Gösta Sandberg

Oskar Gösta Leonard "Knivsta" Sandberg (6 August 1932 – 27 April 2006) was a Swedish football, ice hockey, and bandy player who is best remembered for representing Djurgårdens IF. He was capped 52 times for the national team in football, eight times in ice hockey, and three times in bandy.

In 1991, he was voted "Djurgårdare of the century".

Football career The Sweden men's national football team in 1961 with Sandberg in the front row, and from the left, standing: Bengt Berndtsson, Torbjörn Jonsson, Åke Johansson, Agne Simonsson, Rune Börjesson and Lennart Backman; crouched: Olle Hellström, Orvar Bergmark, Bengt Nyholm, Lennart Wing and Gösta Sandberg. Gösta Sandberg joined Djurgården before the 1951–52 Allsvenskan season and stayed with the team throughout the rest of his career, until 1966, winning four Swedish titles. As of 2023, he is the player who have scored the most goals in Allsvenskan for Djurgårdens IF.

A full international between 1951 and 1961, Sandberg won 52 caps and scored 10 goals for the Sweden national team and represented his country at the 1952 Summer Olympics where they won the bronze medal. He made his international debut in a friendly against Yugoslavia on 2 September 1951

In 1956, he received the Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year. Sandberg debuted for the national team on 23 November 1958 in a 8–2 win over Finland, where he was part of line together with fellow Djurgården player Hans Mild and Uno Öhrlund of Västerås IK.

Managerial career During and after his active career, Gösta Sandberg managed IF Brommapojkarna 1959-61 and 1972–78, and Djurgården 1967–71 and in 1979.

Personal life Sandberg's nickname derives from the town he was born and grew up in, Knivsta. Sandberg died on his way home from the derby between the archrivals AIK and Djurgårdens IF on 27 April 2006.

Gösta Sandberg had four children and nine grandchildren. One son, Lars played Allsvenskan football for Djurgården, one daughter, Anna, represented IF Brommapojkarna, and two of his grandchildren, and Anna's children together with Brommapojkarna footballer and Swedish junior international Berndt Magnusson, Gustav Sandberg Magnusson and Anton Sandberg Magnusson, both played Allsvenskan football for IF Brommapojkarna.

Honours

Ice hockey Djurgårdens IF Division 2 Svealand: 1961 Sweden

Summer Olympics bronze medal: 1952

Individual Guldbollen: 1956