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The pioneering women’s team who got left behind
As the transformation of the game in Europe continues, Umea IK is among the unfashionable clubs of yesteryear who know they can no longer compete
Umea' Marta da Silva lifts the trophy after winning the UEFA Women’s Cup final between Umea IK and Frankfurt at the Rasunda national soccer arena in Stockholm, Sweden, May 8, 2004
[Torbjörn Jakobsson/TT News Agency via AP]
SPRINKLED around its small, shared office are trophies and mementos signifying the not-so-distant glory days of Swedish women’s football team Umea IK.
On one wall is the Number 60 jersey worn by its greatest ever player, Brazil superstar Marta. Across the corridor is a bookcase crammed with European and Swedish silverware and medals. Gathering dust in the corner of a room nearby is a trophy for the 2003 Uefa Women’s Cup, the precursor to the Champions League.
Indeed, it’s only 21 years ago that the team from this small northern city virtually unknown outside Sweden was a back-to-back European champion.
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