There was never any whining about Stefan Schwarz.
And it didn’t matter what it was about.
If he had to turn a corner in a smaller lake – then he just solved it.
Hard, harder, Schwarz. It is a classic expression in Swedish football and it is not possible to speak directly against it. In total, there were nearly 70 international matches for Schwarz, who immediately became a real crowd favorite. The legend played in blue and yellow throughout the 90s, and most memorable is of course what he did with the national team during the summer of success in 1994.
Never any whining
Schwarz will always be remembered as one of the hardest and toughest midfielders Sweden has ever had. He never backed down an inch on the pitch, and always gave it his all. It could lead to bouts of insanity and injuries – but you always knew what you were getting from Schwarz when he stepped out onto the pitch.
It could really hurt to face Sweden’s number 6, but Schwarz didn’t care. If there was a bang, he just rolled up his socks and drove on. Just whining wasn’t something he was that attached to, and it didn’t really matter what it was about. It was just a matter of honking and driving on.
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Incredible corner
And the question is whether there is any better example of that than this. When Schwarz played with Valencia in the late 90s, the team got a corner. Schwarz, along with Gaizka Mendiete, went out to take the corner, but there was a problem. A rainstorm had caused a lake to form around the corner flag, and the ball couldn’t even touch the ground as it just floated on the surface of the water.
Many had probably given up, signaled to the referee or just ignored it. But Schwarz was not like that. Instead, he and Mendieta came up with a brilliant plan – which involved Schwarz lifting the ball off the surface, so Mendieta could volley it in. Unfortunately, there was no goal from the piece of art, but you still love the imagination in it all. Stefan Schwarz – what a player.
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