Lars Eriksson

Hammarby IF

Eriksson made his professional debut for Hammarby in Allsvenskan in 1986, aged 21, replacing Mark White as starter halfway through the season. He made his debut in a 5–1 win against Kalmar FF with Hammarby only conceding 1,2 goals per game during the remainder of the season with Eriksson between the posts. He stayed as the club's first choice goalkeeper for another two seasons, before leaving in 1988 when Hammarby got relegated to Division 1.

IFK Norrköping

Before the start of the 1989 season he signed with IFK Norrköping in Allsvenskan. The team finished in second place during the regular series the same year, but won the subsequent play-off, ultimately being crowned Swedish champions. Eriksson saved two penalties in the third and decisive game of the finals against Malmö FF on 15 November 1989. In 1990, he was awarded "player of the year" by the Östergötland Football Association. He would later play another five seasons at Norrköping, with the team consequently finishing in the top half of the table. Lars Eriksson featured in every competitive game for the club during this tenure. He also won two Swedish Cup-titles with "Peking", in 1990–91 and 1993–94.

Charleroi

Halfway through the 1995–96 season, he moved abroad for the first time in his career. He signed for the Belgian Pro League league club Charleroi S.C. However, he would only feature in 9 competitive games for the side before moving to Portuguese club FC Porto in March…

Lars Eriksson debuted for the Swedish under-21 national team against England in 1986. He would later win 15 caps for the team, making his final appearances during the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his debut in the national senior team on 12 January 1988, starting in a 4–1 win over East Germany in Maspalomas. In total he would play 17 matches for his country up until 1995, often being used as bench cover for Thomas Ravelli. He took part in several major tournaments, the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1990 FIFA World Cup, 1994 FIFA World Cup and Euro 1992.

Eriksson was known a goalkeeper with good reactions and a strong line play. He was also noticed for his frequent ability of saving penalties.

Eriksson grew up in Haninge in Stockholm County where he started playing football at the local club Vendelsö IK. He moved to Hammarby IF as a youngster in 1977 at age 12. During his early teens, he lived abroad for a few years together with his family before returning to Hammarby and their B-team.