Martin Dahlin

Dan Martin Nataniel Dahlin (; born 16 April 1968) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. In his prime, he was considered one of the world's best strikers.

Starting off his career with Malmö FF in 1987, he was the 1988 Allsvenskan top scorer and played for clubs in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the Premier League before retiring in 1999.

A full international between 1991 and 1997, he won 60 caps for the Sweden national team and was in the Sweden national team that placed third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also represented Sweden at the 1988 Summer Olympics and UEFA Euro 1992. In 1993, he was bestowed the Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year.

Early life Dahlin was born in Höganäs, Sweden to a Venezuelan father, who was a musician, and a Swedish mother. Named after Martin Luther King Jr., Dahlin spent his upbringing in Lund.

He played for Malmö FF, Borussia Mönchengladbach, A.S. Roma, Hamburger SV and Blackburn Rovers. The most successful time of his career he spent with Borussia Mönchengladbach with whom he won the German Cup in 1995 along with Stefan Effenberg.

Dahlin transferred from Roma to Blackburn Rovers in mid-1997 and made 21 appearances in the 1997–98 season, scoring four goals.

In the 1998–99 season, he only played five games when an injury in a training game ruled him out for the rest of the season and contributed to his retirement from the game after a short spell at Hamburger SV in 1999.

Blackburn Rovers later sued their insurance company who had refused to pay out over the injury claiming that normal wear and tear could have been a contributing factor. Although the initial verdict was given in favour of the club, in 2005 the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict and sent it back to the lower court. On 12 April 2006, the High Court ruled in favour of the insurance company, decreeing that the player probably had a pre-existing condition. This decision left Blackburn about £4 million out-of-pocket.

International career Dahlin earned 66 caps for the Sweden men's national team. He was in the Sweden men's national team that finished third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals in the tournament. He also was in the team that reached the semifinals of UEFA Euro 1992.

Retirement Dahlin legally lives in Monaco. He lends his name to a clothing line. He speaks three languages – Swedish, English and German. He has since formed his own agency called MD Management. He represents Ola Toivonen, Guillermo Molins, Markus Rosenberg, Jonas Olsson, Behrang Safari and Pontus Jansson.

Career statistics

Club Source: + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

1988 Allsvenskan

1989 Allsvenskan

1990 Allsvenskan

1991 Allsvenskan

1991–92 Bundesliga

1992–93