Nils Liedholm
Encyclopedia
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish
football
midfielder
and coach
. Il Barone (The Baron), as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li
" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren
and Gunnar Nordahl
at A.C. Milan
and the Swedish national team
. As a coach, he was in charge of several teams in Italy, managing for nearly four decades. At the end of the 20th century Liedholm was voted the best Swedish
player of the millennium by the readers of Swedens largest newspaper Aftonbladet
.
in 1938. In 1942 he joined IK Sleipner
and in 1946 moved to IFK Norrköping
, a bigger Swedish club with whom he won two Swedish league titles. During his time with Norrköping, he also earned 18 caps for the Swedish national team
, winning the gold medal
at the 1948 Summer Olympics
. This eventually gave him the chance to join Milan
in 1949. He made his Serie A
debut on 11 September 1949 in a 3–1 win against Sampdoria
. In his first season with Milan, the midfielder played 37 games and scored 18 goals. In 1951, Liedholm won the first of his four scudetto titles. Another three titles followed in 1955, 1957 and 1959. A player with a club that was having the best spell of its life up to that point, Liedholm also won the Latin Cup
in 1951 and 1956 and was Captain of Milan
in the 1958 European Cup Final
against Real Madrid
, losing 2–3 (after extra time). It is said that Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano who, felt despite victory knew it was a match Milan could have won. Asking Liedholm to join him on a lap of victory, Liedholm said to him "Keep it. That won't matter. The only thing that will be remembered from this match down the years is that Real Madrid won".
Famous for his passing abilities, Liedholm was the creator of many of Gunnar Nordahl
's goals. Nordahl still has the scoring record in Serie A with 225 goals in 257 games. According to legend, it took two years playing for Milan until Liedholm misplaced his first pass at the San Siro, the rarity prompting a five-minute ovation from the home crowd.
Liedholm was also one of the first players to realise the importance of fitness to a good performance. Consequently, he put in many more hours of training than other players, saying himself that he did the 100 metres, 3000 metres, javelin
, shot put
and high jump
twice a week. His club career would continue until he was almost 40.
in the 1948 Olympic tournament
, Liedholm was the captain of the national squad at the 1958 World Cup
, celebrated in his home country. Aged almost 36, he helped Sweden to reach the World Cup final, where the team lost out to a Brazil
side that included Didi
and 17-year old Pelé
. Liedholm scored the opening goal of the final, which makes him the oldest player to score in a World Cup Final; however, Brazil came back and won the match 5–2.
. This brought him to the attention of Fiorentina
and then Milan, where he finally took control of the first team. He guided them to their tenth league title in 1979 before moving on to become the manager of Roma
. Leading talents such as Paulo Roberto Falcão
and Bruno Conti
, he took them to their second league title ever in 1983 using the zonal marking system, which was unusual in Italy
at the time. A year later, his Roma side lost on penalties to Liverpool
in the European Cup
Final. He also won the Coppa Italia
three times with Roma, in 1981, 1983 and 1984.
As well as saying that the modern game is much more frantic and fast-paced than when he was involved, Liedholm, always a professional, also observed that "they [players] do not do much to avoid fouling players... It is too easy to stop a player by fouling him. Proper training teaches you how to win the ball without committing a foul, which is much more difficult.
After leaving the game (but still living in Italy), Liedholm ran a vineyard
for a while together with his son Carlo. He died on 5 November 2007 in his home in Cuccaro Monferrato
, Province of Alessandria
.
*European competitions include the UEFA Champions League
*Other competitions include the Latin Cup & Amicizia Cup
player in Valdemarsvik and the district team of Östergötland
. He was a member of the Italian Bandy Federation.http://www.internationalbandy.com/viewNavMenu.do?menuID=57
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. Il Barone (The Baron), as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li is a contraction of the surnames of three Swedish footballers: Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm. The denomination was colloquially used after these players composed a formidable trio of strikers while playing for the Swedish national team and Italian club AC Milan in the...
" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren was a Swedish football player and coach. He is best known for playing for IFK Gothenburg and AC Milan. He was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...
and Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
at A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
and the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
. As a coach, he was in charge of several teams in Italy, managing for nearly four decades. At the end of the 20th century Liedholm was voted the best Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
player of the millennium by the readers of Swedens largest newspaper Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
.
Club playing career
Liedholm joined his first club, Valdemarsviks IFValdemarsviks IF
Valdemarsviks IF is a Swedish football club located in Valdemarsvik. -Background:Valdemarsviks IF currently plays in Division 4 Östergötland Östra which is the sixth tier of Swedish football. They play their home matches at the Grännäs IP in Valdemarsvik. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands...
in 1938. In 1942 he joined IK Sleipner
IK Sleipner
Idrottsklubben Sleipner is a sports club in Norrköping, Sweden; the main sports are football and ten-pin bowling. It was founded in 1903, and named after Odin's horse Sleipnir. Currently, the club's senior men's team plays football in the Division 1 Södra...
and in 1946 moved to IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping
IFK Norrköping is a Swedish football club based in Norrköping. The club, formed on 29 May 1897, is currently playing in the first division of Swedish football, Allsvenskan...
, a bigger Swedish club with whom he won two Swedish league titles. During his time with Norrköping, he also earned 18 caps for the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, winning the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Olympic Games title was won by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.-Summary:Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournament but there were exceptional performances put...
