Mikael Nilsson (footballer, born 1968)

Jan Mikael Nilsson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈmîːkaɛl ˈnɪ̌lːsɔn]; born 28 September 1968) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a defender. He most notably played for IFK Göteborg with which he won six Swedish Championships and played in the UEFA Champions League. A full international between 1991 and 1996, he won 22 caps for the Sweden national team and represented his country at UEFA Euro 1992 and at the 1994 FIFA World Cup where Sweden finished third.

Club career

Nilsson played for a local club called Tomtens IF and IFK Falköping until 1987 when he moved to IFK Göteborg, where he stayed until he ended his active career in 2001 due to an eye injury. During these years, he played 609 first team matches, which is a club record. He also won six Swedish Championships with the club and played in several European competitions.

International career

Nilsson played 22 international matches for the Sweden national team, and was part of the UEFA Euro 1992 and 1994 FIFA World Cup squads, he did however not play any matches in any of the tournaments. He also represented the Sweden U19 and U21 teams, and competed at the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship where Sweden reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by the Soviet Union.

Legacy

In ITV's Greatest Champions League Goals programme, Nilsson's two strikes against PSV Eindhoven were number twenty and nineteen on the list of the top 50 goals, including a magnificent free-kick with an insane amount of curve, which probably is what he is best known for. One of Clive Tyldesley's famous quotes- "Now they know he can shoot, oh they know he can shoot", referred to Nilsson's second strike against PSV.