It may be associated with snow and ice, but Scandinavia has churned out a plethora of hot footballing talent down the years.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden have given the world some special players in goal, at the back, in midfield and up front.
Here, we take a look at the very best of the lot (in FourFourTwo’s humble opinion).
John Arne Riise (Norway)
The flying full-back with a turbo-charged left foot, John Arne Riise starred most prominently for Liverpool, memorably featuring in the Reds’ extraordinary 2004/05 Champions League triumph.
Capped 110 times by Norway, appearing at Euro 2000, Riise scored more than 80 career goals for club and country, including his fair share of screamers.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Norway)
The ‘Baby-faced Assassin’ who regularly came off the bench to score crucial goals for Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s finest moment came in 1999, when he notched the Red Devils’ treble-clinching winner in the 93rd minute of the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
Capped 67 times by Norway, forming a strong strike partnership with Tore Andre Flo, Solskjaer featured at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Martin Odegaard (Norway)
Another Scandinavian Arsenal favourite, Martin Odegaard arrived from Real Madrid in 2021 and captained the club as they pushed for the title under Mikel Arteta, scooping Player of the Season in 2023 and 2024.
A world-class midfield playmaker, Odegaard made his international debut aged just 15 and took over the captaincy at 22.
Preben Elkjaer (Denmark)
Runner-up for the 1985 Ballon d’Or, Preben Elkjaer was among the best strikers of his era, starring in Hellas Verona’s surprise Serie A triumph of 1984/85.
One of the standout players at Denmark’s debut World Cup of 1986, hitting a hat-trick in a 6-1 group-stage drubbing of Uruguay, Elkjaer scored 38 goals in 69 caps.
Freddie Ljungberg (Sweden)
An Arsenal ‘Invincible’ who won five major trophies with the Gunners, Freddie Ljungberg was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2001/02 – when he helped Arsene Wenger’s side to the double.
The 75-cap Swede was an aggressive winger who excelled in one-on-one situations and recorded a total of 67 goal involvements in the Premier League, where he later played for West Ham.
Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
Winner of the 1977 Ballon d’Or, striker Allan Simonsen scored well over 200 goals for club and country, enjoying most of success with Borussia Monchengladbach, who he helped to three straight Bundesliga titles and two UEFA Cups.
A member of the Denmark team at Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup, Simonsen also lifted the Copa del Rey and Cup Winners’ Cup at Barcelona.
Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
Denmark’s most-capped player, Christian Eriksen has represented his country at multiple World Cups and Euros, winning Danish Footballer of the Year five times between 2013 and 2018.
Having incredibly returned to playing after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020, the elegant playmaker continued to prove his class with Manchester United in the Premier League, where he has more than 100 goal contributions to his name, mostly for Tottenham.
Henrik Larsson (Sweden)
Henrik Larsson chalked up the best part of 500 goals over the course of his career, bagging a sizeable chunk of them during a glittering seven-year spell at Celtic.
Later a LaLiga and Champions League winner with Barcelona, the wonderfully hard-working frontman scored for Sweden at all four major international tournaments between 2000 and 2006.
Gunnar Gren (Sweden)
One prong of the legendary all-Swedish ‘Gre-No-Li’ attacking trio at Milan during the 50s, Gunnar Gren was an exceptionally creative forward who got on the scoresheet more than a few times himself.
A 1950/51 Serie A champion with the Rossoneri, Gren netted 32 times in 57 games for Sweden, with whom he won gold at the 1948 Olympics and reached the final of the 1958 World Cup on home soil.
Erling Haaland (Norway)
As of early 2025, still aged only 24, Erling Haaland had amassed more than 300 goals, including close to 100 in the Premier League for Manchester City.
One of the most outrageously prolific number nines of the modern era, the towering Norwegian won back-to-back titles and Golden Boots in his first two seasons in England, doing the treble and setting a new Prem record with 36 goals in his debut campaign at City.
Brian Laudrup (Denmark)
Son of ex-Denmark international Finn and younger brother of Michael, Brian Laudrup shone as one of the most gifted attacking players of the 90s.
A highly versatile operator who, despite his ability to dribble at great speed, was renowned for his selflessness, the four-time Danish Player of the Year was integral to his nation’s underdog success at Euro 92 and won the 1993/94 Serie A title and Champions League on loan at Milan.
Nils Liedholm (Sweden)
Another member of Milan’s iconic ‘Gre-No-Li’ trio, playmaker Nils Liedholm was up there with the finest footballers of his time.
A four-time Serie A champion and a European Cup finalist during his 12-year spell with the Rossoneri, Liedholm won 1948 Olympic gold and scored against Brazil in the 1958 World Cup final, becoming the oldest player to do so at the age of 35 years and 267 days.
Michael Laudrup (Denmark)
Michael Laudrup is widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders in history, and he regularly dazzled for club and country during the 80s and 90s.
A sensationally quick and skilful operator with a great eye for goal – he found the net more than 200 times over the course of his career – Laudrup won league titles with Juventus, Ajax, Real Madrid and Barcelona, in addition to the European Cup with the latter under Johan Cruyff.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
The inimitable Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired in 2023 with the best part of 600 goals to his name, among them a record 62 for Sweden – which include that frankly ridiculous overhead kick from miles out against England in 2012.
A truly fearsome frontman, Zlatan was a league champion in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France, finishing as top scorer in Serie A and Ligue 1 on multiple occasions and also notching 17 Premier League goals for Manchester United.
Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)
Undoubtedly one of the game’s best-ever goalkeepers, Peter Schmeichel was an utterly immense presence between the sticks, requiring XXXL goalie tops.
A star of Denmark’s Euro 92 victory, Schmeichel spent his prime years with Manchester United, where his numerous honours under Sir Alex Ferguson included the 1998/99 treble.
When he wasn’t keeping the ball out of his own net, Schmeichel could be a considerable threat at the other end, as evidenced by the fact he got on the scoresheet 11 times in his career, for club and country.
Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden)
The foremost member of Milan’s aforementioned ‘Gre-No-Li’, Gunnard Nordahl was nothing short of prolific in front of goal, netting 43 times in 33 Sweden caps alone.
Serie A top scorer on no fewer than five occasions, Nordahl fired Milan to two Scudetti, in 1950/51 and 1954/55. With 221 goals, he remains the Rossoneri’s all-time leading marksman.
Named Swedish Player of the Year in 1947, Nordahl joint top-scored with seven goals en route to gold at the 1948 Olympics in London.
