Sweden mourns the loss of Kurt Hamrin

Former Sweden international Kurt Hamrin has passed away in Florence, aged 89.

He spent nine seasons in the Tuscan city, becoming a fan favourite at Fiorentina. That is also where Hamrin chose to settle down after his career, which also took him to Juventus, Padova, Milan and Napoli. Silverware included the Serie A and Coppa Italia as well as Cup Winners' Cups for both Fiorentina and Milan. For the latter he added a European Cup in 1969.

Born in 1934 in Stockholm and raised in nearby Solna, Hamrin – affectionately known as ”Kurre” to the Swedish public – started out with neighbourhood club Huvudsta, moving on to Råsunda and then local giants AIK. For the black and yellows, Kurre was Sweden's top scorer in 1955. His knack for finding the net led to 15 years in Italy's Serie A where his nimble feet earned him legions of adoring fans – and the nickname ”Uccelino” (Little Bird). 190 Serie A goals puts him ninth in the league's all-time scoring chart.

For all his achievements at club level, Hamrin's career highlight was arguably the 1958 World Cup on home soil. A goal scored in the semi-final against West Germany became an instant classic. He received the ball on the right flank before taking on defender after defender, finally slotting home from the tightest of angles to make it 3–1 to Sweden. The final against Brazil some days later truly saw ”Kurre” on home turf, at AIK's bastion Råsunda Stadium – literally down the street from where he grew up in Solna. Although ending in defeat, a World Cup silver medal is Swedish football's greatest international achievement to this day.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, president of Svenska Fotbollförbundet lamented the passing of a forward who netted 17 times in 32 international appearances. "We remember Kurt Hamrin with warmth, gratitude and pride and he will always be an important part of our blue and yellow history. His move to Italy opened the door to European football for the following generation of Swedish footballers."