All-time Swedish soccer great Nils Liedholm, who both played and coached in Italy, has died at the age of 85.
News of his death was confirmed Monday by sources in the nearby town of Cuccaro Monferrato, where Liedholm had retired to produce wine, his second great love after soccer.
The midfielder was considered the brain in the legendary '50s 'GreNoLi' trio along with fellow Swedish strikers Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl in both Sweden and AC Milan.
With Sweden the trio won the gold medal Olympics in 1948.
Liedholm also contributed to getting Sweden into the 1958 World Cup final, against the Brazil of the then-17-year-old Pele'.
Although he scored the first goal in the final, at 36 becoming the oldest player to do so, Sweden lost 5-2.
Liedholm played for AC Milan from 1949 to 1961 collecting 81 goals. In 1951, he won the first of his three scudetti as a player with the team.
After retiring he stayed on at AC Milan as an assistant coach in 1961 and was given the bench two years later.
Liedholm, also known as il Barone (the Baron) for his aristocratic poise, later coached at Verona, Monza, Varese and Fiorentina before joining AS Roma for four years, 1973-77.
He returned to AC Milan for another two seasons, winning his fourth scudetto with the team in 1979, before going back to Roma and helping it win its second first division title in 1982.
Up until his retirement in 1997 Liedholm shuttled between the Roma and Milan benches.
