Ralf Edström

Ralf Edström
Ralf Edström in 1973
Personal information
Full name Ralf Sigvard Edström
Date of birth (1952-10-07) 7 October 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth Degerfors, Sweden
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
–1971 Degerfors IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1970 Degerfors IF
1971–1973 Åtvidabergs FF 52 (28)
1973–1977 PSV Eindhoven 153 (81)
1977–1979 IFK Göteborg 37 (14)
1979–1981 Standard Liège 51 (27)
1981–1983 AS Monaco 49 (16)
1983–1985 Örgryte IS 0 (0)
Total 301 (140)
International career
1969–1971 Sweden U19 14 (9)
1971–1972 Sweden U21 7 (4)
1972–1980 Sweden 40 (15)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Ralf Edström scoring 1–0 against West Germany in the 1974 FIFA World Cup

Ralf Sigvard Edström (born 7 October 1952) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as Sweden's best player in the 1970s, he started off his career with Degerfors IF in the late 1960s and went on to represent Åtvidabergs FF, PSV Eindhoven, IFK Göteborg, Standard Liege, and AS Monaco before retiring at Örgryte IS in 1985. A full international between 1972 and 1980, he won 40 caps for the Sweden national team and scored 15 goals. He represented his country at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups and was awarded Guldbollen as Sweden's best player in 1972 and 1974.

Club career

Starting his career in Degerfors IF, a club known to produce many young talents, Edström moved to Åtvidabergs FF and became national champion in 1972.[1] He moved to PSV Eindhoven in 1973 and was part of the team that became national champion in 1974/75 and 1975/76.[1] On club level, he became not only Swedish Champion, but also Dutch (twice) and French Champion.[2] He also won the Swedish, Dutch and Belgian Cups and was voted Swedish player of the year twice (1972 and 1974, winning Guldbollen). He injured his knee while at AS Monaco which prevented him from playing any games for Örgryte IS and ultimately led to his retirement from professional football in 1985.[1]

International career

Edström made 40 appearances for the Sweden national team and scored 15 times.[1] He is most noted for his performance in the 1974 FIFA World Cup where he had a big part in Sweden finishing fifth, and he made six appearances and scored four goals during this tournament.[3]

While representing Sweden at the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, Edström was arrested for speaking to a person in Buenos Aires; however, the Argentine military released him upon recognising its error (that he was not one of its citizens but a professional footballer who was in the country for the tournament it was hosting).[4]

Personal life

He has been an expert radio commentator since the 1980s.[5]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6][7]
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Åtvidaberg 1971 Allsvenskan 22 6
1972 Allsvenskan 19 16
1973 Allsvenskan 11 6
Total 52 28
PSV Eindhoven 1973–74 Eredivisie 33 19
1974–75 Eredivisie 32 16
1975–76 Eredivisie 29 15
1976–77 Eredivisie 18 5
Total 153 81
IFK Göteborg 1977 Allsvenskan 8 4 2 4 – – 10 8
1978 Allsvenskan 17 6 4 2 – – 21 8
1979 Allsvenskan 12 4 2 1 – – 14 5
Total 37 14 8 7 – – 45 21
Standard Liège 1979–80 First Division 31 18
1980–81 First Division 20 9
Total 51 27
Monaco 1981–82 Division 1 35 15
1982–83 Division 1 14 1
Total 49 16
Örgryte 1983 Allsvenskan 0 0
1984 Allsvenskan 0 0
1985 Allsvenskan 0 0
Total 0 0
Total 350 156

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[8]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 1972 4 8
1973 9 1
1974 9 4
1975 5 2
1976 2 0
1977 2 0
1978 4 0
1980 5 0
Total 40 15
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Edström goal.
List of international goals scored by Ralf Edström
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 6 August 1972 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Soviet Union 1–0 4–4 Friendly [9]
2 2–3
3 4–4
4 17 September 1972 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 1–0 3–1 1972–77 Nordic Football Championship [10]
5 3–1
6 15 October 1972 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden  Malta 1–0 7–0 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier [11]
7 3–0
8 7–0
9 13 June 1973 Nepstadion, Budapest, Hungary  Hungary 3–3 3–3 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier [12]
10 23 June 1974 Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany  Uruguay 1–0 3–0 1974 FIFA World Cup [13]
11 3–0
12 30 June 1974 Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany  West Germany 1–0 2–4 1974 FIFA World Cup [14]
13 3 July 1974 Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, Germany  Yugoslavia 1–1 1–1 1974 FIFA World Cup [15]
14 19 May 1975 Örjans Vall, Halmstad, Sweden  Algeria 1–0 4–0 Friendly [16]
15 4 June 1975 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Yugoslavia 1–0 1–2 UEFA Euro 1976 qualifier [17]

Honours

Åtvidabergs FF

PSV Eindhoven

IFK Göteborg[7]

Standard Liege

AS Monaco

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Allsvensk skyttekung och nickprofil" (in Swedish). 20 August 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Ralf Edström om ✓ Sjukhusbesöken ✓ Pengarna ✓ "Det är allvar – jag skojar inte" ✓ Zlatan". expressen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  3. ^ FIFA profile
  4. ^ Lundström, Klas. "Argentina's World Cup 1978: When FIFA Backed a Junta". 20 November 2022.
  5. ^ Radio, Sveriges. "Ralf Edström: "Det var en enorm fotbollsspelare" – Radiosporten". sverigesradio.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  6. ^ Ralf Edström at National-Football-Teams.com
  7. ^ a b #4 Ralf Edström at ifkdb.com Edit this at Wikidata
  8. ^ "Ralf Edström – Spelarstatistik – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Sverige – Sovjet – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Norge – Sverige – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Sverige – Malta – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Ungern – Sverige – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Sverige – Uruguay – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Sverige – Västtyskland – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Sverige – Jugoslavien – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Sverige – Algeriet – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Sverige – Jugoslavien – Matchfakta – Svensk fotboll". svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Sport 1975". BigSoccer. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
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