Per Tomas Brolin (born 29 November 1969) is a Swedish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
or as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
.
At club level, he had a successful period with
A.C. Parma
Parma Calcio 1913 (), commonly known as Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, which competes in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football.
''Parma Football Club'' was originally founded in Dec ...
during the early 1990s, winning the
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
, the
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
, the
1993 UEFA Super Cup
The 1993 European Super Cup was contested between AC Milan (the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League runners-upEuropean champions Marseille were suspended due to bribery scandal) and Parma (the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup champions). It was ...
, and the
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
. He also represented
Näsvikens IK,
GIF Sundsvall
Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall, more commonly known as GIF Sundsvall (), Giffarna or simply Sundsvall, is a Swedish professional football club based in Sundsvall. The club is affiliated with Medelpads Fotbollförbund and plays its h ...
,
IFK Norrköping
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollförbund and play their ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
,
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
and
Hudiksvall ABK
Hudiksvalls FF is a Swedish football club located in Hudiksvall. The club was known as Hudiksvalls ABK, but changed their name, badge and colors in 2011.
Background
Since their foundation in 1931 Hudiksvalls FF has participated mainly in the midd ...
during a career that spanned between 1984 and 1998.
A full international between 1990 and 1995, Brolin won 47
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
and scored 27 goals for the
Sweden national team and helped them finish third at the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
. He was also a member of the Sweden squads that competed at the
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...
,
UEFA Euro 1992
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.
Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...
, and
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
. He was the 1990 and 1994 recipient of
Guldbollen
Guldbollen (''Golden Ball'') is a Swedish football award given by ''Aftonbladet'' and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year.
History
The award was created by Bengt Liljedahl and between 1946 to 1965 it was ...
as Sweden's best footballer of the year.
13 days before his 25th birthday in November 1994 he broke a bone in his foot leading to 5 months out of first team football. After returning from that injury he was unable to deliver the height of performance he had pre-injury. After struggles with form, injury and weight he retired as a footballer at the age of 28.
Club career
Early career
Brolin's first league match in an adult league competition was for Näsvikens IK in 1984 at the age of 14 against Kilafors, and he went on to make 36 appearances for the fourth division club.
GIF Sundsvall
Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall, more commonly known as GIF Sundsvall (), Giffarna or simply Sundsvall, is a Swedish professional football club based in Sundsvall. The club is affiliated with Medelpads Fotbollförbund and plays its h ...
, spotted Brolin and offered him a contract in which he could continue his education while developing his career. In 1986 Brolin enrolled at Fotbollsgymnasiet, the football academy in Sundsvall. He was subsequently signed by GIF Sundsvall, making his first team debut in 1987 against
IF Elfsborg
Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Allsvenskan and have spent ...
.
After three seasons at Sundsvall, Brolin moved to
IFK Norrköping
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Norrköping, more commonly known as IFK Norrköping or simply Norrköping, is a Swedish professional football club based in Norrköping. The club is affiliated to Östergötlands Fotbollförbund and play their ...
where he scored 7 goals in 9 games during the
1990 Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan 1990, part of the 1990 Swedish football season, was the 66th Allsvenskan season played. IFK Göteborg won the league ahead of runners-up IFK Norrköping, while IK Brage, Örgryte IS and Hammarby IF were relegated.
Overview
The league ...
spring season.
Parma
Brolin was signed by Italian club
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
in 1990, just after the club had been promoted back to
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
. He quickly formed an effective partnership at Parma with
Alessandro Melli: The two together scored 20 goals, 13 from Melli and 7 from Brolin. Parma finished in joint fifth-place in their first season back in Serie A. It was the first time that the team qualified for Europe in their history.
In
1991–92, Brolin played in all 34 of Parma's Serie A matches, scoring four goals. Parma finished in sixth place and lifted the
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
. Brolin scored two vital goals in the Coppa Italia run: one in a 1–1 draw with
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
and the second in the 1–0 victory over
Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional 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, ...
in the semi-final. Parma beat
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
2–1 on aggregate in the final to lift their first trophy in the club's history.
In
1992–93, after Parma won the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
, the club purchased the Colombian
Faustino Asprilla
Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who most notably played for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team as a forward.
Club career Early years
After starting ...
and the Argentine
Sergio Berti
Sergio Ángel Berti (born 17 February 1969) is an Argentine retired professional footballer, nicknamed ''La Bruja'', who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Villa Constitución, Santa Fe, Berti began his career in 1988 with popular c ...
