When Sweden equalised late in extra time against Romania in the USA 1994 quarter-finals, Ralf Edstrom was surely swept up in a whirlwind of emotions. With a microphone in hand, the former national hero, by then a pundit for Swedish national radio, had a front-row seat for Kennet Andersson’s late leveller. It was a goal he had, in a way, helped set in motion.
Indeed, Andersson might never have scored his fifth goal of that World Cup had Edstrom not himself struck one of the most famous volleys in the tournament’s history 20 years earlier in a 4-2 defeat to West Germany.
“Everyone who loves football should have one of those World Cup memories. Mine is from 1974, and I’m very grateful for that,” said Andersson. “Ralf Edstrom was my idol. Seeing a Swedish player score a goal like that was huge. It was really my awakening. From that moment, I thought: I will play in a World Cup.”
Despite spells with Gothenburg, Lille, Bologna and Fenerbahce, Andersson did not enjoy the same profile as some of the household names of 1994, which included Roberto Baggio, Hristo Stoichkov, Romario and Jurgen Klinsmann. However, no player at the 15th FIFA World Cup™ had bigger dreams of playing – and, of course, shining – on the biggest stage.
“If I had been more realistic as a kid, I would have understood how difficult it is,” he conceded. “And if I had been smart, I would have stopped there (laughs). But I was naive. When I was 15 and watched Diego Maradona, I told myself: ‘I will be as good as him’. Around 20, I understood that wouldn’t happen, but I was still on a good path and I kept believing it was possible to play in a World Cup.”
In 1990, the promising youngster was already knocking on the door of an international call-up under Olle Norden. Although he ultimately missed out on that year’s FIFA World Cup in Italy, he was later given the nod for UEFA EURO 1992. A dip in form at Mechelen could still have cost him his seat on the plane to the United States two years later but, in the end, the faith of his club coach Pierre Mankowski during a loan spell at Lille helped him to get back on track in the nick of time.
“I barely played in the qualifiers,” recalled the Swede. “Then I went on loan to Norrkoping, where I played well, and after that to Lille. I had a good season there. The French league is difficult, but it helped me a lot. When Sweden qualified, the coach called me for the preparation games in the USA. Lille allowed me to go, and that changed everything. I’m very grateful for that.”
Having made it to the World Cup, the towering target man took destiny into his own hands. In the form of his life and brimming with confidence, the striker wasted no time in staking a convincing claim for a place in Tommy Svensson’s starting XI.
Once he got his chance, a fairy tale began to unfold. In Sweden’s second outing, he produced one of his trademark assists for strike partner Martin Dahlin in a 3-1 victory over Russia. The Scandinavian sharpshooter followed that with a moment of magic, scoring a superb goal to put his side ahead against Brazil in an eventual 1-1 stalemate.
“When the ball went in, I needed a split second to think: did I just score against Brazil? It was an incredible moment. And as a team, we played a fantastic game. Defensively, we were outstanding. To take the lead against Brazil was amazing.”
With his World Cup campaign up and running, Andersson proved unstoppable, delivering one of the most dazzling displays the tournament has ever witnessed in a 3-1 win against Saudi Arabia in the Round of 16. Contributing a brace and an assist, the Lille frontman almost singlehandedly carried Sweden into the quarter-finals.
“That day, it felt like we could order goals. Just tell us how many you wanted, and we would score them. It was a ridiculous feeling, but an incredible one.”
In the quarter-finals, and with his side down to ten men, the now 58-year-old’s dramatic late equaliser made it 2-2 against Romania, taking his tally to four goals, before Sweden triumphed 5-4 on penalties. Andersson would go on to make it five in a dominant 4-0 drubbing of Bulgaria in the third-place play-off.
“I didn’t fully achieve my childhood dream, which was also to score in a World Cup final, but I came close,” Andersson said with a smile. “And today, it means even more than it did back then, because at that time, I thought we would do even better in 1998, and we didn’t even qualify.”
The aerial ace’s fine form in the United States also saw him surpass Edstrom to become Sweden’s most prolific marksman in a single World Cup. He also shares the distinction of being the Scandinavians’ all-time leading goalscorer at FIFA’s flagship men’s competition with Henrik Larsson, who also struck five times, albeit across three editions.
“I never thought about records when I was younger. For me, individual records belonged to athletics, but now I can say it’s something special,” he added.
Later nicknamed La Terza Torre di Bologna (The Third Tower of Bologna) during a standout stint in Italy, his only regret may be having played in just one World Cup.
“I think we forgot the small things, the details that make you win games,” he said of the qualifying campaign for France 1998. “We also had higher expectations, more pressure. And those small things made the difference.”
There was no question that Andersson would continue to support his homeland once he hung up his boots, and while he witnessed some memorable moments for the Swedish team in 2002, 2006 and 2018, the former forward has never quite recaptured the same feelings he had as a young fan.
“I still support Sweden 100%, but it’s not the same feeling. It will never be like when I was a kid,” he lamented. “That said, after the win against Poland [in the UEFA play-offs for the FIFA World Cup 2026™], I felt a bit of that emotion again. Maybe it will come back.”
Although decades have passed since his retirement, Andersson has lost none of the optimism that shaped him in his youth. When asked whether Graham Potter’s men can make their mark in North America in a few months’ time, he responded in the affirmative without hesitation.
“They’ve been through difficult times recently, but there’s a better dynamic now. It’s a real team with good players. It’s a manageable group. So yes, they can surprise. 100%.”
The likes of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres will undoubtedly give their all as they take on Tunisia, the Netherlands and Japan in Group F, but one icon will always have a special place in Andersson’s heart.
“The greatest moment for me in a World Cup is, and will always be, the goal Ralf Edstrom scored against West Germany. It will always be number one. The other goals don’t matter. Not even Maradona’s or my own.”
