This interview with Stefan Schwarz is from the Euro 2020 preview issue of FourFourTwo. Subscribe now and never miss an issue!
What was it like to play for Sweden when your country hosted Euro 92, then knock out Graham Taylor’s England?
That was a great tournament – you only had eight teams at the European Championship back then, so the quality was incredibly high. It was no surprise that we beat England 2-1, because I never lost to them! How do you say it? We were their bogey team! That match is still iconic in Sweden but there are plenty of others, like the one when Terry Butcher wore that bloody bandage against us in 1989. That is famous around the world. I don’t think you would get away with it now – a bit of blood and you’re straight off the pitch. We played at Wembley in qualifying for Euro 2000 as well. It was 90 minutes of high intensity – it wasn’t a game, it was a battle. I’ve watched a video showing all the tackles from that match, and I feature in most of them!
When you beat England at Euro 92, The Sun printed the headline ‘Swedes 2 Turnips 1’. What did you think of it?
The English language is very strong and rich, right? The press can be an unforgiving lot, too. We saw the funny side of it – I don’t think it was that funny for the English guys, though.
Did Euro 92 change your life?
It probably did to a certain extent, but I think the 1994 World Cup had a bigger impact. The 1990 World Cup was a disaster, because we lost all three matches 2-1 to Brazil, Scotland and Costa Rica. We had to rebuild afterwards with young players, and Euro 92 was the first tournament for that team under new coach Tommy Svensson. We knew we could take on the best countries in the world, and that form continued into the 1994 World Cup. We had good players competing in some of the best leagues in the world, and we peaked just at the right time. We prepared very well for that tournament in the USA – physically we were superb. That was arguably the finest Swedish team of modern times, maybe the strongest ever. I couldn’t compare it to the 1958 World Cup Final side - I’m not that old...
Arsenal gaffer George Graham said he felt like he had signed a young Robert Redford when he bagged you from Benfica in 1994. How did you react?
To be honest, I would rather he had likened me to a footballer, but I think he was trying to make me feel good! He was clearly a big Redford fan, so I can see what he was trying to do – he wanted to show that he believed in me. Maybe I should have been an actor...
Did you enjoy yourself at Arsenal?
Even now, I would say it’s the best and most professional club I’ve ever been involved with. I watched loads of English football growing up – in Sweden, your first team is always an English team – and playing for Arsenal was really a dream come true. I think I did well in the season I played for them. By the end, the fans wanted me to stay and the manager did too. I can’t say George Graham did anything wrong at Arsenal because he won so much, but it was a very direct way of playing – more than I was used to. I wanted to be utilised in more of an attacking sense. If the style had been slightly different, maybe I would have made an even bigger impact.
Was it a fun time to be at Highbury?
In the dressing room, and at training, we had a lot of fun. A few of those players now work in the media, like Paul Merson and Ian Wright. Ian was active on and off the pitch – a great lad and a brilliant goalscorer.
How did you feel when Nayim scored that famous last-gasp lob for Real Zaragoza in the 1995 Cup Winners’ Cup Final?
What can you do? I didn’t think there was any danger when he got the ball. I was convinced the game was going to penalties because it was shaping up like our semi with Sampdoria, which we won on penalties.
Which player did you enjoy facing the most in English football?
I loved taking on Paul Ince – a great, technical player but very physical, too. He was a leader. It was never dull playing against him.
Was it difficult to leave Highbury after only one season and join Fiorentina?
The lure of going to Serie A was just too good to turn down. At the time, Serie A was like the Premier League is now. We had a good team as well, lifting the Coppa Italia and Super Cup. I had three brilliant years there, when Gabriel Batistuta was in his prime. He had so much conviction in front of goal – only Ian Wright could match him in my opinion. Wrighty was probably a more clinical finisher, but Batigol was more powerful.
Why did you sign for Sunderland in 1999?
Peter Reid and Bob Murray did a fantastic job there, and they completely sold me on what the club was trying to achieve. It was an easy team to play in, because you knew that Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips were going to score goals – they were easy strikers to serve. Niall’s technical ability is often overlooked, but he was superb. No one liked to play against us. For the first couple of seasons, we challenged in the Premier League, but then injuries and suspensions kicked in. Other clubs came in for me before I went there, including Liverpool, but I made a commitment to Peter and Bob. Looking back, I know I made the right choice.
Did you see the Netflix series about them?
I did, and I get goosebumps whenever I see it. Everyone in the area is just so passionate. It’s one of the world’s greatest football cities. The noise they can make there is something else. From the youngest person to the oldest, everyone involved with the club is incredible.
Was there really a clause in your contract preventing you from travelling into space?
We were discussing the contract and there was a lot of toing and froing – it was taking ages to sort out. I had my solicitors with me, and agents were involved. I remember being sat in an office and Moonraker – the James Bond film – was on. I was commenting about how amazing it looked up in space, and one of the agents turned around and said he had tickets for the first commercial space flight in 2002. I was so tired of my solicitors messing around that I told them I would love to do it. Sunderland eventually got wind of it and said there was no chance of taking time off to fly to the Moon!
Would you still like to go?
One day, who knows? Let’s get this pandemic sorted first, though. Priorities.
This article first appeared in the June 2021 issue of FourFourTwo
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