. The addition of the two foreign players, however, meant the positions of Parma's three other non-Italian players –
Cláudio Taffarel
Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel (; born 8 May 1966) is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and is the goalkeeping coach of English Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazil national team. During an 18-year career he p ...
,
Georges Grün
Georges Serge Grün (born 25 January 1962) is a retired Belgium, Belgian Association football, football Defender (association football), defender, who currently works as a television presenter for the UEFA Champions League matches at RTL TVI.
C ...
and Brolin – were not guaranteed, as the club could only field three ''stranieri'', or foreign players, in a match. Before Asprilla's arrival, Brolin had been playing up-front with fellow forward Alessandro Melli. Parma's coach, however, benched Brolin in favour of Asprilla for most of the season. When Asprilla played, Brolin's number 11 was handed to Asprilla with Brolin playing either in the number 8 or 9 jersey. Brolin did help the club lift the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
by defeating
Royal Antwerp
Royal Antwerp Football Club, often referred to as Royal Antwerp or simply Antwerp, is a Belgian football club based in the city of Antwerp. Founded around 1880 as ''Antwerp Cricket Club'' by English students residing in Antwerp, 15 years before ...
3–1 in the final at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
.
The following season, the club signed duo
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He was most recently the assistant manager of Chelsea.
He spent the first decade of his playing career playing in ...
and
Massimo Crippa for a total of £9 million from cash strapped
Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, putting Brolin's place in the team even more in the balance. Coach Scala, having seen the benefit of playing Brolin in midfield during the previous season, decided to play Brolin in a deeper position than his first three seasons at the club. He was handed Melli's number 7 jersey and played in a three-man midfield with
Gabriele Pin
Gabriele Pin (born 21 January 1962) is an Italian football coach, and a former player. He is currently an assistant coach at Al-Ittihad Kalba.
Pin became a coach after a long professional career as a midfielder. As a player, he won the Scudett ...
on the right, Crippa on the left and Asprilla and Zola leading the attack. When the team was a goal down or in need of extra firepower up front, striker Melli came on as a substitute in place of Pin and Zola dropped into midfield, a tactic that was deployed by the coach during the
1993–94 season.
The club reached the final of the
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
having beaten
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
and
Benfica on the road to
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, where they played
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in the final. Despite Brolin coming close to scoring in the first 15 minutes and even hitting the post, Parma lost 1–0.
Injury
On 16 November 1994 at the
Råsunda Stadion in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, Brolin had broken his foot in a qualifier for
UEFA Euro 1996
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
. At the time of his injury, Parma were two points clear at the top of the
1994–95 Serie A
The 1994–95 Serie A was won by Juventus, who finished 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals Parma and Lazio.
Two pieces of silverware were seized by Juventus, who won the Coppa Italia against Parma but were beaten by the same opponents in t ...
league table. By the time he returned on 23 April 1995, however, Parma were eight points behind leaders and eventual champions Juventus. With Gianfranco Zola missing, Brolin was given his first full start after his injury on 7 May 1995, a week after he resumed playing for Sweden. His first start in nearly six months came against
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, and Parma needed a victory to keep the pressure on runaway leaders Juventus. Brolin lasted 62 minutes before he was substituted for
Stefano Fiore
Stefano Fiore (; born 17 April 1975) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as an attacking midfielder or on the right wing. He was in charge as manager technical area of Nuova Cosenza Calcio in Serie D.
Fiore played for s ...
as Parma drew 0–0 and slipped seven points behind in the title race. Brolin struggled the rest of the season to find his form and fitness, but nonetheless continued to make appearances. On the last matchday of the season, against Napoli, Brolin was sent off for the first time in his career in the 23rd minute.
Departure
During the close season, Parma signed
Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov ( bg, Христо Стоичков Стоичков, ; born 8 February 1966) is a Bulgarian former professional Association football, footballer who is a football commentator for TUDN. A prolific Forward (association ...
for £6.5 million from
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
as Brolin tried to get back to full fitness for the start of the
1995–96 season. Despite scoring in the Parmalat Cup against the United States (2–1) and
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
(3–1), and participating in a friendly against
Anderlecht
Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...
(1–0) during the club's pre-season, the coach felt that Brolin lacked the appropriate level of fitness to continue playing in the central midfield position.
