Gunnar Nordahl is the UFWC’s all-time leading goalscorer, scoring 29 goals in 19 UFWC title matches. The centre-forward was the most prolific of Sweden and AC Milan’s brilliant ‘Gre-No-Li’ trio, alongside Gunnar Gren and Nils Leidholm.
Born in 1921 in Hörnefors, Nordahl scored an amazing 44 goals in 30 games for Sweden, before a club move to AC Milan led to his premature international retirement, with Sweden not allowing professionals to play for the national side.
Nordahl never got the chance to play for Sweden at the 1950 World Cup finals, although he did win an Olympic gold medal in 1948, and of course the UFWC’s CW Alcock Cup.
At club level he became Milan’s all-time top scorer, netting 210 league goals in eight seasons. He was the top scorer in Serie A five times, and remains the league’s second highest all-time scorer after Silvio Piola.
He subsequently enjoyed a long management career, first as player manager at Roma, and then back home in Sweden.
Nordahl died in Italy in 1995 aged 73.
See a full run-down of Nordahl’s UFWC games and goals here.
Gunnar Nordahl, UFWC career 1942-47,19 games, 29 goals.
