Vic
11-05-2007, 08:48 PM
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MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Nils Liedholm, who skippered Sweden at the 1958 World Cup finals and later became a title-winning coach in Italy, died Monday. He was 85.
Liedholm died in the northern village of Cuccaro Monferrato, said AC Milan, the team for which he played from 1949-61. The cause of death was not given.
"Milan weeps for the passing of Nils Liedholm," the team said in a statement. "With him goes an enormous piece of Milan's history."
Milan players will wear black armbands Tuesday for their Champions League game at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Liedholm made 23 international appearances for Sweden and scored 11 goals, helping his country win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics.
He led host nation Sweden to the World Cup final 10 years later and opened the scoring when they lost 5-2 to Brazil whose line-up included 17-year-old Pele.
Liedholm, who started his career with Norrkoping, made 359 appearances for AC Milan, scoring 81 goals. His team won Italian championships in 1951, '55, '57, and '59.
After retiring, Liedholm moved into coaching and picked up the nickname Il Barone (The Baron).
He guided AS Roma for 12 seasons and Milan for eight, winning five trophies, including two league titles -- in 1979 with Milan and in 1983 with Roma.
He coached Fiorentina, Verona, Varese and Monza before retiring in 1997
MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Nils Liedholm, who skippered Sweden at the 1958 World Cup finals and later became a title-winning coach in Italy, died Monday. He was 85.
Liedholm died in the northern village of Cuccaro Monferrato, said AC Milan, the team for which he played from 1949-61. The cause of death was not given.
"Milan weeps for the passing of Nils Liedholm," the team said in a statement. "With him goes an enormous piece of Milan's history."
Milan players will wear black armbands Tuesday for their Champions League game at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Liedholm made 23 international appearances for Sweden and scored 11 goals, helping his country win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics.
He led host nation Sweden to the World Cup final 10 years later and opened the scoring when they lost 5-2 to Brazil whose line-up included 17-year-old Pele.
Liedholm, who started his career with Norrkoping, made 359 appearances for AC Milan, scoring 81 goals. His team won Italian championships in 1951, '55, '57, and '59.
After retiring, Liedholm moved into coaching and picked up the nickname Il Barone (The Baron).
He guided AS Roma for 12 seasons and Milan for eight, winning five trophies, including two league titles -- in 1979 with Milan and in 1983 with Roma.
He coached Fiorentina, Verona, Varese and Monza before retiring in 1997