Name: Torbjörn Anders Nilsson

Nickname: "The God"



Country: Sweden
Club: IFK Göteborg
Position: *CF, SS
Side: RF/BS
Age: 26-28 years (09/07/1954)

Height: 190 cm
Weight: 80 kg

Attack: 88
Defence: 41
Balance: 84
Stamina: 79
Top Speed: 83
Acceleration: 85
Response: 82
Agility: 78
Dribble Accuracy: 92
Dribble Speed: 82
Short Pass Accuracy: 83
Short Pass Speed: 77
Long Pass Accuracy: 76
Long Pass Speed: 76
Shot Accuracy: 89
Shot Power: 83
Shot Technique: 87
Free Kick Accuracy: 68
Curling: 76
Header: 87
Jump: 82
Technique: 88
Aggression: 85
Mentality: 70
Keeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 82

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 7
Weak Foot Frequency: 6
Consistency: 5
Growth Type: Standard

CARDS:
P05: Trickster
P07: Mazing Run
S03: 1-on-1 Finish
S05: 1-touch Play
S16: 1-footed Roulette
S18: Cross Over Turn

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Dribbling - 1on1 Scoring - 1 touch Pass

Attack / Defence Awareness Card: Attack Minded


INFO:

One of the greatest talents in the worldwide football history. In a March 2020 Sky Sports interview, Sven-Göran Eriksson said that Nilsson was the best striker he had ever managed. Two time top scorer in the European cup and one time in the Uefa-cup. Nilsson was excellent player with explosive dribblings, elegancy, attacking intelligence, great shooting, strength and pace but lacked confidence and he even had to ask for psychiatric help to solve it. Player with quality last pass, great through balls and excellent headers. It is a mystery to a lot of Swedes how Nilsson with all his talent never really made it big when playing for PSV and Kaiserslautern, but according to himself he was too shy to make it in those rougher top club environments. Throughout his career, he had depended on having well-being and good camaraderie around him at the club he played for. This was something he constantly missed in the clubs abroad. Despite Nilsson's so-so stays abroad, and his short career in the Sweden national team – for whom he played only 28 matches and scored nine goals – he is considered to be one of the greatest Swedish footballers of all time. He declined to play for the national team for four years in the early 1980s when he was at his prime, the most important reason for this was that Nilsson not felt comfortable in the national team and the coach Lars Arnesson, who mixtured a lot with different formations, which did not suit the playing style that Nilsson liked. Equally famous was his – mostly as a young international professional – failing faith in himself as he sometimes "was afraid of the ball" and preferred to sit on the bench. During other times in his playing career, mainly during his time as a professional abroad, Nilsson during some matches was no asset at all for his team. Sometimes he didn't even want the ball and would rather sit on the bench (or the stands) than play. It went so far that Nilsson sought and received psychological help , including from the Norwegian sports psychologist Willi Railo where he developed his ability to be "best when it matters". This help, together with a coach ( Sven-Göran Eriksson ) who believed in him and gave him time to succeed, made Nilsson learn to "think right".

Nilsson got his football education in Jonsereds IF and then took only 19 years old leap to IFK Gothenburg, where he became popular almost immediately. He made his debut in the Swedish national team and was recruited 22 years old to Dutch PSV Eindhoven, where, however, it became a full half disappointing season (1976/77) before he was back in August, cracked and totally lacking self-confidence, at IFK Gothenburg. Here he is now mature in peace and quiet as the team got a clearer game idea, very dependent on the new coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who understood and respected Torbjörn's vulnerability as a human being as much as his greatness as a player. Gothenburg had made their way back to the Premier League and established himself now as a team with outstanding top-three placings. As the team had Nilsson patiently developed his game and grown with success. 1981 he won the top scorer with 20 goals in 26 games and both Nilsson and Gothenburg now seemed ripe for something bigger. And this "Major" was - as far as advancement in the UEFA Cup. With the televised matches against the West German greats FC Kaiserslautern (semifinals) and Hamburg SV got the team, with Torbjorn in the lead as the big star who made that extra mile, straight into the Swedish people's living rooms and hearts. In the decisive final match away from home against Hamburg was Nilsson behind two goals and was the third in a 3-0 victory that gave Gothenburg UEFAcup trophy and himself a chance to reconsider the professional life abroad. Nilsson, who also won the top scorer in the tournament, was recruited by the now semi-final opponents FC Kaiserslautern in the summer. After the end of the season, he also deserved the Golden Ball as Sweden's best footballer 1982. After two well-recognized seasons in Germany, Nilsson still back in Gothenburg again. Throughout his career, he had been dependent on the well-being and a good team around him at the club he played for. This was something he always did in the clubs abroad. Despite successful debut on the national team with two ordered penalties and a goal in a 6-0 win over Finland in 1976 became the national team no regular forum for Torbjorn Nilsson. In the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, Nilsson, despite tougher terms, selected as 19th man. But he had to lean by playing time and considered himself her contribution as "wretched". After several good years in Gothenburg ended Nilsson, not even 32 years filled his career summer of 1986. A European Cup final could become the ultimate end point, but in the semi final against FC Barcelona fell one after the penalty shoot-outs after Torbjorn made two goals in the first match at home in a highly acclaimed bang victory by 3-0. A defended scorer title in the European Cup with six goals was barely a plaster on the wound for Torbjörn who never put the ego in front of the team throughout his career. An upright arm and / or a smile was the biggest joy is he ever went to after scoring a goal - so do not turn out to bigger or better than their teammates. After ending his professional playing career, Torbjörn Nilsson acted as playing manager for his youth club Jonsereds IF, before becoming manager of Örgryte IS, then in Division 1, in 1991. The club was relegated to Division 2, but managed to advance two divisions into Allsvenskan the next year, thanks to the Swedish league system at the time. The luck did not last, however, and Örgryte was relegated from the highest league in 1993. Nilsson moved to IK Oddevold from Uddevalla, and brought the club to Allsvenskan for the first time in its history in 1995. He left his job after the season and did not take a new one for a year. He then took the job as manager of Västra Frölunda IF in 1997, and for the third time coached a team to a promotion to Allsvenskan. He stayed as manager for Västra Frölunda for two seasons and led the club to a fifth and seventh place, the two best seasonal results the club has enjoyed. He took another one-year break before starting his fourth spell as manager for a Gothenburg club, BK Häcken, in 2001. He only stayed for one year, not being able to keep the club in the highest league. Instead he became the manager of the Sweden under-21 team, leading the team through a successful qualification to the 2004 UEFA U-21 Championship, where the team narrowly lost the semi-final and third place matches after penalty shootouts and extra time, respectively. He did not coach any team between 2004 and 2008, but then resumed his managerial career in Gothenburg's best women's team, Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC.