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Pele called Liedholm's goal in the 1958 final the best ever scored against Brazil. Allsport/Hulton/Archive |
Liedholm played just 18 times for Sweden as a result of its refusal to pick professional players for most of the 1950s following his departure, along with Gunnar Nordahl and Gunnar Gren, for AC Milan after helping win gold at the 1948 Olympics. Consequently he missed the World Cups of 1950 and 1954, when at the height of his playing powers.
But by the time of the 1958 finals, hosted by Sweden, Liedholm had settled his differences with the country's soccer authorities and was national captain. Liedholm was almost 36 but his dedication to training and thoughtful attitude to the game meant his skills were as sharp as ever. Despite having dropped back into a sweeper's role at Milan, he continued to pull the strings in midfield for the Swedes.
Liedholm elegantly masterminded Sweden's progress through the competition, scoring in its opening 3-0 win over Mexico.
In the final the host nation faced Brazil. After just four minutes Liedholm surged through the South Americans' midfield and defense and fired his side ahead. But the rest of the game would belong to the 17-year-old Pele and his teammates, who ran out 5-2 winners. Pele later described Liedholm's goals as the best ever scored against Brazil.
