Frida Maanum

Frida Leonhardsen Maanum (born 16 July 1999) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or defender for Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Norway national team.

Lyn
Maanum played youth football for Bærumløkka, Stabæk, and eventually Lyn. She was part of a talented age-specific team in Lyn, together with Heidi Ellingsen and Andrea Wilmann, among others. They won both the Dana Cup and Norway Cup in 2014. In the autumn of 2014, she made her debut for Lyn's first team in the Toppserien.

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 club Linköping after only half a season with Stabæk.

Linköping
At the age of 18, Maanum joined Swedish side Linköping. She would go on to win the 2017 Damallsvenskan 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. In May 2021, local newspaper Corren placed Maanum in 14th place when naming the 30 best players to have played for Linköping.

2021–22 season
On 27 July 2021, Women's Super League giants Arsenal 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. On 12 December, Maanum came off the bench and netted a brace in a 4–0 win over Leicester City. 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, 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. She was later voted as Arsenal's Player of the Month for October 2022. On 21 December, she scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 9–1 group stage win over Zürich in the Champions League, earning the Player of the Match award. On 26 January 2023, Maanum scored twice in a 3–0 win over Aston Villa 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 win over Tottenham Hotspur. 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, 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 Goal of the Season. On 2 April, Maanum scored the crucial equaliser in Arsenal's home match against Manchester City, 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 long-term 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. In December 2023, she won the Football Supporters' Association 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.

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. Less than a week later, Maanum was handed another start in Norway's opening match at the Euros, which was against the Netherlands, the country hosting the tournament.

On 27 October 2020, Maanum scored the match-winning goal against Wales, 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.

On 19 June 2023, Maanum included in Norway's squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

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

International

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

Honours
Linköping Arsenal
 * Damallsvenskan: 2017


 * FA Women's League Cup: 2022–23, 2023–24

Norway
 * Algarve Cup: 2019

Individual
 * PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 FA WSL
 * FSA Player of the Year: 2023