Ann My Cato (born 25 April 2002) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays a midfielder for Women's Super League club Crystal Palace and the Sweden under-23 team. She has previously played for Swedish clubs Norrköping, Kvarnsveden IK, and Linköpings.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ann My Cato[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 25 April 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Norrköping, Sweden[2] | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Crystal Palace | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Eneby BK | |||
| IFK Norrköping | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | IFK Norrköping | ||
| 2019–2020 | Kvarnsvedens IK | 24 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Linköping | 0 | (0) |
| 2021 | → IFK Norrköping (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2021–2024 | IFK Norrköping | 64 | (15) |
| 2024– | Crystal Palace | 8 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Sweden U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2023– | Sweden U23 | 10 | (0) |
| 2024– | Sweden | 0 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:12, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[1] ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:47, 2 December 2024 (UTC)[3] | |||
Youth career
editBorn in Norrköping,[2] Cato began her youth career at Swedish club Eneby BK, later joining Division 1 side IFK Norrköping aged 14, and making her senior debut in 2016.[4]
Club career
editIn 2019, Cato signed for Elitettan club Kvarnsveden IK for the 2020 season, prior to joining Linköpings FC in the Damallsvenskan for the 2021 season, in the top tier of women's football in Sweden.[4]
Cato spent 8 months on on loan with Norrköping in the second division for the 2021 season, scoring eight times in 24 appearances. The following sesaon, she helped the team to gain promotion to the top tier as runners-up of the Elitettan. In 2023, she became captain of the team.[4][1]
On 1 September 2024, Cato signed a three-year contract with Women's Super League club Crystal Palace ahead of the 2024–25 season.[5][6] On 17 November, she scored her debut goal for Palace, opening the scoring in the 30th minute in a 3–2 defeat to Aston Villa.[7]
International career
editOn 2 October 2019, Cato featured as a substitute for the Sweden under-19 national team, as part of 2020 U19 Championship qualification, in a 14–0 victory over Armenia.[8][9]
Cato received her first call-up to the Sweden national team in the summer of 2024.[5] In November 2024, she returned to the under-23s,[10] in order to face England on 2 December.[11]
Style of play
editThe Guardian described Cato has a "versatile player with strong defensive capabilities", while also supportive in attacking for a goal.[12]
SheKicks called her a "creative central midfielder",[13] and Cato has described herself as a box-to-box player.[14]
Honours
edit- IFK Norrköping
References
edit- ^ a b c My Cato at Soccerway
- ^ a b "My Cato". Five9 Sports. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ My Cato at Flashscore.com
- ^ a b c "My Cato - Midfielder". Crystal Palace F.C. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b Sanders, Emma (1 September 2024). "WSL: Promoted Crystal Palace sign Sweden midfielder My Cato". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ Pentland, Daniel (1 September 2024). "Crystal Palace sign Swedish international midfielder Cato". WSL Full-Time. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "My Cato speaks after scoring her first goal for Palace - News". Crystal Palace F.C. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Sverige-Armenien". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). 2 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Sweden-Armenia | Women's Under-19 2020". UEFA. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Cato ansluter till U23-landslaget". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). 30 November 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "U23 | Matchguide England – Sverige". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). 2 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b Downey, Sophie (12 September 2024). "Women's Super League 2024-25 previews No 5: Crystal Palace". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ Frith, Wilf (1 September 2024). "Crystal Palace Women sign Sweden international My Cato". SheKicks. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ My Cato: First Interview (Video). Crystal Palace F.C. 3 September 2024. Event occurs at 00:36. Retrieved 11 December 2024.