 Hellström at the1970 FIFA World Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Folke Ronnie Wallentin Hellström | ||
| Date of birth | (1949-02-21)21 February 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | Malmö, Sweden | ||
| Date of death | 6 February 2022(2022-02-06) (aged 72) | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1962–1966 | Hammarby IF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966–1974 | Hammarby IF | 171 | (0) |
| 1974–1984 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 266 | (0) |
| 1988 | GIF Sundsvall | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 436 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1966–1967 | Sweden U19 | 14 | (0) |
| 1968–1970 | Sweden U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 1968–1980 | Sweden | 77 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Folke Ronnie Wallentin Hellström (21 February 1949 – 6 February 2022) was a Swedish professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper. He representedHammarby IF and1. FC Kaiserslautern during a career that spanned between 1966 and 1984. He was considered one of the world's best goalkeepers in the 1970s. In 1988, he played oneAllsvenskan game forGIF Sundsvall following an injury crisis. As a full international between 1968 and 1980, he won 77caps for theSweden national team and represented his country at the1970,1974, and1978 FIFA World Cups. He was awardedGuldbollen as Sweden's best footballer of the year in both 1971 and 1978.
Hellström was born inMalmö to father Rolf, who also played football as a goalkeeper, and mother Ingegerd.[1] During a brief period, Hellström trialed with local giantsMalmö FF after getting invited by former national team player and then youth coach,Karl-Erik Palmér, but did not join the club on permanent basis.[2] In 1962, when Hellström was 13 years old, his family moved toStockholm after his father's job got relocated to the capital. On his own initiative, Hellström sought to continue playing football atHammarby IF since he had read about the club's youth academy in a magazine.[2][3]
On 11 May 1966, aged 17, Hellström made his debut for Hammarby IF's senior team in a 3–1 away win againstAvesta AIK in Division 2 Svealand, his only appearance throughout the season. In 1967, he became the club's starting goalkeeper, competing inAllsvenskan, Sweden's first tier. Although the team suffered a relegation, Hellström was voted as the best goalkeeper in the league by Sweden's dominating sports magazineIdrottsbladet.[4][5]
Being considered as ayo-yo club, Hammarby played another two seasons in the second division. In 1969, the club won a promotion through eliminating Sandåkerns SK by 2–1 in the first play-off round, in which Hellström saved a penalty, andHelsingborgs IF by 2–0 in the final round. Returning to Allsvenskan in 1970, the club was placed last in the table after eight rounds in July, but went practically unbeaten through the rest of the campaign, eventually finishing fifth.[5] In 1971, Hellström only conceded 26 goals in 22 fixtures, as the team finished tenth in the table. At the end of the year, he wonGuldbollen, the prize as Sweden's best footballer, still being the only Hammarby player to ever have done so. In both 1972 and 1973, Hammarby finished mid-table in Allsvenskan, being unable to produce any sort of challenge for the Swedish champion title, but Hellström continuously stood out as the best goalkeeper in the league.[4][5]
In total, Hellström made 171 league appearances for Hammarby in eight seasons.[6][5] In 2004, Hellström was voted as the club's second biggest profile throughout its history, only behindLennart Skoglund.[4]
In 1974, following his stellarWorld Cup, Hellström was recruited by1. FC Kaiserslautern in theBundesliga and turned professional. In 1975–76, he led the side to the final of theDFB-Pokal, the main domestic cup, but lost 2–0 toHamburger SV. In 1978, he finished sixth in the ranking for theBallon d'Or, awarded to Europe's best footballer. He also won Guldbollen for the second time in his career, being the first and only goalkeeper to do so.[7][8][5][6]
Although Hellström never won any silverware at Kaiserslautern, the club finished third in the 1979 Bundesliga, followed up by a fourth place in 1980, 1981 and 1982. He reached his second final in the DFB-pokal in 1980–81 with Kaiserslautern, but the team succumbed to a 1–3 defeat toEintracht Frankfurt. The club also competed at continental level, most notably reaching the semi-finals of the1981–82 UEFA Cup, being eliminated by the tournament's eventual winnersIFK Göteborg through 2–3 on aggregate.[7][8][5][6]
In 1984, after ten years in the Bundesliga, making 266 league appearances, Hellström decided to retire from professional football. Beloved by the Kaiserslautern fans for his performances and loyalty to the club, most notably turning down a lucrative offer fromNew York Cosmos, he became the first ever non-German player to be granted a testimonial match.[8] On 21 April 1984, his farewell game drew a gate of 35,000 at theBetzenbergstadion. Among the participating players were domestic star players likeSepp Maier andFranz Beckenbauer, as well as his former long-time teammate from Hammarby,Kenneth Ohlsson.[9][10][6]
Hellström made his debut forSweden in 1968 and immediately established himself as the first choice for his country. He played all three first-round matches at the1970 FIFA World Cup in which Sweden narrowly missed qualifying for the quarterfinals. It is at the1974 FIFA World Cup that he burst on the world stage with exceptional performances againstCruyff'sNetherlands (0-0) andBeckenbauer'sWest Germany (2-4), contributing to Sweden's unexpected fifth place. Hellström also excelled in the1978 FIFA World Cup but could not prevent Sweden's narrow first-round elimination. There were no other major tournaments in his career, as Sweden did not qualify for the1982 FIFA World Cup or any Euro during this period. In total, he won 77caps.[11]
While in Argentina during the 1978 World Cup, Hellström took part in the demonstrations of theMadres de la Plaza de Mayo in front ofCasa Rosada together with teammatesRoy Andersson andRoland Andersson.[12]
After his retirement, Hellström worked as a goalkeeping coach for Hammarby IF and Malmö FF. In 1988, Hellström made a brief comeback, playing one match in Allsvenskan forGIF Sundsvall, due to injuries at the club, aged 39 years, 7 months and 18 days.[13]
In 2017 a biography of Hellström was released, namedRonnie – Bäst i Världen (Ronnie – Best in the world), and in 2019 a German version was also released, named,Ronnie – der Fliegende Wikinger (Ronnie – the flying Viking).[14]
In 2021, Hellström was diagnosed withesophageal cancer. He died on 6 February 2022, 15 days before his 73rd birthday.[15] Hammarby announced his death in a club statement, which said: "Ronnie Forever. Hammarby Fotboll is in grief. We have been reached by the news that Ronnie Hellström passed away early this morning, surrounded by his family, after a period of illness. Our thoughts are with his loved ones."[16][17][18][19]
Hellström's sonErland also became a professional football goalkeeper, who represented Hammarby in 2000–2002 and 2007–2009.[5]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1968 | 3 | 0 |
| 1969 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1970 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1971 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1972 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1973 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1974 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1975 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1976 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1977 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1979 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 77 | 0 | |
1. FC Kaiserslautern
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