Swedish ex-Milan hero Nils Liedholm has died at the age of 85.
The midfielder nicknamed The Baron played 359 games for the Rossoneri and scored 81 goals after arriving from IFK Norrkoping in 1949.
Liedholm was known for his dedication to training and his accurate passing during his time at the San Siro.
Alongside Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Gren, he formed the legendary Gre-No-Li trident.
After hanging his boots up at the age of 39, Liedholm became a Coach and enjoyed three spells at Milan and three at Roma as well as periods with Verona and Fiorentina.
A Swedish newspaper poll recently named the Valdemarsvik native as the nationÂ’s greatest player.
Liedholm passed away at his home in Cuccaro Monferrato in the Piedmont province of Alessandria near Turin.
---
Statistics
As Player:
AC Milan (1949 - 1961) - 359 apps 81 goals
Sweden (1946 - 195
- 21 apps 10 goals
Playing Honours:
1948 Summer Olympics Gold Medal
1958 FIFA World Cup Runner Up
Allsvenskan: 1947, 1948 (IFK Norrkoping)
Scudetto: 1951, 1955, 1957, 1959 (AC Milan)
Latin Cup: 1951, 1956 (AC Milan)
As Coach:
AC Milan (1963 - 1966, 1977 - 1979, 1984 - 1987)
AS Roma (1973 - 1977, 1979 - 1984, 1987 - 1989, 1997)
Coaching Honours:
Scudetto: 1979 (AC Milan), 1983 (AS Roma)
Coppa Italia: 1981, 1983, 1984 (AS Roma)
---
RIP Niels. although i wasn't born when he was at Milan, i read many great things about him and the other two Swedish players.
here's a great Milan player and a fantastic Roma manager.