Kurt Hamrin
The passing of Kurt Hamrin this weekend was probably not covered by the British sporting medusa but he was a legend for Fiorentina and Sweden.
He and Gabriel Batistuta were joint Viola capocannoniere (top scorers) with 151 goals.
Kurt Hamrin – known as the ‘Little Bird’ – played in the great Fiorentina side of the late 1950s, either finishing or winning the scudetto, playing the great Real Madrid in the European Cup final and being part of the first Italian side to win European competition when Fiorentina beat Glasgow Rangers.
He represented Sweden in the 1958 World Cup Final and now there are no more survivors of that game.
The Swedes were integral imports to the serie a – one thinks of Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm – known as Grenoli – who adorned the Milan side and we had great service from Stefan Schwarz.
Hamrin was the best of the lot- a tricky winger blessed with two good feet and blistering pace. He was as good as Kylian Mbappé.
The Little Bird would feature in Fiorentina’s Greatest Side.
Rest in peace Uccellino (Little Bird) …
