Tomas Brolin: The Swedish Assassin Who Embraced the Big Stage at Euro 1992

Euro 1992 is remembered for a number of famous moments. There was Denmark shocking the entire football world by beating Germany in the final and lifting the trophy for the first time. There was England and France crashing out in the group stages. 

And then, there was Tomas Brolin. 

After finishing bottom of their group with zero points in World Cup 1990, not much was expected of Sweden two years later. But the Swedes had a trick up their sleeve, in that their star asset Brolin, had been tearing up Serie A over those two years. 

Parma signed the precocious youngster upon their return to the Italian top flight in 1990, and his impact was as immediate as it was extraordinary. Brolin struck up a sensational partnership with fellow forward Alessandro Melli, and the duo fired I Crociati to a fifth-place finish in their first season back in Serie A. 

Brolin was an incredibly intelligent player, who was equally gifted in the midfield as he was in attack, and his ability to link play with his teammates made him an invaluable asset to the newly-promoted Italian side. 

Over the course of the 1991/92 campaign, Brolin was once again influential for Parma, leading them to Coppa Italia glory and another strong finish in the league table. The Swede's excellent form was very good news for the national team, who were in desperate need of a sprinkling of stardust over their senior squad.

​And so, Euro '92 arrived.

Drawn in a group with World Cup semi-finalists England and football giants France, it appeared that the Swedes' stint in the summer tournament would be extremely brief. Not to mention, hindsight shows that they were also pitted against the eventual champions, Denmark. 

So as far as a group of death goes, this was certainly up there.  

Sweden opened their Euro 92' campaign with a tough test against France, and they put in a spirited performance, drawing 1-1 with their superior opponents. The underdogs then faced Denmark, and sprung the only defeat of the Danes' tournament, thanks to a clinical Brolin finish. 

Next up was England. The feeling among the Three Lions' supporters was one of confidence - and almost arrogance - over the ease in which they should have dispatched of the plucky Swedes. 

But it wasn't to be. 

Knowing qualification was in their grasp, and with a chance of topping the group, Sweden put in a historic performance against Graham Taylor's star-studded England side. The heavy favourites took an early lead, only for Jan Eriksson to level the scores in the second half. 

And then came one of the most famous moments in European Cup history. 

"Brolin...Dahlin... that is GLORIOUS."

Brolin picked up the ball near the halfway line, beat two English players with ease and played a lovely one-two to free himself about 25 yards from goal. Facing his marker, the Swedish magician rolled a pass into fellow forward Martin Dahlin, and ghosted beyond his man and into space. 

Dahlin returned the ball into his path, and with a flick of the outside of his right boot, Brolin caressed a shot into the top corner, and then performed his trademark spinning celebration. It was a moment of genuine genius, and it is fondly remembered as one of the greatest goals in Euro history. 

Sweden somehow topped the group of death, knocking out England and France in the process, before facing Germany in the semi-final. Unfortunately, this was where the Swedish party ended, and despite Brolin's best efforts, they were defeated 3-2 by the Germans. 

The fairytale of 1992 was ultimately not theirs to tell, as Denmark would go on to win the tournament against all the odds, but Sweden and Brolin made their own little bit of history in one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memo