Full name Marija Banusic 2011 Gamla Upsala SK Date joined 2013 Years Team Height 1.76 m | Playing position Role Footballer Name Marija Banusic | |
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Date of birth (1995-09-17) 17 September 1995 (age 20) Current team Sweden women\'s national football team (Forward) Similar People Lina Hurtig, Fridolina Rolfo, Olivia Schough, Elisabet Gunnarsdottir | ||
Marija Banušić (born 17 September 1995) is a Swedish footballer who plays as a forward for Eskilstuna United DFF. Before joining her current club she spent a season in England with Chelsea Ladies of the FA WSL and two seasons with Damallsvenskan club Kristianstads DFF. She won her first cap for the Sweden women's national football team in November 2014. She has previously worn the name Maredinho on her shirt, a nickname originally given by her father in homage to male footballer Ronaldinho.
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Club career
In 2012 Banušić scored 16 goals for Norrettan club IK Sirius and became a transfer target for clubs in the Damallsvenskan, Sweden's top division. Banušić made a favourable early impression after signing for Kristianstads in 2013. Team mate and fellow Uppsala-native Josefine Öqvist called her a potential "världsspelare" (English: world-class player), while coach Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir declared her the biggest talent in the history of Swedish women's football.
Banušić gave Kristianstads the lead in the 2014 Svenska Cupen (English: Swedish Cup) final, but they were defeated 2–1 by Linköpings FC. After the season she decided to leave Kristianstads and returned to Uppsala, where she considered several offers from other clubs from Sweden and abroad. Banušić agreed a transfer to London-based FA WSL club Chelsea Ladies in January 2015.
With Chelsea Banušić started three of her eight league appearances as the club won the 2015 FA WSL title. She was an unused substitute in Chelsea's 1–0 win over Notts County at the 2015 FA Women's Cup Final, staged at Wembley Stadium for the first time. Banušić had fallen further down the pecking order when Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Fran Kirby during the season.
In December 2015 Banušić announced that she would return to Sweden to play for Damallsvenskan club Eskilstuna United DFF in 2016.
International career
In June 2013 Banušić was named in senior national team coach Pia Sundhage's squad for a 1–1 friendly draw with Brazil. She was hopeful of a surprise call-up to Sweden's UEFA Women's Euro 2013 squad, but was not selected and went to the 2013 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship instead.
In November 2014 Banušić made her senior Sweden debut against Canada in Los Angeles. The match, which finished in a 1–0 defeat, was played behind closed doors but still counted as a full FIFA international fixture. Banušić was disappointed with the result but satisfied with her performance after coming on as a second-half substitute. She hoped to stay in contention for a place at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.