Stina Blackstenius

Emma Stina Blackstenius (Swedish: [ˈstîːna blakˈstěːnɪɵs]; born 5 February 1996) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Arsenal in the English Women's Super League and the Sweden national team.

Blackstenius grew up in Vadstena and joined local club Vadstena GIF in 2002 at the age of 6. On 20 April 2011, Blackstenius made her senior debut for the club against BK Kenty in the Östergötland region Division 3, the fifth tier of women's football in Sweden. She started the match and scored twice as Vadstena lost 5–4. In her debut season, Blackstenius started all 18 leagues games and scored 21 goals. She played 16 games the following season and finished as the league's top scorer with 38 goals. She was named 2012 Östergötland player of the year.

Prior to the start of the 2013 season, Blackstenius signed a three-year contract with Linköping FC of the top-flight Damallsvenskan. She made her Damallsvenskan debut as a 68th-minute substitute on 17 April 2013 in a 1–1 draw with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC. She scored her first top-flight goal on 28 May 2013, in a 3–1 victory over Malmö FF. On 31 July 2013, Blackstenius played her first Svenska Cupen match for the club, scoring a hattrick during a 13–0 win against Landsbro IF. Having appeared in 9 of the first 11 league games of the season all as a substitute, Blackstenius was given a bigger role towards the end of the season. She started all of the 11 remaining league games and went on a run of scoring six goals in the final five games as Linköping finished third. Linköping reached the 2013–14 Swedish Cup final. They beat Kristianstads DFF 2–1 with Blackstenius appearing as a 62nd-minute substitute. In October 2014, Blackstenius made her UEFA Champions League debut away to English Super League side Liverpool. Linköping lost the first leg 2–1 but won 3–0 at home to progress. At the Fotbollsgalan 2015 [sv] awards, Blackstenius was named Breakthrough Player of the Year. In 2016, Linköping won the 2016 Damallsvenskan title. Blackstenius was the second-highest scorer in the league with 19 goals behind teammate Pernille Harder.

In January 2017, Blackstenius signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with French Division 1 Féminine club Montpellier HSC. She made her debut on 4 January 2017, entering as a halftime substitute against Paris Saint-Germain and scored the 81st-minute winner in the 2–1 victory. On 19 February 2017, she scored four goals in a Coupe de France 16–0 win over fourth division side FC Domont. Joining halfway through the 2016–17 season, Blackstenius helped Montpellier to finish second in the league behind Lyon, scoring seven goals in 11 league games. The following season, Blackstenius finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the league with 12 goals in 20 games as Montpellier finished third. Blackstenius fell out of favour at the start of the 2018–19 season, only starting in six of 12 appearances, and opted to leave in January 2019.

On 30 January 2019, Blackstenius returned to Sweden, signing a two-year contract with her former club Linköpings FC. She made her second debut in a 5–0 win over Växjö DFF in the Damallsvenskan. The team finished fifth with Blackstenius scoring nine goals.

Ahead of the 2020 season, Blackstenius moved to Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC (later rebranded BK Häcken). A dispute between Linköping and Göteborg in regard to the transfer had to be settled by the Swedish Football Association's arbitration committee with neither party wishing to comment on the nature of the dispute. In her debut season with the club, Göteborg won the 2020 Damallsvenskan. On 4 April 2021, Blackstenius scored the only goal in a 2020–21 Svenska Cupen semi-final win over FC Rosengård before scoring again in the final as BK Häcken beat Eskilstuna United 3–0. In the 2021 season, Häcken finished second behind Rosengård. Blackstenius led the league in both goals (17) and assists (8). In November 2021, she was named to the 20-player Ballon d'Or shortlist. Blackstenius left the club upon the expiry of her contract at the end of the 2021 season.

On 14 January 2022, English Super League club Arsenal confirmed the signing of Blackstenius on a free transfer. She made her debut five days later, as a 69th-minute substitute for Vivianne Miedema in a 1–0 defeat at home to Manchester United in the League Cup quarter-finals. She scored her first goal for Arsenal on 5 February 2022 against Manchester United, tying the game 1–1 in the 78th minute. In the 2022–23 Conti Cup final against Chelsea, Blackstenius scored a goal making it 1–1 in the eventual 3–1 win for Arsenal. She scored a hat trick against Reading in the 2023–24 Conti Cup. She scored a first-half hat trick in the 4–0 win against Aston Villa in the 2023–24 Conti Cup semifinal. In the final, she scored the game-winning goal in the 116th minute of overtime, beating Chelsea 1–0 to lift the trophy. In the away match against Manchester City, Arsenal were down by one until Blackstenius scored in the 89th and 92nd minute, beating City away from home for the first time in seven years.

On 24 May 2025, Blackstenius was introduced as a 67th minute substitute in the 2025 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona. In the 74th minute, she scored the only goal of the match, winning Arsenal their second Champions League title.