Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Unfortunately, two more legends of Serie A passed away at the weekend. 2024 has not been kind. After Gigi Riva recently, we lost Kurt Hamrin, who sadly passed away at the weekend aged 89, former Fiorencina Milan and Sweden winger, a legend. Nima, tell us a little bit about Kurt Hamrin.
Speaker: Kura Hamrin, as he was nicknamed, he was born in Stockholm. He was one of the most magically, technically gifted wingers that Sweden has ever produced. He came first to Italy, played for Juve, was loaned out to Padova, where he scored 20 goals and 30 games. And then he came to Florence and Fiorentina, where he became an icon. He became a legend.
Speaker: His nickname was given to him in February 1964 when Fiorentina beat Atalanta 7 -1, where Hamrin scored five goals by a legendary nazlanazione journalist, Beppe Pegolotti, who described him as he flew past the defenders like a little bird, Luchelino, and after that he became Luchelino, the little bird.
Speaker: with all of Florence and Fiorentina. Paolo Rossi, who was born in Prato, famously said, I didn't go to Prato to watch, I didn't go to the stadium to watch Fiorentina play, I went to the stadium to watch Kurt Hamerin play.
Speaker: He was part of that 1958 Sweden FIFA World Cup finalist team, scoring one of the most iconic goals in football World Cup history in the semifinal against West Germany in 1958 in Gothenburg, where he's walking with the ball down the right wing.
Speaker: and the Germans start pressing him, and he starts jogging, and then he dribbles past two, three of them and scores. He was part of that magical generation of Swedish players, Gunnar Grían, Gunnar Knudahl, Naka Skooglund, Nisseligdall.
Speaker: and so on. And now everyone barring one of that team have all passed away, unfortunately. Only one player left from that team is alive. After his career, I mean, he went to Milan where he had incredible success. He won the Cup Winners Cup, the Serie A, and the Champions League. He scored twice in the final of the Cup Winners Cup. He won the Cup Winners Cup and caught by Tyler with Fiorentina. But the thing is, he
Speaker: After his career, he bought a house near the area of Coverciano near the stadium.
Speaker: and became for all intents and purposes forever a Fiorentina fan. The rest of his life he became a Fiorentina fan. He's the all -time goal scorer, joint goal scorer for Fiorentina. He's eighth for all -time goals in the Serie A on 190 goals.
Speaker: Stefano Cechi, who is, I would say, the best living Fiorentina journalist out there, spoke of him that he chose to remain. He bought a house just outside of Florence to quote, to demonstrate even in the plastic world of football that certain deep and simple bonds can remain forever. In a world crowded with many faces, he remains forever, Luccellino.
Speaker: And that's true. You know, Glenn Hussein, who we interviewed on this pod when he played a Fiorentina for two years, he's he's talks about how he he spent every day with Khur Tamron because he helped him fix everything for him, you know, off the you know, off off the pitch. He was a truly, truly lovely man. His his wife, Marianne, used to welcome people to their home.
Speaker: fans and journalists alike. Lovely, lovely, lovely man and an absolute legend and icon.
Speaker: Yeah, that's beautiful. Beautiful from Nimr there. And he was a great winger as well. I've watched a few games of him. There isn't that much footage of him. He was a fantastic winger. Tricky, fast, great dribbler and Mr Nutmeg. Mr Nutmeg. I mean, that was his specialty. The Nutmeg. Yeah, he was a great player. Four goals in the 1958 World Cup as well, which shows how important he was in that tournament.
