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Agne Simonsson
Agne Simonsson.jpg
Agne Simonsson with Team Sweden in 1960
Personal information
Full name Tore Klas Agne Simonsson
Date of birth (1935-10-19)19 October 1935
Place of birth Göteborg, Sweden
Date of death 22 September 2020(2020-09-22) (aged 84)
Place of death Göteborg, Sweden
Playing position Striker
Youth career
BK René
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1953–1960 Örgryte IS 42 (25)
1960–1963 Real Madrid 3 (1)
1961–1962 → Real Sociedad (loan) 22 (8)
1963–1970 Örgryte IS 120 (80)
Total 187 (114)
National team
1957 Sweden U21 1 (3)
1957–1967 Sweden 51 (27)
Teams managed
1971–1972 Örgryte IS
1977–1982 BK Häcken
1983–1986 Örgryte IS
1988–1990 Iraklis
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  Sweden
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1958 Sweden
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Agne Simonsson (born October 19, 1935 – died September 22, 2020) was a famous Swedish football player. He played as a striker, which means he was a main goal scorer.

He started his career with Örgryte IS in 1953. Later, he played for big Spanish teams like Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in the early 1960s. He then returned to Örgryte IS in 1963.

Simonsson played 51 games for the Swedish national team. He was a key part of the Swedish team that came in second place at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. In 1959, he won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal for his amazing performance against England at Wembley Stadium.

Agne Simonsson's Club Career

Playing for Örgryte IS

Agne Simonsson started playing youth football for BK René. He joined Örgryte IS in 1949. He made his first team debut for Örgryte in 1953. At that time, the team was in Division 3.

He helped his team get promoted to Division 2 in 1955. In 1958, they moved up to the top Swedish league, Allsvenskan. This was with Gunnar Gren as a player and coach. While at Örgryte IS, Simonsson was recognized as one of the best players. He finished fifth in the voting for the 1959 Ballon d'Or. He also won the Guldbollen award in 1959, which is given to Sweden's best male football player.

Playing for Real Madrid

After his great performances for the Swedish national team, many people thought Simonsson was one of the best strikers in the world. In 1960, the famous Spanish team Real Madrid signed him.

However, it was hard for Simonsson to get playing time. This was because of strong competition from other great players, especially Alfredo Di Stéfano. He only played in 3 league games during the 1960–61 season. He scored one goal as Real Madrid won the league title. He also won the 1960 Intercontinental Cup and the 1962–63 La Liga with Real Madrid. But he did not play in those matches. As of 2022, Agne Simonsson is the only Swedish player to have ever played for Real Madrid.

Loan to Real Sociedad

For the 1961–62 season, Simonsson was loaned to another Spanish team, Real Sociedad. He scored 8 goals in 22 league games for them. However, at the end of that season, Real Sociedad was moved down to a lower league. They finished 15th out of 16 teams.

Returning to Örgryte IS

In 1963, Agne Simonsson went back to Sweden and rejoined Örgryte IS. He formed a strong attacking duo with Rune Börjesson. Simonsson is the best goal scorer in Örgryte IS's history. He scored a total of 206 goals in league games for the club.

Agne Simonsson's International Career

Early National Team Games

Simonsson played one game for the Swedish U21 team on September 22, 1957. It was a friendly game against Finland. He scored three goals in that game, helping Sweden win 7–0.

He made his full debut for the Swedish national team a month later. On October 13, 1957, he played against Norway. He scored two goals, and Sweden won 5–2.

The 1958 FIFA World Cup

Agne Simonsson scored four goals during the 1958 FIFA World Cup. This tournament was held in Sweden. His goals helped Sweden reach the final. He even scored a goal in the final game. However, Sweden lost 2–5 to Brazil.

Later National Team Achievements

In 1959, Simonsson received two big awards: the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal and the Guldbollen. This was after his amazing game against England on October 28, 1959. Sweden beat England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium. Simonsson scored two goals and helped with another. This was only the second time in history that a team beat England at Wembley.

He played his 51st and final game for Sweden on August 10, 1967. Sweden won 2–0 against Finland. In total, he scored 27 goals for the national team.

Agne Simonsson's Managerial Career

After his playing career, Agne Simonsson became a football manager. In 1982, he led BK Häcken to get promoted to Allsvenskan. This was the first time in their history they reached the top league.

As a manager for Örgryte IS, Simonsson guided the team to win the Swedish Championship title in 1985. This was Örgryte IS's first league title since 1913.

Honours and Awards

Player Honours

Örgryte IS

  • Division 2 Västra Götaland: 1957–58

Real Madrid

Sweden National Team

Individual Awards

  • Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal: 1959
  • Guldbollen: 1959
  • Kristallkulan: 1959
  • Nordic Football Championship top scorer: 1956–1959

Records

Manager Honours

BK Häcken

  • Division 3 Nordvästra Götaland: 1977

Örgryte IS

  • Swedish Champion: 1985

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Agne Simonsson para niños

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