Brolin made his first league appearance during the 1995–96 season as a late substitute in a 2–1 home win against
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
on 10 September. Four days later, in a first round European Cup Winners' Cup, Brolin made his first start against
Teuta Durrë in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
, as well as made another start in the return match on 28 September. After a few more appearances, it was clear that Brolin would not have a chance to play regularly due to his lack of form. After five years at Parma, Brolin decided he would have to leave Parma in order to get more playing time.
Leeds United
Brolin turned down three Italian clubs before moving to
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
on 7 November 1995. On 17 November, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. Coach
Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson (born 13 November 1943) is an English former footballer and manager. Despite having a low-profile playing career, Wilkinson embarked on a successful managerial career. He won the First Division championship in 1992 with Leeds ...
saw Brolin as the perfect foil for the club's top scorer
Tony Yeboah
Anthony Yeboah (born 6 June 1966) is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
He is considered one of the most prominent and prolific goal scorers in Ghanaian and African football history and gained a reputation for sc ...
.
A day after signing for the club, Brolin made his
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
debut at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Park ...
against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
as an 82nd-minute substitute for
Mark Ford. They lost 2–1. Four days later, Brolin made his first start for the club as he contributed in the 2–1 win over
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
. Fans quickly dubbed Brolin as the "Baby-Faced Assassin".
Brolin scored his first goal for the club against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on 16 December, in a match which they lost 6–2. It was a quite lucky goal, as a
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
defender trying a clearance hit him in shoulder after he fell on the ground and let him score a goal. He continued, briefly, as a regular starter playing in a 2–0 win over
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
on 27 December, in which he scored his second goal for the club. On 13 January, Brolin hit two goals as ten-man Leeds United, without Yeboah and
Brian Deane
Brian Christopher Deane (born 7 February 1968) is an English football coach and former player. His most recent managerial position was as the manager of the Norwegian side Sarpsborg 08.
During his playing career, he played as forward from 1985 ...
, beat
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
2–0 at
Elland Road
Elland Road is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the home of Premier League club Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the 14th largest football stadium in England.
The g ...
.
In the aftermath of a 5–0 defeat to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
on 20 January, Brolin and Wilkinson clashed over the player's defensive abilities, with Wilkinson accusing Brolin of not pulling his weight. He played in a 2–1 defeat to
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
on 31 January, but was dropped for the league match against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
despite Wilkinson missing nine first-team players through suspensions, injuries and international duty.
Brolin was then listed as "injured" and missed the following three matches. He returned to the team as Leeds beat
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
3–0 on 25 February in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final to set up a final against Aston Villa.
On 1 April 1996, Brolin had to apologize to Howard Wilkinson after an
April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
prank backfired.
He had told Swedish television that he was going to play out the season on loan to former club IFK Norrköping as a joke but the statement was then picked up by international media and re-reported as fact.
He returned on 3 April, however, and played in the matches against
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. He played his last match of the season at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to:
* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England
** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066
* Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge
* Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
on 14 April, setting up
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE (born 25 December 1964) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
McAllister played primarily as a midfielder in a career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell b ...
's goal in the 4–1 defeat to
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, but was dropped for the following match against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
. On 1 May, it was announced by the club that Brolin had returned home to Sweden undergo surgery to remove scar tissue from his troublesome ankle, and was not fit for Leeds' last two league matches, or indeed at all generally. Brolin's future at Leeds, however, was already in doubt.
In 2012, Brolin claimed in Swedish magazine ''Offside'' that his poor performance in the game against Liverpool that led to his being dropped had been a protest against Wilkinson playing him out of position on the wing, leaving him "to run up and down the right like an idiot" as opposed to the centrally lying playmaker role he believed that he had been signed for.
Loan to Zürich
In the middle of 1996, Brolin went searching for a club and was granted three extra days by Wilkinson to find a new club, however no serious interest was forthcoming. On 19 August 1996, Leeds announced that Brolin was on the transfer market and were prepared to sell him for nearly £2 million less than the £4.5 million paid for him just a year earlier. Leeds manager Wilkinson had fined Brolin a week's wages around £12,000 for not turning up to pre-season training and announced he was seeking guidance from the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
on the legality of withholding Brolin's wages, and told the press that he would rather have any player in his team than Brolin. Leeds stopped his wages when he refused to show up for pre-season training and reportedly saved £72,000 by the time Brolin had joined
FC Zürich
Fussballclub Zürich, commonly abbreviated to FC Zürich or simply FCZ, is a Swiss football club based in Zürich. The club was founded in 1896 and has won the Swiss Super League 13 times and the Swiss Cup 10 times. The most recent titles a ...
on loan, where he received the minimum wage of £800-a-week for a player in the
Natonalliga A.
