Nils Liedholm, 85; Swedish soccer star, title-winning coach in Italy

Nils Liedholm, 85, a Swedish soccer star who became a title-winning soccer coach in Italy, died Monday in the northern Italian village of Cuccaro Monferrato, said AC Milan, the team for which he played from 1949 to 1961. The cause of death was not given.

A native of Valdermarsvik, Sweden, Liedholm made 23 international appearances for the national team and scored 11 goals, helping his country win the gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics.

He was on the 1958 World Cup team in Sweden that reached the final but lost to Brazil. That was the first World Cup featuring Pele. Liedholm made 359 appearances for AC Milan, scoring 81 goals. His team won Italian championships in 1951, ‘55, ’57 and ’59.

After retiring, Liedholm moved into coaching and picked up the nickname Il Barone (The Baron). He guided AS Roma for 12 seasons and Milan for eight, winning five trophies, including two league titles -- in 1979 with Milan and in 1983 with Roma.

Liedholm coached Fiorentina, Verona, Varese and Monza before retiring in 1997.