# Ove Kindvall

Bengt Ove Kindvall (born 16 May 1943) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He started his career at IFK Norrköping, where he played until he joined Feyenoord in 1966 and became professional. The same year, he won the Guldbollen, as the best Swedish footballer of the year. He is regarded as one of Sweden's greatest ever players. A full international between 1965 and 1974, he won 43 caps and scored 16 goals for the Sweden national team. He represented his country at the 1970 and 1974 FIFA World Cups.

## Club career

With Feyenoord he won two national championships as well as the 1970 European Cup. In the final against Celtic he scored the winning goal in extra time. In his five seasons with the club, Kindvall scored 129 league goals in 144 games. He returned to Sweden and Norrköping 1971, where he played for three years, until ending his career in IFK Göteborg.
He was the first non-Dutchman to be named Eredivisie top scorer, doing so in 1968, 1969 and 1971. No other foreigner achieved this until Romário in 1989.
Kindvall earned the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1969. In that year, he was named as the fourth best player in Europe.

## International career

Kindvall played 43 games with the national team and scored 16 goals. He participated in the 1970 and 1974 FIFA World Cup, playing a major role in the team's qualification for the former.

## Personal life

He is the father of former footballers Niclas Kindvall and Tina Kindvall, and brother of Kaj Kindvall, a radio host.

## Career statistics
### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Sweden | 1965 | 3 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1966 | 6 | 4 |
| Sweden | 1967 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 1968 | 3 | 3 |
| Sweden | 1969 | 3 | 4 |
| Sweden | 1970 | 3 | 0 |
| Sweden | 1971 | 4 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1972 | 5 | 0 |
| Sweden | 1973 | 10 | 3 |
| Sweden | 1974 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 43 | 16 |
    Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kindvall goal.
List of international goals scored by Ove Kindvall :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 7 November 1965 | Dr. Fazil Kucuk Stadium, Famagusta, Cyprus | Cyprus | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 2 | 27 April 1966 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, East Germany | East Germany | 1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 3 | 30 June 1966 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Brazil | 1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 4 | 30 June 1966 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | Brazil | 2–3 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 5 | 5 October 1966 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Austria | 2–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 9 October 1968 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Norway | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 7 | 9 October 1968 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Norway | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 8 | 9 October 1968 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | Norway | 4–0 | 5–0 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 9 | 1 May 1969 | Malmö Stadium, Malmö, Sweden | Mexico | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 19 June 1969 | Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo, Norway | Norway | 3–0 | 5–2 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 11 | 15 October 1969 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | France | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 12 | 15 October 1969 | Råsunda, Solna, Sweden | France | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 13 | 27 June 1971 | Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden | West Germany | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 26 April 1973 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 13 June 1973 | Nepstadion, Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 16 | 11 November 1973 | Gżira Stadium, Gżira, Malta | Malta | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier |

## Honours

IFK Norrköping
* Allsvenskan: 1962, 1963
Feyenoord
* Intercontinental Cup: 1970
* European Cup: 1969–70
* Intertoto Cup: 1967, 1968
* Eredivisie: 1968–69, 1970–71
* KNVB Cup: 1968-69
Individual
* Guldbollen: 1966
* Allsvenskan top scorer: 1966
* Eredivisie top scorer: 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71
* Ballon d'Or fourth place: 1969 (shared with Johan Cruyff)
* FUWO European Team of the Season: 1969