Wikipedia

Gunnar Nordahl

Nils Gunnar Nordahl(Swedish pronunciation:[ˈɡɵ̌nːarˈnûːɖɑːl];19 October 1921 – 15 September 1995)[1]was a Swedish professionalfootballer.A highly prolific, powerful, and physically strongstriker,with an eye for goal, he is best known for his spell atAC Milanfrom 1949 to 1956, in which he won thescudettotwice, and also the title ofpluricapocannoniere,with an unprecedented five top scorer (capocannonieri) awards, more than any other player in the history of the Italian championship.[2]

Gunnar Nordahl
Nordahl withAC Milanin the 1950s
Personal information
Full name Nils Gunnar Nordahl
Date of birth (1921-10-19)19 October 1921
Place of birth Hörnefors,Sweden
Date of death 15 September 1995(1995-09-15)(aged 73)
Place of death Alghero,Italy
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1937–1940 Hörnefors IF 41 (68)
1940–1944 Degerfors IF 77 (56)
1944–1949 IFK Norrköping 95 (93)
1949–1956 AC Milan 257 (210)
1956–1958 Roma 34 (15)
1959–1960 Karlstad BIK 24 (11)
Total 528 (453)
International career
1942–1948 Sweden 33 (43)
Managerial career
1958–1959 AS Roma(player-manager)
1959–1961 Karlstad BIK
1961–1964 Degerfors IF
1967–1970 IFK Norrköping
1971–1973 IF Saab
1974 IK Sleipner
1975–1976 Östers IF
1977–1978 AIK
1979–1980 IFK Norrköping
Medal record
Men'sFootball
RepresentingSweden
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1948 London Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nordahl is Milan’s all-time record goalscorer, and he long held the record for most goals for a single club in the history of Italian league, before being surpassed byFrancesco Tottiin January 2012.[3]He still holds the record forgoals per appearance in Italy.He had several nicknames in Italy, whereof the most famous wasIl Cannoniere( "The Prime Gunner" ). He was also known asIl Pompiere( "The Fireman" ) andIl Bisonte( "The Bison'" ).

A full international between 1942 and 1948, he won 33capsand scored 43 goals for theSweden national team.He represented his country at the1948 Summer Olympics,where he was the joint top scorer alongsideDenmark'sJohn Hansenas Sweden won gold.

Nordahl is considered to be one of the greatest Swedish players[4][5]and one of the best strikers of all-time.[6][7]In 2017, he was included inFourFourTwomagazine's list of the 100 greatest players of all time, at the 54th position.[8]

He is the father of former footballerThomas Nordahl.[9][10]

Club career

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Sweden

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Nordahl playing forIFK Norrköpingin 1948

Nordahl started out at Hörnefors IF in Sweden before moving to firstDegerfors IFand thenIFK Norrköping.He won four Swedish championships with IFK Norrköping and once scored seven goals in one game. During his time in Swedish clubs, Nordahl scored 149 goals in 172 matches.[11]

Italy

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Nordahl transferred toAC Milanon 22 January 1949. This made him the first Swedish player to play in a foreign league.[12]Later, he would team up with his national team strike partners,Gunnar GrenandNils Liedholmto form the renownedGre-No-Litrio. Playing eight seasons with Milan, he isSerie A's multi-top-scorer a record five times (1949–50, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1953–54 and 1954–55).[6][13]Nordahl is also Milan's all-time top-scorer, with 210 league goals.[14]

Nordahl is thethird-highest Serie A goalscorer of all time,with 225 goals in 291 matches,[11][13][14][15]only behindSilvio Piola[6]andFrancesco Totti.[15]That makes Nordahl the top goalscorer among non-Italian players,[13]and he is also the most efficient goalscorer goals in Serie A ever with 0.77 goals/match.[6][13]He was nicknamedIl Pompiere( "The Fireman" ), because of his former job while he played in Sweden.[5]

From left to right:Juventus'ParolaandAC Milan's Nordahl prior a friendly match atSan Siroin 1950

After leaving Milan, Nordahl played forRomafor two seasons. Nordahl's record for most goals scored in Serie A (not including Divisione Nazionale, before Serie A was installed) of 35 in1949–50in a season was broken byGonzalo Higuaínin the2015–16 seasonwho scored 36.[16][17]Nordahl, together with the mentioned Gre-No-Li is today legendary in Milan. When Milan strikerAndriy Shevchenkoscored his 100 goal in Serie A for Milan, it is said that some old Milanese supporters commented: "Well he can double that number, and then add another 26, then, and just then, he has passedIl Cannoniere."

International career

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Nordahl was first called up to theSweden national teamin 1942. In 1948, he helped Sweden to win theOlympicfootball tournament, achieving top tournament scoring status.[18]The Swedish team also included his brothersBertilandKnut Nordahl.[1]Nordahl's transfer to Milan forced him to retire from the national team, as the rules at the time prevented professionals from serving on the Sweden national team and unavailble to the1950 FIFA World Cupas were Gren and Liedholm. His 33 matches in the national team resulted in scoring 43 goals.[6] However, both Nordahl and other Swedish professionals appeared in the euphemisticSveriges proffslandslag( "Swedish professional national team" ) during the 1950s.[19]The latter was discontinued in 1958, when Sweden, like many other nations, lifted the professional ban for respective national team consideration.

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hörnefors IF 1937–38 Division 3 Nedre Norrländskan 14 20 — — 14 20
1938–39 Division 3 Nedre Norrländskan 14 25 — — 14 25
1939–40 Division 3 Nedre Norrländskan 13 23 — — 13 23
Total 41 68 — — 41 68
Degerfors 1940–41 Allsvenskan 17 15 — — 17 15
1941–42 Allsvenskan 21 13 — — 21 13
1942–43 Allsvenskan 20 14 — — 20 14
1943–44 Allsvenskan 19 14 — — 19 14
Total 77 56 — — 77 56
Norrköping 1944–45 Allsvenskan 22 27 — — 22 27
1945–46 Allsvenskan 21 25 — — 21 25
1946–47 Allsvenskan 20 17 — — 20 17
1947–48 Allsvenskan 22 18 — — 22 18
1948–49 Allsvenskan 10 6 — — 10 6
Total 95 93 — — 95 93
AC Milan 1948–49 Serie A 15 16 — — 15 16
1949–50 Serie A 37 35 — — 37 35
1950–51 Serie A 37 34 — 2[a] 4 39 38
1951–52 Serie A 38 26 — — 38 26
1952–53 Serie A 32 26 — 2[b] 2 34 28
1953–54 Serie A 33 23 — — 33 23
1954–55 Serie A 33 27 — 2[c] 1 35 28
1955–56 Serie A 32 23 — 5[d] 4 37 27
Total 257 210 — 5 4 268 221
Roma 1956–57 Serie A 30 13 — — 30 14
1957–58 Serie A 4 2 — — 4 2
Total 34 15 — — 34 15
Karlstad BIK 1959 Division 2 Svealand — —
1960 Division 2 Svealand — —
Total 24 11 — — 24 11
Career total 538 453 — 5 4 543 457
  1. ^Appearance(s) inLatin Cup
  2. ^Appearance(s) inLatin Cup
  3. ^Appearance(s) inLatin Cup
  4. ^Appearance(s) inEuropean Cup

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 1942 4 2
1943 5 5
1944 0 0
1945 5 7
1946 3 2
1947 7 15
1948 9 12
Total 33 43
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nordahl goal.
List of international goals scored by Gunnar Nordahl
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 28 June 1942 Parken,Copenhagen,Denmark Denmark 2–0 3–0 Friendly [20]
2 4 October 1942 Råsunda Stadium,Solna,Sweden Denmark 2–0 2–1 Friendly [21]
3 20 June 1943 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark 2–2 2–3 Friendly [22]
4 12 September 1943 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Hungary 1–0 2–3 Friendly [23]
5 2–1
6 7 November 1943 Üllői úti stadion,Budapest,Hungary Hungary 4–2 7–2 Friendly [24]
7 5–2
8 24 June 1945 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Denmark 1–1 2–1 Friendly [25]
9 1 July 1945 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark 2–1 4–3 Friendly [26]
10 30 September 1945 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Denmark 1–1 4–1 Friendly [27]
11 21 October 1945 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Norway 2–0 10–0 Friendly [28]
12 3–0
13 8–0
14 10–0
15 7 July 1946 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Switzerland 7–2 7–2 Friendly [29]
16 6 October 1946 Gamla Ullevi,Gothenburg,Sweden Denmark 3–2 3–3 Friendly [30]
17 15 June 1947 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark 1–0 4–1 1937–47 Nordic Football Championship [31]
18 2–0
19 26 June 1947 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Denmark 4–0 6–1 Friendly [32]
20 28 June 1947 Helsinki Olympic Stadium,Helsinki,Finland Norway 1–1 5–1 Friendly [33]
21 2–1
22 3–1
23 4–1
24 24 August 1947 Ryavallen,Örebro,Sweden Finland 2–0 7–0 1937–47 Nordic Football Championship [34]
25 4–0
26 5–0
27 14 September 1947 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Poland 1–1 5–4 Friendly [35]
28 4–2
29 5 October 1947 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden Norway 2–0 4–1 1937–47 Nordic Football Championship [36]
30 3–1
31 19 November 1947 Highbury,London,England England 1–2 2–4 Friendly [37]
32 2 August 1948 White Hart Lane,London, England Austria 1–0 3–0 1948 Summer Olympics [38]
33 2–0
34 5 August 1948 Selhurst Park,London, England South Korea 2–0 12–0 1948 Summer Olympics [39]
35 4–0
36 9–0
37 10–0
38 13 August 1948 Wembley Stadium,London, England Yugoslavia 2–1 3–1 1948 Summer Olympics [40]
39 19 September 1948 Ullevaal Stadium,Oslo,Norway Norway 1–1 5–3 1948–51 Nordic Football Championship [41]
40 2–2
41 3–2
42 4–2
43 5–2

