Sweden European Championship Classic XI: Henrik Larsson & Zlatan Ibrahimovic Among Golden Generation
By Ali Rampling
Despite being a country with a rich footballing history, having featured at their first World Cup way back in 1938, Sweden had to wait until 1992 to make their inaugural appearance at the European Championships.
The Blue and Yellow hosted the 1992 tournament and made it all the way to the semi finals, beating eventual winners Denmark in the group stages, before ultimately crashing out to Germany.
Since, Sweden have pretty much been a mainstay at the championships, qualifying for every tournament since the turn of the century.
Due to their long-awaited first appearance at the Euros, Sweden's classic Euro side consists of players exclusively from the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, meaning there's no place for 40s striker Gunnar Nordahl, who hit a staggering 43 goals in just 33 appearances for his country, or his legendary teammate Gunnar Gren.
Although the Scandinavian side have failed to hit the heights of Euro 1992, some fabulous players have pulled on the famous blue and yellow at the European Championships over the last 28 years. Here's the pick of the bunch.
Goalkeepers & Defenders
Thomas Ravelli (GK): Arguably Sweden's greatest goalkeeper of all time, Ravelli played 143 times for his country, and was in between the sticks for Sweden's famous run to the semi finals at Euro 1992. Ravelli was a goalkeeping stereotype: a commanding figure, a vocal presence and a little bit eccentric.
Patrik Andersson: Andersson represented Sweden at Euro 1992 and Euro 2000. He played every minute in the group stages of Euro 1992 as Sweden topped the group by beating eventual winners Denmark and knocking out England. However, Andersson missed out on a place in the semi-final starting XI due to suspension.
Olof Mellberg: Former Aston Villa and Juventus defender Olof Mellberg went to four European Championships with Sweden, in an international career that spanned 12 years. He won 117 caps and captained his country at Euro 2004, as Sweden topped their group. However, Mellberg missed the crucial penalty in the shootout defeat to Holland in the quarter finals.
Jan Eriksson: Jan Eriksson scored his country's first goal at a European Championships in 1992, heading home from a corner, before scoring one week later in their 2-1 victory over England. The defender played every minute during Sweden's run to the semi finals, and only ever came close to bettering this career highlight in 1997 when he made one solitary appearance for Sunderland.
Midfielders
Anders Svensson: Free kick specialist Anders Svensson is Sweden's most capped player, with 148 caps, and the eighth most capped European player in history. He featured for his country at three European Championships, but only made it out of the group stages once, in 2004.
Jonas Thern: Jonas Thern captained Sweden during their famous Euro 92 campaign. He captained his country for seven years, and won 75 caps. Thern was part of a Scandinavian spine at Benfica in the 90s, managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Freddie Ljungberg: Silky winger Freddie Ljungberg is one of Sweden's all time greats. He played at three European Championships, captaining his country at Euro 2008. Ljungberg scored the opening goal during Sweden's 5-0 thrashing of Bulgaria, one of 14 goals he hit for Sweden in 75 appearances.
Tomas Brolin: Fellow all-time great Tomas Brolin won the golden boot at Euro 92. He found the net three times during the tournament, including applying the finishing touches to a flowing team move to score Sweden's famous winner against England in the group stages.
Forwards
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: With 62 goals in 116 appearances, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Sweden's all-time top scorer. He played at four European Championships, scoring six goals in the process, one of which was a fabulous back-heeled lob to equalise against Italy five minutes from time at Euro 2004. Eight years later, Ibrahimovic's stunning volley against France won goal of the tournament.
Kennet Andersson: Renowned for his aerial prowess, Kennet Andersson was an integral part of the Sweden team that made it to the Euro 92 semi finals. He scored 31 times in 83 appearances for his country, including in the last four against Germany at Euro 92.
Henrik Larsson: Regarded as one of the greatest Swedish players to ever grace the football pitch, Henrik Larsson scored 37 times in 106 appearances. He found the net three times in four games at Euro 2004, including a beautiful diving header against Bulgaria, soaring through the air to meet the ball emphatically.