. This eventually gave him the chance to join Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in 1949. He made his Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
debut on 11 September 1949 in a 3–1 win against Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
. In his first season with Milan, the midfielder played 37 games and scored 18 goals. In 1951, Liedholm won the first of his four scudetto titles. Another three titles followed in 1955, 1957 and 1959. A player with a club that was having the best spell of its life up to that point, Liedholm also won the Latin Cup
Latin Cup
The Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from the Latin European nations of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and launched their own club competition...
in 1951 and 1956 and was Captain of Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the 1958 European Cup Final
1958 European Cup Final
The 1958 European Cup Final was a football match which took place at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, on 28 May 1958. It was contested by Real Madrid of Spain and Milan of Italy. Real Madrid won 3-2 after extra-time to claim their third European Cup in a row.-Match details:-Match...
against Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, losing 2–3 (after extra time). It is said that Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano who, felt despite victory knew it was a match Milan could have won. Asking Liedholm to join him on a lap of victory, Liedholm said to him "Keep it. That won't matter. The only thing that will be remembered from this match down the years is that Real Madrid won".
Famous for his passing abilities, Liedholm was the creator of many of Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...
's goals. Nordahl still has the scoring record in Serie A with 225 goals in 257 games. According to legend, it took two years playing for Milan until Liedholm misplaced his first pass at the San Siro, the rarity prompting a five-minute ovation from the home crowd.
Liedholm was also one of the first players to realise the importance of fitness to a good performance. Consequently, he put in many more hours of training than other players, saying himself that he did the 100 metres, 3000 metres, javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
twice a week. His club career would continue until he was almost 40.
National team playing career
Having helped Sweden win the gold medalGold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 1948 Olympic tournament
Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Olympic Games title was won by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.-Summary:Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournament but there were exceptional performances put...
, Liedholm was the captain of the national squad at the 1958 World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
, celebrated in his home country. Aged almost 36, he helped Sweden to reach the World Cup final, where the team lost out to a Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
side that included Didi
Valdir Pereira
Waldyr Pereira , nicknamed Didi , was a Brazilian footballer who played midfielder. He played in three World Cups: 1954, 1958, and 1962, winning the latter two. He is considered to be one of the greatest midfielders in the sport renowned for his range of passing, stamina and flawless technique...
and 17-year old Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
. Liedholm scored the opening goal of the final, which makes him the oldest player to score in a World Cup Final; however, Brazil came back and won the match 5–2.
Coaching career
After he retired from playing, Liedholm enjoyed some time in the backrooms at Milan, before getting promotion for both Verona and then VareseVarese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
. This brought him to the attention of Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
and then Milan, where he finally took control of the first team. He guided them to their tenth league title in 1979 before moving on to become the manager of Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
. Leading talents such as Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão is a Brazilian head coach and former footballer, currently managing Sport Club Internacional. He is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, and one of the most talented midfielders of all time, especially at his peak in the mid 1980s...
and Bruno Conti
Bruno Conti
Bruno Conti is an Italian ex-football player and former coach of the Serie A club Roma from 14 March 2005 to 30 June 2005. His two sons Daniele and Andrea are both professional footballers...
, he took them to their second league title ever in 1983 using the zonal marking system, which was unusual in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
at the time. A year later, his Roma side lost on penalties to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
Final. He also won the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
three times with Roma, in 1981, 1983 and 1984.
As well as saying that the modern game is much more frantic and fast-paced than when he was involved, Liedholm, always a professional, also observed that "they [players] do not do much to avoid fouling players... It is too easy to stop a player by fouling him. Proper training teaches you how to win the ball without committing a foul, which is much more difficult.
After leaving the game (but still living in Italy), Liedholm ran a vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
for a while together with his son Carlo. He died on 5 November 2007 in his home in Cuccaro Monferrato
Cuccaro Monferrato
Cuccaro Monferrato is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km east of Turin and about 15 km northwest of Alessandria....
, Province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
.
Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
1949-1950 | 37 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 37 | 18 |
| 1950-1951 | 31 | 13 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 | 33 | 13 | |
| 1951-1952 | 38 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 38 | 9 | |
| 1952-1953 | 30 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 32 | 7 | |
| 1953-1954 | 31 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 31 | 10 | |
| 1954-1955 | 28 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 29 | 7 | |
| 1955-1956 | 31 | 1 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1956-1957 | 26 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 28 | 5 | |
| 1957-1958 | 24 | 7 | - | - | 8 | 2 | - | - | 32 | 9 | |
| 1958-1959 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 32 | 2 | |
| 1959-1960 | 28 | 3 | - | - | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 5 | |
| 1960-1961 | 25 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | - | 28 | 3 | |
| Total | 359 | 81 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 394 | 89 | |
*European competitions include the UEFA Champions League
*Other competitions include the Latin Cup & Amicizia Cup
Honours
- Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1951, 1955, 1957, 1959 - Latin CupLatin CupThe Latin Cup was an international football tournament for club sides from the Latin European nations of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In 1949 the football federations came together and launched their own club competition...
: 1951, 1956 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
runner-up: 1957–58 - 1948 Summer Olympics1948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
: gold medalGold medalA gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
winner - 1958 FIFA World Cup1958 FIFA World CupThe 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
: runner-up - AllsvenskanAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
Champion 1946–47 and 1947–48
Other sports
He also was a bandyBandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
player in Valdemarsvik and the district team of Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
. He was a member of the Italian Bandy Federation.http://www.internationalbandy.com/viewNavMenu.do?menuID=57