Frida Leonhardsen Maanum (; born 16 July 1999) is a Norwegian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

or defender for

Women's Super League The Women's Super League (WSL), also known as the Barclays Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons, and formerly the FA WSL, is a professional association football league and the highest level of women's football in England. Currently oper ...

club

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

and the Norway national team. Prior to her move to English team Arsenal, she played for Norwegian teams Stabæk and Swedish team

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

Club career

Lyn

Maanum played youth football for Bærumløkka, Stabæk, and eventually

Lyn Lyn or LYN may refer to: People * Lyn (singer), South Korean singer * Lyn (gamer), South Korean ''Warcraft III'' player * Lyn (given name) * Lyn (surname) In science and technology * Lynx (constellation), standard abbreviation * Lyn (locomotive ...

. She was part of a talented age-specific team in Lyn, together with

Heidi Ellingsen Heidi Elisabeth Ellingsen (born 28 July 1998) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Toppserien club Brann and the Norway national team. Club career Ellingsen played in Lier IL growing up before she went to Lyn. She became ...

and Andrea Wilmann, among others. They won both the

Dana Cup The Dana Cup, one of the world's largest football tournaments, takes place every year in the North Jutland town of Hjørring in Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous ...

and

Norway Cup The Norway Cup is an international youth football tournament in Oslo, Norway. It has been held annually since 1972, with the exception of 1976 (due to a conflicting arrangement), 2020 and 2021 (due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). It is the world's l ...

in 2014. In the autumn of 2014, she made her debut for Lyn's first team in the

Toppserien The Toppserien is the top level of women's association football in Norway. It was founded in 1984. History Women's league football was introduced on a county basis in 1977. These leagues acted as qualification for the regional (South) league in ...

Stabæk

In 2017, Maanum left Lyn to join Stabæk. She had been involved in all of their matches, before it was announced that she had completed a transfer to

Damallsvenskan The (; ), known as OBOS for sponsorship reasons, is the highest division of women's football in Sweden. It is one of the best women's leagues in the world, and was founded in 1988. The division consists of a league of 14 teams. From 2013, t ...

club

after only half a season with Stabæk.

Linköping

At the age of 18, Maanum joined

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

side Linköping. She would go on to win the

2017 Damallsvenskan The 2017 Damallsvenskan was the 29th season of the Swedish women's association football top division, Damallsvenskan. It began on 16 April 2017, and ended on 12 November. Linköpings FC were the defending champions, having won the competition in 20 ...

title in her debut season. Maanum quickly became a key player, and in the 2020–21 season, was named as club captain at the age of 21. She marked her last appearance for the club with a goal in a 4–1 victory over

Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

. In May 2021, local newspaper ''Corren'' placed Maanum in 14th place when naming the 30 best players to have played for Linköping.

Arsenal

2021–22 season

On 27 July 2021,

giants

confirmed the signing of Maanum. She quickly established herself as an exciting player. On 5 October, Maanum scored her first goal for Arsenal in a Champions League match against

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. On 12 December, Maanum came off the bench and netted a brace in a 4–0 win over

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. Despite a blistering start, her playing time decreased in the second half of the season. She was nevertheless nominated for Young Player of the Year for the 2021–22 Women's Super League season.

2022–23 season

On 19 October 2022, Maanum was handed her first start of the season in Arsenal's Champions League away match against reigning champions

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, and got on the scoresheet in an emphatic 5–1 win for the Gunners. Four days later on 23 October, Maanum scored her first league goal of the season in a 2–0 away victory against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. She was later voted as Arsenal's Player of the Month for October 2022. On 21 December, she scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

and provided an assist in a 9–1 group stage win over

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

in the Champions League, earning the

Player of the Match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

award. On 26 January 2023, Maanum scored twice in a 3–0 win over

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

in the Conti Cup. She was then voted Arsenal's Player of the Month for January 2023. Maanum played the full 90 minutes in Arsenal's 3–1 Conti Cup final triumph over London rivals Chelsea on 5 March. On 25 March, Maanum scored Arsenal's fifth goal in a 5–1

North London Derby The North London derby is the meeting of the association football clubs Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur, both of which are based in North London, England. Fans of both clubs consider the other to be their main ...

win over

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

. Three days later on 29 March, Maanum scored a delightful goal from outside the box, helping Arsenal to a 2–0 (2–1 on agg.) second-leg victory over

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

, and earning Arsenal a spot in the Champions League semi-finals. This goal was later voted by fans as the

UEFA Women's Champions League The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. ...