Brolin joined the Swiss club on 20 August 1996 and played three matches for Zürich in the Nationalliga A and one
Swiss Cup
The Swiss Cup (; ; ; ) is a football cup tournament that has been organised annually since 1925–26 by the Swiss Football Association. Since 1999 the winner earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Europa Conference L ...
match against lowly Uzwil, which Zürich won 10–0. Brolin wanted to stay at the club until their mid-season winter break in December to get back to full fitness, but Leeds' new coach
George Graham
George Graham (born 30 November 1944), nicknamed "Stroller", is a Scottish former football player and manager.
In his successful playing career, he made 455 appearances in England's Football League as a midfielder or forward for Aston Villa, Ch ...
wanted him back at Elland Road and refused to allow him to play for the club against
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website ...
on 9 October, after his loan spell ended on 30 September. Graham was quoted as saying, "We have heard nothing from Tomas Brolin. We have not even got a telephone number for him. All our correspondence with him has been done through his agent, Lars Peterson." Leeds gave Brolin an ultimatum to return to the club on 6 November or face legal action.
Loan to Parma
A proposed loan move to Sampdoria collapsed on 13 November after a medical due to a metal staple in his foot. This scuppered a move back to Italy, with a view to a permanent £2 million move to the club.
Leeds urged Brolin to return to
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
and have tests on his damaged ankle to clarify the extent of the injury, fearing Brolin would be forced to retire, and wanted him to seek a second opinion from a leading orthopaedic surgeon. Then, on 24 December, Brolin paid £500,000 of his own money to fund his loan move back to Parma until the end of the season. Brolin trained with the club but did not return to first team action until 23 February 1997 as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 win over
Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
. He also made substitute appearances against
Cagliari
Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...
(3–2),
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...
(2–1), Inter (1–0) and Fiorentina (0–1), all in March 1997.
Brolin played in an exhibition match at the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
in
Montjuïc
Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Etymology
Montjuïc translates to "Jewish Mountain" from medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery have been found there. Some sources suggest that Montjuïc ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, on 26 April for the International Association of Professional Footballers (AIFP), of which he was a founding member. Brolin played against
Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...
(0–2) on 28 April as a substitute, and with Parma having several injuries and suspensions, Parma head coach
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...
handed Brolin his first and only start in his second spell at the Italian club on 4 May in a 2–1 win over
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...
. He then made another appearance in the 3–0 win over
Vicenza
Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan.
Vicenza is a th ...
a week later. Brolin even played a part in Parma's title run-in with Juventus, making substitute appearances against
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
(1–1), and against Juventus (1–1) on 25 May, coming on after
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Qatari club Al-Duhail.
A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At in ...
limped off with a hamstring injury. His last appearance came in the last game of the season, on 1 June, in a 2–1 win over
Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85.
His ...
, as Parma finished in their best ever position, second place.
By the end of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, it was clear that Parma were not interested in keeping the player and had only agreed to sign him on loan to keep him fit after so many years of loyal service to the Parma club.
Departure
On 16 June 1997, Brolin's loan deal with Parma expired. Under the terms of the agreement, he was obligated to return to Elland Road within 72 hours. Brolin, however, was axed by coach George Graham for the club's pre-season tour of Sweden. Brolin was forced to find another club on loan or play for the reserves.
On 29 August, he was offered a loan deal with
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
but the deal fell through and Brolin missed the Spanish transfer deadline. As a result, he was fined by Leeds for being absent for training for three days which he disputed. Then, on 15 September, Brolin met with
Jim Jefferies about a loan to
Hearts. Yet again, however, the deal fell through. According to Brolin's agent, the club would not meet their price, but the Hearts chief Chris Robinson decided to pull the plug on the deal due to the player's lack of fitness.
After the two failed loan deals, Brolin continued to train and play in the reserves. On 6 October, he was fined £90,000 after missing a match to attend his father's 50th birthday as well as criticizing George Graham in the media. The player threatened to take the club to a Premier League tribunal. On 28 October 1997, club officials, Brolin, and Brolin's representatives decided to terminate Brolin's contract for a reported £140,000.