Honours

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IFK Norrköping[6]

AC Milan[6][10]

Sweden[6]

Individual

Records

See also

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References

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  1. ^abEvans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen;Mallon, Bill;et al."Gunnar Nordahl".Olympics at Sports-Reference.Sports Reference LLC.Archived fromthe originalon 17 April 2020.
  2. ^Roberto Di Maggio; Igor Kramarsic; Alberto Novello (8 June 2017)."Italy - Serie A Top Scorers".RSSSF.Retrieved28 January2018.
  3. ^"Roma's Francesco Totti breaks Gunnar Nordahl's all-time record of 210 league goals with a single Italian club".Goal.Retrieved16 March2016.
  4. ^"10 Best Swedish Soccer Players of All Time".Soccer Mavericks.Retrieved2 January2024.
  5. ^abChiesa, Carlo F. (22 August 1999). "We are the champions - I 150 fuoriclasse che hanno fatto la storia del calcio" [The 150 champions that made football's history].Calcio 2000(in Italian). Action Group S.r.l. p. 123.
  6. ^abcdefghij"Serial-scoring Swede who lit up Milan".Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2015.Retrieved16 March2016.
  7. ^"Ranking the Top 60 Strikers of All Time".
  8. ^Yorkhin, Michael (25 July 2017)."FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: 60 to 51".FourFourtwo.Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2020.Retrieved2 August2017.
  9. ^abGunnar Nordahl.Swedish Olympic Committee
  10. ^abcd"A.C. Milan Hall of Fame: Gunnar Nordahl".acmilan.Retrieved8 February2016.
  11. ^ab"The top scorers in European league history".Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) - UEFA.Retrieved17 March2016.
  12. ^Cripps, Simon (15 September 2012)."Gunnar Nordahl: the first great calcio import".These Football Times.Retrieved16 August2024.
  13. ^abcd"Top 10 Serie A goalscorers - 2. Gunnar Nordahl - 225 goals".Goal.Retrieved16 March2016.
  14. ^ab"AC Milan All-Time Best XI".Goal.Retrieved16 March2016.
  15. ^ab"From Bernardini to El Shaarawy: 13 players who scored on their debut".asroma.Retrieved16 March2016.
  16. ^"Higuain: 'I am so happy!'".Football Italia. 14 May 2016.Retrieved14 May2016.
  17. ^Chris Davie (14 May 2016)."Higuain makes Serie A history by breaking 66-year-old goalscoring record".goal.Retrieved14 May2016.
  18. ^"Gunnar Nordahl".Olympedia.Retrieved13 October2021.
  19. ^[1]Det svenska proffslandslaget (English: The Swedish professional national team).
  20. ^"Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  21. ^"Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  22. ^"Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  23. ^"Sverige - Ungern - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  24. ^"Ungern - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved4 November2023.
  25. ^"Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved4 November2023.
  26. ^"Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  27. ^"Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  28. ^"Sverige - Norge - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  29. ^"Sverige - Schweiz - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved4 November2023.
  30. ^"Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  31. ^"Danmark - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish). Archived fromthe originalon 2 June 2021.Retrieved21 October2022.
  32. ^"Sverige - Danmark - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  33. ^"Norway vs Sweden, 28 June 1947".eu-football.info.Retrieved21 October2022.
  34. ^"Sverige - Finland - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  35. ^"Sverige - Polen - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  36. ^"Sweden vs Norway, 5 October 1947".eu-football.info.Retrieved21 October2022.
  37. ^"England - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  38. ^"Sverige - Österrike - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  39. ^"Sverige - Korea - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish). Archived fromthe originalon 2 June 2021.Retrieved21 October2022.
  40. ^"Sverige - Jugoslavien - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  41. ^"Norge - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll".svenskfotboll.se(in Swedish).Retrieved21 October2022.
  42. ^"Corriere dello Sport 1951".Biblioteca dello Sport.Retrieved28 January2025.
  43. ^"Corriere dello Sport 1955".Biblioteca dello Sport.Retrieved28 January2025.
  44. ^"The Best of The Best"Archived26 January 2010 at theWayback MachineRetrieved on 17 November 2015
  45. ^sef_admin (20 November 2024)."Sebastian Nanasi bäst för andra året i följd och Gunnar Nordahl århundradets bästa allsvenska spelare – Allt från Allsvenskans Stora Pris 2024".Föreningen Svensk Elitfotboll(in Swedish).Retrieved21 November2024.
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