Glenn Hysén
Birthdate: 30 October 1959
Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden
Other clubs: Warta (1977), IFK Göteborg (1977-83), PSV Eindhoven (1983-85), IFK Göteborg (2 / 1985-87), Fiorentina (1987-89), GAIS (1992-94), Skogens (1994-97)
Bought from: Fiorentina
Signed for LFC: £600,000, 01.06.1989
International debut: 06.03.1981 vs. Northern Ireland
International caps: 68/7 - 1990
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Liverpool debut: 12.08.1989
Last appearance: 22.02.1992
Debut goal: 12.09.1989
Last goal: 02.11.1991
Contract expiry: 01.05.1992
Win ratio: 55.91% W: 52 D: 26 L: 15
LFC league games/goals: 72 / 2
Total LFC games/goals: 93 / 3
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Player profile
Hysén first came to prominence at IFK Göteborg, with whom he won the UEFA Cup in 1982. He spent a couple of years at PSV Eindhoven before returning to Göteborg in 1987. He moved abroad again in 1989 to Fiorentina in Italy, playing under his former boss at Göteborg, Sven Göran-Eriksson. He earned rave reviews for his displays against England in two 1990 World Cup qualification matches that inspired great interest in him from English clubs. Liverpool stole him right from under the nose of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who thought they had his transfer signed, sealed... but forgot the deliver bit. Ferguson and United Chairman, Martin Edwards, flew out to Florence to conclude the transfer that was stalling but were then told by Hysén's agent that his client had already signed for Liverpool. By the time of his arrival on Merseyside, Hysén had been captain of the Swedish national team for many years and voted one of the ten best players in Europe when France Football announced their Golden Ball winner in 1987, so this was a big coup for Liverpool. Hysén was "Man of the Match" on his Liverpool debut in the 1989 Charity Shield against Arsenal at Wembley. He had an excellent first season and was an important member of the club's championship-winning squad. However, his cool and calculated performances seemed to evaporate the following season but even so he made a further 40 appearances. When Graeme Souness replaced Kenny Dalglish in the spring of 1991, it was clear that the Scot and the Swede didn't see eye to eye. Souness picked Hysén only five times from the start in 1991/92 with two further substitute appearances.
In 1992 Hysén returned to Sweden and signed for IFK Göteborg's city rivals, GAIS, where his contract proved too expensive for the club causing him great unpopularity among the fans. GAIS promised to build Hysén a house as a signing-on fee but in the end the club didn't fulfill its promise due to financial struggles. GAIS was relegated to the second tier of the Swedish league at the end of his debut season and Hysén was blamed for the club's demise by many fans, whether that was fair or not. He played on for another two seasons before finishing his career with Skogens. Hysén is one of Sweden's most well-known and respected sportsmen. He represented his nation 68 times, scoring seven goals. In club football, he made over 450 appearances for four Gothenburg clubs, PSV Eindhoven, Fiorentina and Liverpool. Hysén's grandfather, great-uncle and father played professionally for IFK Gothenburg. Another generation, Glenn's son, Tobias, also signed for IFK in 2007. The Hysén name has truly become synonymous with the history of Sweden's most successful club.