Although he recovered from his ankle injury, Brolin never regained his pre-injury level of fitness. He made 19 Premier League appearances for Leeds, scoring four goals. He is widely regarded by Leeds fans as one of the club's worst ever players, and in 2003, a poll by
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
saw him voted by the club's fans as the club's worst player in living memory, with the editor joking that Brolin had given almost all of his £4.5 million fee back to the local catering industry with "dedicated munching".
Crystal Palace
On 16 November 1997,
Steve Coppell
Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player.
As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and rep ...
, the manager of struggling
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
, offered Brolin a two-week trial. Palace had been playing a friendly in Sweden, and Coppell was hoping to finalize the two-week trial while he was there. At the time, Brolin was training with
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Idrottsförening ("Hammarby Sports Club"), commonly known as Hammarby IF or simply Hammarby ( or, especially locally, ), is a Swedish sports club located in Stockholm, with a number of member organizations active in a variety of differe ...
in Stockholm.
The trial began on 5 January 1998. With a player shortage, Brolin was asked by Coppell to play for the club in a league match. Brolin was registered as a player for the club and allocated the number 12 jersey. He played in the home league match against
Everton on 10 January, and netted a ball in the 72nd minute only to see the referee rule it out for offside. The club lost 3–1 but Brolin, whose trial ended on 16 January, was handed a contract until the end of the season.
In his third game, Brolin came up against his old club Leeds. Brolin was still overweight, but managed to get a starting place in the team. After five minutes, however, he had to come off after a collision with
Bruno Ribeiro
Bruno Miguel Fernandes Ribeiro (born 22 October 1975) is a Portuguese football manager and former player who is now the head coach at Campeonato de Portugal club Moura.
A midfielder with a powerful left-foot strike, he began his playing ca ...
, which left him dazed and needing stitches to a head wound. While he was receiving treatment, Leeds scored. Brolin, determined to upset his former team, returned to the field six minutes later, but Palace were unable to beat Leeds.
Brolin went on to play 12 more times for Palace, mostly as a striker due to the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
club's shortage of players up-front. On 13 March 1998, the club lost to Chelsea 6–2. Crystal Palace had been procured by
Mark Goldberg who decided
Steve Coppell
Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player.
As a player, he was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed and work rate. He won domestic honours with Manchester United and rep ...
should step down as manager and player
Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo (; born 6 January 1966) is an Italian retired football player turned manager; he is currently the assistant manager for the Italy national team.
Throughout his career he was usually deployed as a wide midfielder, or as an of ...
would take over as player-manager. Despite it being widely reported that Brolin was to be his assistant coach, Palace chairman Goldberg insisted that the fluent
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
speaking Brolin was merely Lombardo's interpreter.
Brolin's last competitive game came in the 3–0 defeat to Manchester United on 27 April 1998. He was substituted for
Jamie Fullarton
James Fullarton (born 20 July 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who recently left Walsall FC
Fullarton played for several clubs in Scotland, France and England, including St Mirren, Bastia, Crystal Palace, Bo ...
after 68 minutes. Brolin was unable to recapture his form or fitness failing to score in 15 appearances. Palace were relegated from the Premier League and on 14 May 1998, he was released from the London club and returned to Sweden to think about his prospects.
Retirement
On 12 August 1998, the player announced his retirement from the game and made his last appearance on 29 August 1998 in the last 15 minutes for Hudiksvalls A.B.K. against
Kiruna FF
Kiruna FF is a Swedish football club located in Kiruna. The men's team competes in Division 2 Norra Norrland, in the fourth level of the Swedish football league system. The women's team competes in div 3, in the fifth level.
Background
Kiruna F ...
, as a goalkeeper.
International career
Early career and 1990 World Cup
At the age of 20, and having played in the
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; en, the All-Swedish, also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan, en, the Football All-Swedish) is a Swedish professional league for men's association football clubs. It was founded in 1924 and is the top tier of the Swedish football lea ...
for
GIF Sundsvall
Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall, more commonly known as GIF Sundsvall (), Giffarna or simply Sundsvall, is a Swedish professional football club based in Sundsvall. The club is affiliated with Medelpads Fotbollförbund and plays its h ...
for three years, Brolin moved to IFK Norrköping and in his first game for the club in a pre-season friendly against
IFK Eskilstuna
IFK Eskilstuna is a Swedish football club located in Eskilstuna in Södermanland County. In their early seasons IFK had a proud record as an Allsvenskan club but they now play in Division 2 Västra Svealand, which is the fourth tier of Swedish f ...
