the National Hockey League (NHL) is Ilestedt's cousin. Their grandfather is ice hockey player Kenneth Ekman and their first cousins, twice removed are professional cyclists the Fåglum brothers. Her great uncle is ice hockey player Sven Tumba.
On 13 March 2024, Ilestedt announced her first pregnancy with her German boyfriend Rainer Müller. On 30 August 2024, she gave birth to a baby girl, Mila.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 9 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Karlskrona FF | 2008 | Div 2 Sydöstra Götaland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Karlskrona FF | 2009 | Div 2 Sydöstra Götaland | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 | 8 |
| Karlskrona FF | Total | Total | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7 | 9 |
| Rosengård | 2010 | Damallsvenskan | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 16 | 0 |
| Rosengård | 2011 | Damallsvenskan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 |
| Rosengård | 2012 | Damallsvenskan | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 2 |
| Rosengård | 2013 | Damallsvenskan | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | – | – | 26 | 0 |
| Rosengård | 2014 | Damallsvenskan | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 2 |
| Rosengård | 2015 | Damallsvenskan | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 0 |
| Rosengård | 2016 | Damallsvenskan | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 1 | – | – | 22 | 3 |
| Rosengård | 2017 | Damallsvenskan | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 |
| Rosengård | Total | Total | 124 | 5 | 17 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 1 | – | – | 167 | 7 |
| Vittsjö GIK (loan) | 2011 | Söderettan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Turbine Potsdam | 2017–18 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25 | 2 |
| Turbine Potsdam | 2018–19 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 0 |
| Turbine Potsdam | Total | Total | 35 | 2 | 5 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 40 | 2 |
| Bayern Munich | 2019–20 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 1 |
| Bayern Munich | 2020–21 | Frauen-Bundesliga | 18 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 8 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 4 |
| Bayern Munich | Total | Total | 32 | 5 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | – | – | 46 | 5 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2021–22 | D1 Féminine | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 2 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2022–23 | D1 Féminine | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Total | Total | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 2 |
| Arsenal | 2023–24 | Women’s Super League | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 3 |
| Arsenal | 2024–25 | Women’s Super League | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 |
| Arsenal | Total | Total | 14 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 3 |
| Career Total | Career Total | Career Total | 243 | 23 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 332 | 28 |
* ↑ Includes Svenska Cupen, DFB-Pokal Frauen, Women's FA Cup
* ↑ Includes FA Women's League Cup
* ↑ Includes UEFA Women's Champions League

### International

    As of match played 5 December 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Sweden | 2013 | 2 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2014 | 4 | 0 |
| Sweden | 2015 | 5 | 0 |
| Sweden | 2016 | 3 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Sweden | 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| Sweden | 2019 | 11 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2020 | 7 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2021 | 14 | 1 |
| Sweden | 2022 | 12 | 3 |
| Sweden | 2023 | 11 | 4 |
| Total | Total | 74 | 12 |
    Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ilestedt goal.
List of international goals scored by Amanda Ilestedt :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 31 October 2013 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Faroe Islands | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 2 June 2016 | Stadion Miejski ŁKS, Łódź, Poland | Poland | 1–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying |
| 3 | 3 September 2019 | Daugava Stadium, Liepāja, Latvia | Latvia | 2–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 4 | 17 September 2020 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Hungary | 6–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 5 | 30 November 2021 | Stadion, Malmö, Sweden | Slovakia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 20 February 2022 | Estádio Algarve, Algarve, Portugal | Portugal | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 Algarve Cup |
| 7 | 7 April 2022 | Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium, Gori, Georgia | Georgia | 6–0 | 15–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 11 October 2022 | Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | France | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 23 July 2023 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand | South Africa | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 10 | 29 July 2023 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand | Italy | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 11 | 29 July 2023 | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand | Italy | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 12 | 11 August 2023 | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand | Japan | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |

## Honours
### LdB FC Malmö / Rosengård

* Damallsvenskan: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014
* Svenska Supercupen: 2011, 2012, 2015

### FC Bayern Munich

* Frauen-Bundesliga: 2020–21

### Paris Saint-Germain

* Coupe de France féminine: 2021–22

### Sweden U19

* UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship: 2012

### Sweden

* Summer Olympic Games Silver Medal: 2016
* FIFA Women's World Cup third place: 2019, 2023
* Algarve Cup: 2018

### Individual

* FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Ball: 2023
* IFFHS Women's World Team of the Year: 2023