Nils Liedholm

Nils Liedholm
Liedholm with AC Milan in 1959
Personal information
Full name Nils Erik Liedholm
Date of birth (1922-10-08)8 October 1922
Place of birth Valdemarsvik, Sweden
Date of death 5 November 2007(2007-11-05) (aged 85)
Place of death Cuccaro Monferrato, Italy
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1938–1942 Valdemarsviks
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1942–1946 Sleipner 60 (24)
1946–1949 Norrköping 48 (22)
1949–1961 AC Milan 359 (81)
Total 467 (127)
International career
1947–1958 Sweden 23 (12)
Managerial career
1961–1963 AC Milan (assistant coach)
1963–1966 AC Milan
1966–1968 Verona
1968–1969 Monza
1969–1971 Varese
1971–1973 Fiorentina
1973–1977 Roma
1977–1979 AC Milan
1979–1984 Roma
1984–1987 AC Milan
1987–1989 Roma
1992 Verona
1996 Roma
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Sweden
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1948 London
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1958 Sweden
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
The A.C. Milan squad for the 1957–1958 season. From left to right, standing: Reina, Galli, Fontana, Soldan, Lorenzo Buffon, Nils Liedholm, Juan Alberto Schiaffino, Radice, Bean; crouched: Beraldo, Grillo, Mariani, Cesare Maldini, Bergamaschi, Zannier, Francesco Zagatti, Cucchiaroni.

Nils Erik Liedholm (pronounced [ˈnɪlːs ˈlîːdhɔlm]; 8 October 1922 – 5 November 2007)[2][3] was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone (The Baron), as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of the Swedish "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Sweden national team, with which he achieved notable success throughout his career.

Liedholm was an intelligent and technically gifted offensive playmaker who was renowned for his range of passing and his elegant style of play; he is regarded as one of Milan's and Sweden's greatest ever players,[4][5] and considered one of the best players of the post-war era.[6] At the end of the 20th century, Liedholm was voted the best Swedish player of the millennium by the readers of Sweden's largest newspaper, Aftonbladet.

As a coach, he was in charge of several teams in Italy, managing for nearly four decades, and was known for using a zonal marking system; he is regarded as one of the most successful managers in Italian football history.[7]

  1. ^ Hart, Jim (8 December 2015). "NILS LIEDHOLM: THE SWEDE WHO CONQUERED CALCIO". thesefootballtimes.co. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Addio al Barone Liedholm" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 5 November 2007.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Nils Liedholm". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  4. ^ "A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Nils Niedholm" (in Italian). A.C. Milan. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. ^ "10 Best Swedish Soccer Players of All Time". Soccer Mavericks. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Nils Liedholm". The Telegraph. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  7. ^ Glanville, Brian (6 November 2007). "Nils Liedholm". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2015.