Martin Dahlin
Dahlin at the Swedish Sports Awards 2014
Personal information
Full name Dan Martin Nataniel Dahlin
Date of birth (1968-04-16) 16 April 1968 (age 55)
Place of birth Uddevalla,[1] Sweden
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
Lunds BK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1991 Malmö FF 79 (39)
1991–1996 Borussia Mönchengladbach 106 (50)
1996–1997 Roma 3 (0)
1996–1997 → Borussia Mönchengladbach
(loan)		 19 (10)
1997–1999 Blackburn Rovers 27 (4)
1998–1999 → Hamburger SV (loan) 8 (0)
Total 242 (103)
International career
1985–1986 Sweden U18 7 (2)
1988 Sweden U21 2 (0)
1988 Sweden Olympic 6 (0)
1991–1997 Sweden 60 (29)
Medal record
 Sweden
FIFA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1994
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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.[2][3]

Starting off his career with Malmö FF in 1987, he was the 1988 Allsvenskan top scorer and played for clubs in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the Premier League before retiring in 1999.

A full international between 1991 and 1997, he won 60 caps for the Sweden national team and was a part of the Sweden team that finished third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[4] He also represented Sweden at the 1988 Summer Olympics as well as UEFA Euro 1992. In 1993, he was awarded Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year.

Early life

Dahlin was born in Uddevalla, Sweden. He is the son of a Venezuelan father, who was a musician, and a Swedish mother. Named after Martin Luther King Jr.,[5] Dahlin spent his upbringing in Lund.[5]

Club career

In 1993, he was selected as best Swedish player of the year, winning Guldbollen.[6]

He played for Malmö FF, Borussia Mönchengladbach, A.S. Roma, Hamburger SV and Blackburn Rovers. The most successful time of his career he spent with Borussia Mönchengladbach with whom he won the German Cup in 1995 along with Stefan Effenberg.

Dahlin transferred from Roma to Blackburn Rovers in mid-1997 and made 21 appearances in the 1997–98 season, scoring four goals.

In the 1998–99 season, he only played five games when an injury in a training game ruled him out for the rest of the season and contributed to his retirement from the game after a short spell at Hamburger SV in 1999.

Blackburn Rovers later sued their insurance company who had refused to pay out over the injury claiming that normal wear and tear could have been a contributing factor. Although the initial verdict was given in favour of the club, in 2005 the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict and sent it back to the lower court. On 12 April 2006, the High Court ruled in favour of the insurance company, decreeing that the player probably had a pre-existing condition.[7] This decision left Blackburn about £4 million out-of-pocket.

International career

Dahlin earned 66 caps for Sweden at the senior level. He was part of the Swedish national team which finished third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals in the tournament. He also participated in the team which reached the semifinals of UEFA Euro 1992.

Retirement

Dahlin officially lives in Monaco.[8] He lends his name to a clothing line.[9] He speaks three languages – Swedish, English and German.[6]

Dahlin became a sports agent working for former teammate Roger Ljung's sport agency Roger Ljung Promotion AB.[10] He has since formed his own agency called MD Management.[11] He represents Ola Toivonen,[12] Guillermo Molins,[13] Markus Rosenberg, Jonas Olsson,[14] Behrang Safari[15] and Pontus Jansson.[16]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[17]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Malmö FF 1988 Allsvenskan 21 17 – 21 17
1989 Allsvenskan 17 4 – 17 4
1990 Allsvenskan 19 7 – 19 7
1991 Allsvenskan 22 11 – 22 11
Total 79 39 0 0 79 39
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1991–92[18] Bundesliga 12 2 2 0 – 0 0 – 14 2
1992–93[18] Bundesliga 20 10 3 1 – 0 0 – 23 11
1993–94[18] Bundesliga 27 12 4 2 – 0 0 – 31 14
1994–95[18] Bundesliga 24 11 5 2 – 0 0 – 29 13
1995–96[18] Bundesliga 23 15 1 0 – 5 3 1[a] 0 30 18
Total 106 50 15 5 0 0 5 3 1 0 127 58
Roma 1996–97[18] Serie A 3 0 1 0 – 0 0 – 4 0
Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan) 1996–97[18] Bundesliga 19 10 0 0 – 0 0 – 19 10
Blackburn Rovers 1997–98[18] Premier League 27 4 1 0 2 2 0 0 – 30 6
Hamburger SV (loan) 1998–99[18] Bundesliga 8 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 8 0
Career total 242 103 17 5 2 2 5 3 1 0 267 113
  1. ^ Appearance in German Super Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team Season Apps Goals
Sweden
1991 7 6
1992 10 4
1993 8 6
1994 12 6
1995 6 0
1996 8 5
1997 9 2
Total 60 29