, he netted a hat-trick. However, it was his hat-trick in his league debut in a 6–0 victory over
IFK Göteborg
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...
at Idrottsparken in Norrköping that grabbed all the headlines and alerted Sweden's coach
Olle Nordin
Carl Jan Olof "Olle" Nordin (born 23 November 1949) is a Swedish former football coach and former player. He represented IFK Norrköping, IFK Sundsvall, and IFK Göteborg during a playing career that spanned between 1970 and 1980. A full internat ...
to Brolin's talents. Sweden had just qualified for the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
for the first time since
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
and were looking for a forward to lead their frontline, having only managed nine goals in six matches during the qualifying rounds.
Eighteen days later, Brolin was lining up against
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
at the
Råsunda Stadion, and five minutes after
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and s ...
had given the visitors the lead, Brolin announced his arrival on the international stage with two goals in six minutes to give Sweden a 2–1 lead. Sweden won 4–2 on the night, and Brolin went on to score another two in the following match with
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
a month later, which Sweden won 6–0. Subsequently, Brolin was picked to lead the Swedish attack in the
1990 World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...
in Italy. Sweden failed to win any of their matches at that tournament, however, but after scoring against
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, Brolin was soon signed by Parma for £1.2 million (out of a possible 12 buyers), and also won his first ''
Guldbollen
Guldbollen (''Golden Ball'') is a Swedish football award given by ''Aftonbladet'' and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year.
History
The award was created by Bengt Liljedahl and between 1946 to 1965 it was ...
'' as Sweden's footballer of the year.
[Zlatan vinnare igen — men kom inte]
DN.se, 9 November 2009
Euro 1992
At
UEFA Euro 1992
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.
Denmark won the 1992 championship, having qualifi ...
, Brolin was joint top-scorer (three goals) with three others (
Henrik Larsen
Henrik Larsen (born 17 May 1966), nicknamed ''Store Larsen'' (''Big Larsen''), is a Danish football manager and former professional player, who played as a midfielder. He was last the manager of Lyngby Boldklub.
He was the joint top scorer at t ...
,
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (; born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker and then to second striker, where he remained throughout his playing ...
and
Karl-Heinz Riedle
Karl-Heinz Riedle (; born 16 September 1965) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Despite not being particularly tall, he was nicknamed "Air" throughout his career, due to his notable heading accuracy, jumping an ...
); his goal against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
did much to raise his profile.
1994 World Cup
Brolin went to the
1994 World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football, soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the countr ...
in the best shape of his career, at the age of 24. Despite having a talented group of players, however, Sweden was not predicted to go far at the World Cup in the United States. They scraped a draw with
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
in their opening game. Things improved in Sweden's next game with
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, with Brolin playing behind
Martin Dahlin
Dan Martin Nataniel Dahlin (born 16 April 1968) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. In his prime, he was considered one of the world's best strikers.
Starting off his career with Malmö FF in 1987, he was the 19 ...
and the towering
Kennet Andersson
Bernt Kennet Andersson (born 6 October 1967) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Starting off his career with IFK Eskilstuna in the mid-1980s, he went on to play professionally in Sweden, Belgium, France, Italy, ...
, as Sweden won 3–1.
In their final group match, Sweden drew 1–1 with tournament favourites Brazil after Brolin set up Sweden's goal for Kennet Andersson, and reached the second round.
Brolin scored three goals for Sweden in the 1994 World Cup as the nation finished third in the competition. Brolin's performances earned him a place in the competition's World Cup All Star Team. In the quarter-final against
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, he scored one of his most famous goals: When Sweden were awarded a free-kick, everyone expected
Stefan Schwarz
Hans-Jürgen Stefan Schwarz (born 18 April 1969) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Schwarz started off his career with Malmö FF in 1987 before moving on to represent Benfica, Arsenal, Fiorentina, and Valen ...
to shoot. Instead, Schwarz jumped over the ball and
Håkan Mild
Stig Håkan Mild (born 14 June 1971) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is best remembered for his time with IFK Göteborg, with which he won four Swedish Championships. A full international betwe ...
passed the ball past the wall to Brolin, who managed to score. He received his second ''Guldbollen'' award in 1994.
Euro 1996 qualifying
On 16 November 1994, at the
Råsunda Stadion in Stockholm, Brolin broke his foot in a qualifier for
Euro 1996
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
. On 7 May 1995, a week after he had returned from injury, Brolin played for Sweden against
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, and scored a penalty but was unable to help his team to a much needed victory in their qualifying campaign.
