Kennet Andersson

International

Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Andersson goal.

Andersson was considered one of the top-class strikers of his generation. A tall, athletic, and physically strong forward, who was also a prolific goalscorer, in spite of his lack of pace or notable technical skills, he was renowned for his work-rate, hold-up play with his back to goal, and in particular his excellent abilities in the air, which enabled him both to score goals with his head and get on the end of long balls to provide assists for his teammates from knock-downs; due to his playing style, he was frequently dubbed an "old-fashioned" centre-forward or "target-man" in the media throughout his career. BBC has described Andersson as "one of the world's greatest forwards in the air", adding that "his aerial ability is complemented by decent passing and unselfish support play that has allowed other strikers to flourish alongside him." Regarding his aerial prowess, Carlo Ancelotti described him as being "practically impossible" to mark in the air.

For Sweden, Andersson made 83 appearances and scored 31 goals, both near the top in national history. He played in the 1992 and 2000 European Championships. He led the Swedish team in scoring with five goals in the 1994 World Cup, a feat which tied him for third place as the tournament's leading goalscorer. His physical size gave him an advantage in the air, and in this tournament he became known for towering over defenders to score goals with his head; in Sweden's quarter-final win over Romania, he headed in a vital goal by outjumping even the Romanian goalkeeper, Florin Prunea.

Andersson was born in Eskilstuna. At club level, he played for Tunafors SK (1976−1981), Eskilstuna (1982–88), Göteborg (1988–91), Mechelen (1991–92), Norrköping (1993), Lille (1993–94), Caen (1994–95), Bari (1995–96), Bologna (1996–99 and 1999–2000), Lazio (1999), Fenerbahçe (2000–02) and Gårda BK (2005).