International goals

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 1 May 1991 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Austria 4–0 6–0 Friendly
2. 5–0
3. 15 June 1991 Idrottsparken, Norrköping  Denmark 1–0 4–0 Scania 100 Tournament
4. 2–0
5. 4 September 1991 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Yugoslavia 1–0 4–3 Friendly
6. 3–2
7. 7 May 1992 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Poland 4–0 5–0 Friendly
8. 26 August 1992 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 1–1 2–2 Friendly
9. 7 October 1992 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Bulgaria 1–0 2–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
10. 11 November 1992 Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel  Israel 2–1 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
11. 28 April 1993 Parc des Princes, Paris, France  France 1–0 1–2 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
12. 11 August 1993 Ryavallen, Borås, Sweden   Switzerland 1–0 1–2 Friendly
13. 22 August 1993 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  France 1–1 1–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
14. 8 September 1993 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1–1 1–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
15. 13 October 1993 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Finland 1–1 3–2 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier
16. 3–1
17. 19 June 1994 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, US  Cameroon 2–2 2–2 1994 FIFA World Cup
18. 24 June 1994 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, US  Russia 2–1 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup
19. 3–1
20. 3 July 1994 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas, US  Saudi Arabia 1–0 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup
21. 12 October 1994 Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland   Switzerland 2–1 2–4 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier
22. 16 November 1994 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Hungary 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier
23. 24 April 1996 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 1–0 2–1 Friendly
24. 9 May 1996 Olympia, Helsingborg, Sweden  Slovakia 1–0 2–1 Friendly
25. 16 May 1996 Olympic Stadium, Seoul, South Korea  South Korea 1–0 2–0 Friendly
26. 1 June 1996 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Belarus 2–0 5–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
27. 1 September 1996 Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
28. 8 June 1997 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 1–0 3–2 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier
29. 6 August 1997 Malmö Stadion, Malmö, Sweden  Lithuania 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours

Malmö FF

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Sweden

Individual

References

  1. ^ SveBef1970
  2. ^ "Swedish gem who propelled Parma". FIFA.com. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  3. ^ Clarey, Christopher (25 June 1994). "WORLD CUP '94; Send Sweden's Dahlin To Head of the Class". New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Martin Dahlin EXCLUSIVE: Zlatan Ibrahimovic One Of Sweden's Greatest Ever Players". Goal.com. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  5. ^ a b Christopher Clarey (10 July 1994). "Dahlin Is Swedish Player First, Pioneer a Distant Second". NY Times. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  6. ^ a b Dwight Chapin (8 July 1994). "Skill, not race, separates Dahlin". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 8 July 2009.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Rovers fail in Dahlin damages bid". BBC Sport. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  8. ^ "tv2". tv2.dk. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  9. ^ "dahlin". dahlin.nu. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Dahlins nya jobb – agent" (in Swedish). aftonbladet.se. 18 April 2001. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Martin Dahlin EXCLUSIVE: Zlatan Ibrahimovic One Of Sweden's Greatest Ever Players". goal.com. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  12. ^ "West Brom on alert for PSV striker Ola Toivonen". www.expressandstar.com.
  13. ^ Smith, Rune (27 December 2009). "Tyska Köln vill ha Guillermo Molins" (in Swedish). expressen.se. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  14. ^ Torgerson, Richard (5 June 2009). "Olsson flattered by Villa link". Sky Sports. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  15. ^ Malmström, Håkan (15 June 2008). "Behrang Safari går till schweiziska Basel" (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  16. ^ "Leeds' option to sign Pontus Jansson kicks in on 22nd appearance for defender". Sky Sports. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Martin DAHLIN". level-k.com. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Martin Dahlin » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Bundesliga Historie 1995/96" (in German). kicker.

External links

Media related to Martin Dahlin at Wikimedia Commons

Awards
Sweden squads
Authority control databases: Artists
Categories