Goal of the Season. On 2 April, Maanum scored the crucial equaliser in Arsenal's home match against

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, which Arsenal went on to win 2–1. Maanum finished the season with a tally of 16 goals and 5 assists in all competitions. She won the Arsenal Women Supporters Club Player of the Season award, and was nominated for both Arsenal Player of the Season and the Women's Super League Player of the Season. On 1 June 2023, after a stellar second campaign, it was announced that Maanum had signed a new contract with the club.

2023–24 season

On 19 November 2023, Maanum scored her first league goal of the season in a 3–0 away win against

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. In December 2023, she won the

Football Supporters' Association The Football Supporters' Association (The FSA) is the national, democratic, representative body for football supporters in England and Wales. They are the leading advocates for supporter ownership, better fan engagement, cheaper ticket prices, t ...

Player of the Year award. On 31 March 2024, Maanum collapsed off the ball in the 2023-2024 FA Women's League Cup final. She was given oxygen at the scene after being down for around 9 minutes, before being stretchered off. Arsenal later reported that she was 'conscious, talking and stable'. On 4 April, Arsenal confirmed that she had undergone extensive testing and that there were 'no obvious cardiac causes found'. Maanum was fitted with a monitoring device to record her heart function and was cleared to undergo a progressive return to training protocol for a one-week period, before a decision would be made as to when she would return to play.

2024–25 season

On 22 September 2024, Maanum scored the early opener in Arsenal's 2–2 draw against Manchester City at

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...

in their first match of the

2024–25 Women's Super League The 2024–25 Women's Super League season (also known as the Barclays Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the sixth season after the rebranding o ...

season. On 26 September, she came off the bench to score Arsenal's fourth goal in a 4–0 (4–1 on agg.) victory against

BK Häcken Bollklubben Häcken, more commonly known as BK Häcken or simply Häcken (), is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Gothenburg (Hisingen). It currently plays in Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. Forme ...

, which ensured that Arsenal progressed to the Champions League group stages. In November 2024, Maanum won the Emirates goal of the month, for her spectacular goal against

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...

International career

At the age of 17, Maanum was selected to represent the senior Norwegian national team at the 2017 Euros. At that point, she had only played 10 matches in Norway's top division. Maanum made her debut on 11 July 2017, where she started in a match against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Less than a week later, Maanum was handed another start in Norway's opening match at the

Euros The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

, which was against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, the country hosting the tournament. On 27 October 2020, Maanum scored the match-winning goal against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, which earned Norway qualification for the 2022 Euros. She was called up to Norway's squad for both the 2019 World Cup and the 2022 Euros. On 15 November 2022, Maanum scored an equaliser in a friendly match against

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. On 19 June 2023, Maanum included in Norway's squad for the

2023 FIFA Women's World Cup The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's association football, football championship contested by List of women's national association football teams, women's nat ...

Personal life

Maanum is in a relationship with Swedish footballer and former Linköping teammate Emma Lennartsson.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Maanum goal.''

Honours

Linköping *

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Arsenal *

FA Women's League Cup The Women's League Cup, also known as the Subway Women's League Cup due to sponsorship reasons, is a league cup competition in English women's association football. The competition was originally open to the eight teams in the FA WSL, but since t ...

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, 2023–24 *

: 2024–25 Norway *

Algarve Cup The Algarve Cup is an invitational tournament for national teams in women's association football hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious and ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Individual *

PFA Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's Football in England, En ...

: 2022–23 FA WSL * FSA Player of the Year: 2023 * Arsenal Women's Player of the Month: October 2022 January 2023 * WSL Goal of the Month: November 2024 *Emirates Goal of the Month: November 2024

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maanum, Frida 1999 births Living people Footballers from Bærum Norwegian women's footballers Norway women's international footballers Stabæk Fotball Kvinner players Linköpings FC players Women's association football defenders Women's association football midfielders 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup players Damallsvenskan players Expatriate women's footballers in Sweden UEFA Women's Euro 2022 players Norwegian LGBTQ footballers 21st-century Norwegian LGBTQ people 21st-century Norwegian sportswomen UEFA Women's Euro 2017 players 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup players UEFA Women's Champions League–winning players Norwegian lesbian sportswomen Norwegian expatriate women's footballers Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate women's footballers in England Arsenal W.F.C. players Women's Super League players