Roland Nilsson

Right-back play rarely looked dramatic with Nilsson, and that was exactly the point. For Sweden, IFK Göteborg and Sheffield Wednesday, he offered elite defensive timing, clean body orientation and the stamina to repeat overlaps without abandoning his zone like un turista distratto. His 1994 World Cup performances showed the mature version of his profile: tactically secure, technically neat, difficult to isolate and trusted in both back-four and more flexible defensive structures.