On 16 April 1996, Brolin was then dropped by Swedish coach
Tommy Svensson
Leif Tommy Svensson (born 4 March 1945) is a Swedish former football manager and player. He is best known for playing for Östers IF and the Sweden national football team. He won the Guldbollen in 1969. He managed Sweden between 1991 and 1997 and ...
for a friendly against
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in Belfast, and was quoted, "Brolin is not at 100 percent at the moment and it is difficult to say when he will be." Brolin told Swedish news agency TT that it was the best for him, and the national side: "Right now I need to recover in order to get to the capacity needed to add something to the national team."
In the end, Sweden did not qualify for Euro 1996. Brolin never played for his country again, but in the last five years he had been selected 47 times at senior level and scored an impressive 27 goals.
Style of play
A dynamic, energetic, creative and technically gifted footballer, Brolin was a world-class player in his prime, who was known for his excellent Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, as well as for his Passing (association football), passing ability and powerful shots on goal.
A versatile player, he was usually deployed as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, offensive-midfield playmaker due to his ability to provide Assist (football), assists for teammates, but he was also used as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker, Midfielder#Winger, winger, Midfielder#Central midfielder, central midfielder and as a Forward (association football)#Second striker, deep-lying forward throughout his career, due to his work-rate and tactical intelligence.
Despite his talent in his youth, his career was affected by several injuries, which forced him into early retirement.
Personal life
After retiring from football, Brolin settled to become a businessman and returned to his homeland where for a period of time he owned an Italian-Swedish restaurant called Undici ( it, 11, the number he wore while playing for Parma).
[
] Undici has been fined numerous times for permitting underage drinking. He also invested money in real estate and – to some public amusement – in a firm selling a new type of mouthpiece for vacuum cleaners.
[
] He also appeared in a video by Dr. Alban which featured other famous Swedish sportsmen, including Björn Borg.
In 2001, a long-time girlfriend, Susan Hardenborg, gave birth to Brolin's first child, a boy named Sebastian. The couple had split before the birth of the child, but remain on good terms. He was married to the former Miss Sweden and TV presenter Annika Duckmark until they got divorced in 2006.
Brolin has been an active World Series of Poker player since 2006.
[
] Playing in the 2007 World Series of Poker and the PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup, 2006 Football & Poker Legends Cup organized by PartyGaming, PartyPoker.com. He has also competed regularly in the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour and cashed twice – once in the Season 4 Prague event where he came 23rd and again in the EPT Grand Final later that season in Monte Carlo where he came 38th out of an 842-strong field.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brolin goal.''
Honours
Parma
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1993 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, 1992–93
*
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
: 1994–95 UEFA Cup, 1994–95
* UEFA Super Cup: 1993 UEFA Super Cup, 1993
*
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
: 1991–92 Coppa Italia, 1991–92
Sweden
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
third place: 1994 FIFA World Cup, 1994
Individual
*
Guldbollen
Guldbollen (''Golden Ball'') is a Swedish football award given by ''Aftonbladet'' and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year.
History
The award was created by Bengt Liljedahl and between 1946 to 1965 it was ...
: Guldbollen#1990s, 1990, Guldbollen#1990s, 1994
[
* List of UEFA European Football Championship goalscorers, UEFA Euro Golden Boot: UEFA Euro 1992#Awards, 1992][
* FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team, FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1994 FIFA World Cup#All-star team, 1994
* Ballon d'Or fourth place: 1994 Ballon d'Or, 1994
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brolin, Tomas
1969 births
Living people
People from Hudiksvall Municipality
Swedish footballers
Association football forwards
Association football midfielders
Sweden international footballers
Sweden under-21 international footballers
Sweden youth international footballers
Olympic footballers of Sweden
1990 FIFA World Cup players
Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
UEFA Euro 1992 players
1994 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Cup winning players
Allsvenskan players
Serie A players
Premier League players
Swiss Super League players
GIF Sundsvall players
IFK Norrköping players
Parma Calcio 1913 players
Leeds United F.C. players
FC Zürich players
Crystal Palace F.C. players
Swedish football managers
Crystal Palace F.C. managers
Swedish expatriate footballers
Swedish expatriate football managers
Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Italy
Swedish expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate football managers in England
Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Expatriate footballers in Switzerland
Swedish poker players