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Swedish footballer Nils Gunnar Nordahl with A.C. Milan in the 1st half of the 1950s. Photo by Unknown author on

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Gunnar Nordahl

Nils Gunnar Nordahl who is popularly known simply as Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish professional soccer player. He was born on 19^th October 1921 in Sweden. Gunnar was a prolific, powerful, and physically strong striker who was versatile in scoring goals.

He is best known for his amazing spell as a player for the Italian football club, AC Milan from 1949 to 1956. At AC Milan, he won the Scudetto twice and the title of pluricapocannoniere. Gunnar Nordahl also boasted of unprecedented five top goal scorer awards which are still more than any football player in Italian championship history.

Gunnar also holds the record of AC Milan’s record goal scorer. Other than that goal-scoring record with Milan, he also held the record for most goals for a single club in Italian league history before Francesco Totti broke it.

Below are the Top 10 Incredible Facts about Gunnar Nordahl:

1. Gunnar had an Incredible Career in Sweden where he Scored 149 Goals on 172 Matches

Gunnar Nordahl began his football career in the Swedish league after coming through the youth level. He started at Hornefors IF as he came through their youth level and made his debut in professional football.

Nordahl moved to Degerfors IF from Hornefors IF and later transferred to IFK Norrköping. His spell in the Swedish league was so incredible and remarkable. Gunnar Nordahl won four Swedish championships while playing for IFK Norrköping. While in Sweden, he scored one hundred and forty-nine goals in 172 games.

2. He Scored 7 Goals in a Single Match

Gunnar Nordahl, IFK Norrköping 1948. Photo by Ruth Roman II on

His career in Sweden was full of wonderful feats because of his predatory instincts and a good eye for goal. Like some modern-day footballers, Gunnar Nordahl scored many goals for fun.

While playing for IFK Norrköping, Gunnar Nordahl made history in one of the matches. He scored seven goals in one single match while at the Swedish club.

3. Gunnar is the Multi-Top-Scorer in Serie A for Five Seasons

After his impressive and successful career with Gunnar Nordahl in Sweden, he got his move abroad to Italy. Gunnar Nordahl moved to the Italian club AC Milan on 22^nd January 1949. At AC Milan, he teamed up with his national team strike mates, Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm.

Together with his two compatriots, they formed the famous Gre-No-Li trio that scored goals for fun. In the eight seasons he played for Milan, Gunnar Nordahl made history and a name for himself. He became Serie A’s multi-top-scorer a record five times in 1949-50, 1950-51, 1952-53, 1953-54, and 1954-55.

4. He is the 3^rd Highest Serie A Goal Scorer

Gunnar scored a goal in a previous match. Photo by Viro Liverani on

In Italy, Gunnar Nordahl made history playing for AC Milan as well as in the Italian Serie A league. In the ten seasons Gunnar Nordahl played in Serie A, he made history with the numerous goals that he scored for fun.

He previously held the record for being the top goal scorer in Serie A but it was broken. Gunnar is currently the third-highest Serie A goal scorer of all time with a record two hundred and twenty-five goals in 291 matches. The only players who are ahead of him are Silvio Piola and Francesco Totti.

5. Gunnar is the Top Goal Scorer Among Non-Italian Players

Nordahl held several records while he played in Italy for AC Milan and Roma football clubs. With AC Milan, he scored 225 Serie A goals in the 291 matches he played minus the goals that he scored in the lower league.

With his two hundred and twenty-five goals in Serie A which made him the third-best goal scorer, Gunnar Nordahl also holds another record. He is the top goal scorer among non-Italian players. Gunnar Nordahl also has the record of the most efficient goal scorer with a 0.77 goals/match ratio.

6. He Holds the Record for Goals per Match

Gunnar Nordahl in a match vs Juventus. Photo by Unknown author on

An established striker in Italy majorly with AC Milan, Gunnar Nordahl became a legend of the game with the insane number of goals he had. He scored more than 250 goals while playing in the Italian Serie A league.

Another record that Gunnar Nordahl held while in Italy is the goals per matches ratio record. Being the most efficient goal scorer, Gunnar Nordahl had a goal ratio of 0.77 goals per match.

7. Gunnar Helped his National Team Win Olympic Football Tournament

Gunnar Nordahl was called up to the Swedish national team in 1942 at the age of 21. His goal-scoring tenacity continued with his national team as he also became a vital player for the Swedish team.

He helped the Swedish team win the Olympic football tournament in 1948. In the same tournament in which Sweden won, Gunnar Nordahl also became the top scorer on the way.

8. His Son and Two Brothers were Professional Footballers

Swedish football player Knut Nordahl in the national team. Photo by Unknown author on

Gunnar Nordahl was not the only talented soccer player in his family. His two brothers, Bertil and Knut Nordahl were also professional football players. His son, Thomas Nordahl was also a professional football player.

Thomas Gunnar Nordahl was born on 24^th May 1946. He is a former professional football player who was a forward and scored several goals too. He was also a manager before he retired.

Bertil was a former soccer player and brother to Gunnar who played as a midfielder as well as he became a manager later. Knut Nordahl was also a professional football player who was good in the midfield position.

9. Gunnar Sacrificed his National Team Career to Play for Milan

On 22^nd January 1949, Gunnar Nordahl got his major transfer to the AC Milan football club. However, his step forward in his career meant that he could no longer play for his national team. He officially retired from the Swedish national team after the move to Milan.

At that time, football professionals from the Swedish national team were not allowed to play for other teams abroad. He was not called up for the 1950 FIFA World Cup along with Gren and Liedholm. His career with the Swedish national team was remarkable as he scored 43 goals in 33 matches.

10. Gunnar Nordahl is in the List of 100 Greatest Players of All Time

Gre-No-Li: Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl, and Nils Liedholm in AC Milan. Photo by AFTONBLADETS ARKIV on

Gunnar Nordahl is considered one of the greatest Swedish soccer players of all time. He is also regarded as one of the best strikers in the history of soccer too with brilliant records.

In 2017, Gunnar Nordahl was recognized by modern-day football magazines for his contribution to the game. FourFourTwo magazine recognized and had Gunnar on the list of the 100 greatest players of all time. He is in the 54^th position on this list.