Axel Nilsson

Axel "Acke" Nilsson (12 November 1904 – 22 April 1978) was a Swedish football, ice hockey and bandy player, best known for representing Hammarby IF and AIK in all three sports.

Axel Nilsson
Nilsson receiving the Le Mat Trophy in 1938
Born(1904-11-12)12 November 1904
Stockholm, Sweden
Died22 April 1978(1978-04-22) (aged 73)
Stockholm, Sweden
Association football career
Position(s) Left winger
Youth career
Hammarby IF
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1925–1932 Hammarby IF 93 (46)
1932–1941 AIK 165 (53)
Total 258 (99)
International career
1930–1937 Sweden 8 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Ice hockey career
Position Defenceman
Played for Hammarby IF
AIK
IFK Stockholm
National team  Sweden
Playing career 1927–1945
Bandy career
Playing position Forward
Youth career
IK Mode
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1925–1931 Hammarby
AIK
National team
1929–1933 Sweden 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

A full international between 1930 and 1937, he won eight caps for the Sweden national football team. He also competed for the Sweden national ice hockey team at the 1936 Winter Olympics.

Athletic career

Football

Born in Stockholm, Nilsson made his debut with Hammarby IF in 1925. Competing in Division 2, the second tier, Nilsson almost led the club to a promotion in his six seasons with the club. In total, Nilsson played 93 games and scored 46 goals for Hammarby IF, leading the team's offensive forces together with Sture Gillström, Sigfrid Öberg and Åke Hallberg.[1][2][3][4][5] On 22 May 1931, Nilsson was selected into a mixed team of Stockholm-based players, together with six other teammates from Hammarby IF, to face Arsenal, in an exhibition game that the British club won 5–1.[6][7]

Playing as a winger, Nilsson got known his strong left foot, pace, technique, finesse and dribbling skills. He also possessed a powerful shot with fine scoring efficiency. In 1932, he moved to rivals AIK in Allsvenskan, the domestic top division. He soon established himself as a frequent starter for his new club, forming a fruitful partnership with forward Per Kaufeldt. Initially, AIK struggled to compete for the Swedish Championship title, but finished 2nd in the table for two seasons in a row before winning the league in 1936–37. He was one of the key offensive players at AIK during this period, together with Olle Zetherlund, Gustaf Josefsson and Erik Persson. On 18 April 1937, Nilsson scored the first ever goal at Råsunda, Sweden's new national stadium, in a 4–0 win against Malmö FF. He played a few more seasons with the club, but left AIK in 1941.[8][9][10]

Throughout his career, Nilsson won eight caps for Sweden and scored seven goals, making his debut in 1930, while still playing with Hammarby IF in the second tier.[11] Most notably, Nilsson scored a hat-trick in a 7–1 exhibition win against Romania on 1 September 1935, but did not compete in any international tournaments.[12]

Ice hockey
Nilsson (right) in a duel with opponent Lennart Hellman from Hammarby IF in 1938.

In 1927, Nilsson made his debut for Hammarby IF in Elitserien, the domestic top tier, getting known as a physical defenceman.[3][8][13]

He moved to AIK in 1931.[13] Nilsson won three Swedish championships – in 1934, 1935 and 1938 – with the club.[14]

Nilsson played 11 international games for Sweden, and represented his country at three major tournaments: the 1936 Winter Olympics, 1937 World Championships and 1938 World Championships.[15]

He ended his ice hockey career with IFK Stockholm, playing five seasons in the lower divisions, before retiring in 1945.[13]

Bandy

Like many other Swedish footballers and ice hockey players at the time, Nilsson also played bandy. In 1931, he scored the first ever home goal for Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan, a new national league that had been established the same year. Between 1929 and 1933, he made three international appearances for Sweden and later represented AIK at club level.[16][17]

References
  1. "1926" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  2. "1927" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. "1928" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  4. "1929" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  5. "1930" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  6. "1931" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  7. "1932" (in Swedish). HIF Historia. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. "Axel "Acke" Nilsson – han gjorde första målet på Råsunda" (in Swedish). AIK Fotboll. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  9. "Mr AIK minns storhetstiden. Tore Nilsson rankar 1937 års mästarlag som det bästa i AIK:s historia" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  10. "Allsvenskan genom åren" (in Swedish). Allsvenskan. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. "Landslagsdatabasen: Axel Nilsson" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. "Sverige 7 – 1 Rumänien" (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  13. "Axel Nilsson" (in Swedish). Eliteprospects. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  14. "Svenska mästare i ishockey" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  15. "The Sweden team rosters in World Championship, Olympic Games, World Cup of Hockey and Canada Cup year by year since 1920" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  16. "Idrottens riddare har utökats" (in Swedish). Swedish Bandy Association. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  17. "Hammarby toppar tidernas statistik mot AIK" (in Swedish). Hammarby IF Bandy. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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