Dan Martin Nataniel Dahlin (; born 16 April 1968) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. In his prime, he was considered one of the world's best strikers.

Starting off his career with Malmö FF in 1987, he was the 1988 Allsvenskan top scorer and played for clubs in the Bundesliga, Serie A, and the Premier League before retiring in 1999.

A full international between 1991 and 1997, he won 60 caps for the Sweden national team and was in the Sweden national team that placed third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also represented Sweden at the 1988 Summer Olympics and UEFA Euro 1992. In 1993, he was bestowed the Guldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year.

Early life Dahlin was born in Höganäs, Sweden to a Venezuelan father, who was a musician, and a Swedish mother. Named after Martin Luther King Jr., Dahlin spent his upbringing in Lund.

Club career In 1993, he was selected as best Swedish player of the year, winning Guldbollen.

He played for Malmö FF, Borussia Mönchengladbach, A.S. Roma, Hamburger SV and Blackburn Rovers. The most successful time of his career he spent with Borussia Mönchengladbach with whom he won the German Cup in 1995 along with Stefan Effenberg.

Dahlin transferred from Roma to Blackburn Rovers in mid-1997 and made 21 appearances in the 1997–98 season, scoring four goals.

In the 1998–99 season, he only played five games when an injury in a training game ruled him out for the rest of the season and contributed to his retirement from the game after a short spell at Hamburger SV in 1999.

Blackburn Rovers later sued their insurance company who had refused to pay out over the injury claiming that normal wear and tear could have been a contributing factor. Although the initial verdict was given in favour of the club, in 2005 the Court of Appeal overturned the verdict and sent it back to the lower court. On 12 April 2006, the High Court ruled in favour of the insurance company, decreeing that the player probably had a pre-existing condition. This decision left Blackburn about £4 million out-of-pocket.

International career Dahlin earned 66 caps for the Sweden men's national team. He was in the Sweden men's national team that finished third in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals in the tournament. He also was in the team that reached the semifinals of UEFA Euro 1992.

Retirement Dahlin legally lives in Monaco. He lends his name to a clothing line. He speaks three languages – Swedish, English and German.

Dahlin became a sports agent working for former teammate Roger Ljung's sport agency Roger Ljung Promotion AB. He has since formed his own agency called MD Management. He represents Ola Toivonen, Guillermo Molins, Markus Rosenberg, Jonas Olsson, Behrang Safari and Pontus Jansson.

Career statistics

Club Source:

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMalmö FF1988Allsvenskan2117– 21171989Allsvenskan174– 1741990Allsvenskan197– 1971991Allsvenskan2211– 2211Total793900 7939Borussia Mönchengladbach1991–92Bundesliga12220–00–1421992–93Bundesliga201031–00–23111993–94Bundesliga271242–00–31141994–95Bundesliga241152–00–29131995–96Bundesliga231510–53103018Total1065015500531012758Roma1996–97Serie A3010–00–40Borussia Mönchengladbach (loan)1996–97Bundesliga191000–00–1910Blackburn Rovers1997–98Premier League214102200–2461998–99Premier League50000010–60Hamburger SV (loan)1998–99Bundesliga8000–00–80Career total241103175226310267113

International Appearances and goals by national team and year National teamSeasonAppsGoalsSweden19917619921041993861994126199560199685199792Total6029 International goals Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first.

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 1 May 1991 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 4–0 6–0 Friendly 2. 5–0 3. 15 June 1991 Idrottsparken, Norrköping 1–0 4–0 Scania 100 Tournament 4. 2–0 5. 4 September 1991 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 1–0 4–3 Friendly 6. 3–2 7. 7 May 1992 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 4–0 5–0 Friendly 8. 26 August 1992 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway 1–1 2–2 Friendly 9. 7 October 1992 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 1–0 2–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 10. 11 November 1992 Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel 2–1 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 11. 28 April 1993 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 1–2 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 12. 11 August 1993 Ryavallen, Borås, Sweden 1–0 1–2 Friendly 13. 22 August 1993 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 1–1 1–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 14. 8 September 1993 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 1–1 1–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 15. 13 October 1993 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 1–1 3–2 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier 16. 3–1 17. 19 June 1994 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, US 2–2 2–2 1994 FIFA World Cup 18. 24 June 1994 Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan, US 2–1 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup 19. 3–1 20. 3 July 1994 Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas, US 1–0 3–1 1994 FIFA World Cup 21. 12 October 1994 Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland 2–1 2–4 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier 22. 16 November 1994 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier 23. 24 April 1996 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–0 2–1 Friendly 24. 9 May 1996 Olympia, Helsingborg, Sweden 1–0 2–1 Friendly 25. 16 May 1996 Olympic Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 1–0 2–0 Friendly 26. 1 June 1996 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 2–0 5–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier 27. 1 September 1996 Daugava Stadium, Riga, Latvia 1–0 2–1 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier 28. 8 June 1997 Kadriorg Stadium, Tallinn, Estonia 1–0 3–2 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier 29. 6 August 1997 Malmö Stadion, Malmö, Sweden 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours Malmö FF

Swedish Champion: 1988 Allsvenskan: 1988, 1989 Svenska Cupen: 1988–89

Borussia Mönchengladbach DFB-Pokal: 1994–95

Sweden FIFA World Cup third place: 1994

Individual Allsvenskan top scorer: 1988 Guldbollen: 1993 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1995–96

References

External links