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Which Nordic players have featured in the most UEFA games?

UEFA.com salutes the Nordic nations' highest achievers in UEFA club competition.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Jari Litmanen and Jon Dahl Tomasson
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Jari Litmanen and Jon Dahl Tomasson ©Getty Images

Most appearances by a Nordic player in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

124: Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris, Man. United)
 107: Roar Strand (NOR – Rosenborg)
 84: Erik Hoftun (NOR – Rosenborg)
 84: John Arne Riise (NOR – Monaco, Liverpool, Roma)
 81: Ole Gunnar Solskjær (NOR – Man. United)
 79: Bent Skammelsrud (NOR – Malmö, Rosenborg)
 67: Sami Hyypiä (FIN – Liverpool, Leverkusen)
 67: Fredrik Ljungberg (SWE – Halmstad, Arsenal)
 65: Jan Heintze (DEN – PSV Eindhoven, Leverkusen)
 65: Jari Litmanen (FIN – HJK Helsinki, Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool, Malmö)

Top-scoring Nordic players in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

Watch Swedish goalscoring greats

49: Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milano, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris, Man. United)
 23: Jari Litmanen (FIN – HJK Helsinki, Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool, Malmö)
 21: Harald Brattbakk (NOR – Rosenborg, Celtic)
 20: Ole Gunnar Solskjær (NOR – Man. United)
 18: John Carew (NOR – Rosenborg, Valencia, Lyon)
 17: Roar Strand (NOR – Rosenborg)
16: Markus Rosenberg (SWE – Ajax, Werder Bremen, Malmö)
 14: Søren Lerby (DEN – Ajax, Bayern München, PSV Eindhoven)
 14: Fredrik Ljungberg (SWE – Halmstad, Arsenal)
 14: Torbjörn Nilsson (SWE – IFK Göteborg)

Most appearances by Nordic players in UEFA club competition*

Rosenborg stalwart Roar Strand
Rosenborg stalwart Roar Strand©Getty Images

140: Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris, Man. United)
133:
Roar Strand (NOR – Rosenborg)
 120: John Arne Riise (NOR – Monaco, Liverpool, Roma, Fulham)
 112: Sami Hyypiä (FIN – MyPa, Willem II, Liverpool, Leverkusen)
 108: Henrik Larsson (SWE – Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona, Man. United, Helsingborg)
 102: Christian Poulsen (DEN – København, Schalke, Sevilla, Juventus, Liverpool, Ajax)
 95: Erik Hoftun (NOR – Rosenborg)
95: William Kvist Jørgensen (DEN – København, Stuttgart)
94: Mikael Lustig (SWE – Rosenborg, Celtic)
 91: Jan Heintze (DEN – PSV Eindhoven, Leverkusen)

Top-scoring Nordic players in UEFA club competition*

Henrik Larsson celebrates a Celtic goal
Henrik Larsson celebrates a Celtic goal©Getty Images

59: Henrik Larsson (SWE – Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona, Man. United, Helsingborg)
 56: Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris, Man. United)
 44: Allan Simonsen (DEN – Vejle, Mönchengladbach, Barcelona)
33: Torbjörn Nilsson (SWE – IFK Göteborg, Kaiserslautern)
 31: Harald Brattbakk (NOR – Rosenborg, Celtic)
 30: Jari Litmanen (FIN – HJK Helsinki, Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool, Malmö, Lahti)
 28: John Carew (NOR – Vålerenga, Rosenborg, Valencia, Roma, Beşiktaş, Lyon, Aston Villa)
 27: Jon Dahl Tomasson (DEN – Heerenveen, Newcastle, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Stuttgart, Villarreal)
 26: Stefan Pettersson (SWE – IFK Göteborg, Ajax)
 24: Tore André Flo (NOR – Tromsø, Brann, Chelsea, Rangers, Vålerenga)

Most appearances by Nordic nation in UEFA club competiton*

Iceland favourite Henrik Larsson
Iceland favourite Henrik Larsson©Getty Images

Denmark: 102 – Christian Poulsen (København, Schalke, Sevilla, Juventus, Liverpool, Ajax)
Faroe Islands: 31 – Todi Jónsson (KÍ Klaksvík, Lyngby, København, Start)
Finland: 112 – Sami Hyypiä (MyPa, Willem II, Liverpool, Leverkusen)
Iceland: 64 – Eidur Gudjohnsen (PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Barcelona, AEK Athens, Club Brugge)
Norway: 133 – Roar Strand (Rosenborg)
Sweden: 140 – Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris, Man. United)

Timeline of notable Nordic firsts in UEFA club competition

Nils Liedholm training with AC Milan
Nils Liedholm training with AC Milan©Getty Images

1958: First Nordic player to appear in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Nils Liedholm (SWE – Real Madrid 3-2 AC Milan)

1962: First Nordic player to appear in a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final
Kurt Hamrin (SWE – Atlético Madrid 1-1, 3-0 Fiorentina)

1968: First Nordic player to win/score in a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final
Kurt Hamrin (SWE – AC Milan 2-0 Hamburg)
 
1969: First Nordic player to win a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Kurt Hamrin (SWE – AC Milan 4-1 Ajax)

1970: First Nordic player to score in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Ove Kindvall (SWE – Feyenoord 2-1 Celtic)

Denmark great Allan Simonsen
Denmark great Allan Simonsen©Getty Images

1973: First Danish players to play in a UEFA Cup final
Henning Jensen, Allan Simonsen (Liverpool 3-2agg Mönchengladbach)

1974: First Danish player to win a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Johnny Hansen (Bayern München 1-1, 4-0 Atlético Madrid)
 
 1975: First Danish players to win in a UEFA Cup final
Henning Jensen, Allan Simonsen (Mönchengladbach 5-1agg Twente)

IFK Göteborg in 1982
IFK Göteborg in 1982©Getty Images

1979: First Nordic side to appear in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
 Malmö (SWE) 0-1 Nottingham Forest
 
 1982: First Nordic club to win a UEFA competiton
 IFK Göteborg (SWE) 4-0agg Hamburg, UEFA Cup

1999 #UCL final highlights: United 2-1 Bayern

1984: First Nordic coach to appear in a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Nils Liedholm (SWE – Liverpool 1-1 Roma, aet, Liverpool win 4-2 on pens)
 
 1990: First Icelandic player to appear in a UEFA final
Arnór Gudjohnsen (Sampdoria 2-0 Anderlecht, European Cup Winners' Cup)
 
 1995: First Finnish player to win a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Jari Litmanen (Ajax 1-0 AC Milan)
 
1999: First Norwegian players to win a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Ronny Johnsen, Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Man. United FC 2-1 Bayern München)
 
 2009: First Icelandic player to make the final squad for a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Eidur Gudjohnsen (Barcelona 2-0 Man. United)

*UEFA club competitions means European Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, European/South American Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup