About Gunnar Andersson
Lived 1928 – 1969 (aged 41). Gunnar Andersson was a French and Swedish association football player.
Gunnar Andersson (14 August 1928 – 1 October 1969) was a Swedish footballer who played as a striker. He is widely considered one of Olympique de Marseille's best strikers, and is the highest scorer of the club. Born in Sweden, he played for the France national football B team once.
Career Andersson started his career in Sweden, where he was nicknamed Säffle, before playing for Danish side Kjøbenhavns BK before being transferred to Olympique de Marseille, where he became a key player. Having scored 194 goals in 220 matches, With l'OM he was also Division 1 top goalscorer in 1951–1952 and 1952–1953 and runner-up in the 1953–54 Coupe de France. He also played for other French teams such as FC Girondins de Bordeaux and AS Aix.
Despite his success in France, he never played for the Sweden men's national football team because of a policy not to select players based outside Sweden, such as Andersson and Gunnar Nordahl. However, as he obtained French nationality in 1954, he was capped once for the France B team in 1956, but was disappointing and was never called again.
He died in 1969, as he was heading to Stade Vélodrome, to see a match against Dukla Prague in the 1969–70 European Cup Winners' Cup. He remains today one of the best players to wear l'OM uniform and one of the most appreciated by supporters.
Honours Marseille Coupe de France runner-up: 1954 Coupe Charles Drago: 1957
Individual Division 1 top goalscorer: 1951–1952, 1952–1953 Olympique de Marseille all-time top scorer: 194 goals
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Important facts
People in Gunnar Andersson's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Gunnar Andersson's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Gunnar Andersson?
Swedish association football player (1928-1969)
When was Gunnar Andersson born?
Gunnar Andersson was born on 14 August 1928 in Arvika.
When did Gunnar Andersson die?
Gunnar Andersson died on 1 October 1969 in Marseille.
What was Gunnar Andersson's occupation?
Gunnar Andersson was an association football player.
What nationality was Gunnar Andersson?
Gunnar Andersson was French and Swedish.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Gunnar Andersson (footballer)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gunnar Andersson. https://biography.guide/gunnar-andersson/
MLA: "Gunnar Andersson." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gunnar-andersson/.
Chicago: "Gunnar Andersson." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gunnar-andersson/.
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