Somehow, Brazil got away with it. This summer’s carnival of football was an undoubted success. Despite the fears of relentless protesting and the thought of Huw Edwards introducing images of building sites where stadia should’ve been every evening, the World Cup enthralled, excited and enthused the globe to a greater extent than any other in recent memory. However, one small aspect that added to the spectacle of many a previous tournament was omitted – the jovial, all-action flair of a Scandinavian nation.

In the modern footballing world, addled with fixture pile ups, relentless media schedules and the focus on work rate and pressing, rest is everything. The Premier League’s top managers often air their frustrations at crucial league games ambushing their sides after laborious Champions League treks to Shaktar Donetsk or CSKA Moscow or Maccabi Tel-Aviv. There comes a time in late winter when players, coaches and journalists all seem to be fretfully discussing “so many games in so many days” as Europe’s major competitions come to a head. Apparently, two games in three days is just plain unacceptable. So for a player to appear in two games on the same day, for different teams, in different countries must be practically suicidal? Not if you’re Soren Lerby.

Scandinavia has produced a string of supremely gifted players throughout the decades. The drifting guile of Michael Laudrup, the prolific goal-getting of Gunnar Nordahl and frog-like reactions of Peter Schmicheal barely make a start on what would be an imposing list. Right at the heart of this thundering Viking horde would be the flashing blonde bob of Soren Lerby. Lerby was the rumbustious, smash-mouth midfield engine of Sepp Piontek’s Danish Dynamite side during the mid eighties that trail-blazed its way to the Euro 84 semi finals and had the temerity to win Mexico 86’s group of death that also contained West Germany, Uruguay and Scotland.

Lerby would hare from box to box making lunging challenges, picking the odd defence splitting pass and unleashing murderous left footed hammers upon unsuspecting goalkeepers (see his 1984 Bundesliga hat-trick for Bayern Munich that dispatched Werder Bremen). Lerby was renowned for being tough and battle-hardened, a reputation further perpetuated by his rolled down socks and pad-less shins. Illegal today, but a chest-beating battle cry at the time. He was a warrior, as he proved in November 1984. 69 minutes into an impressive 3-0 world cup qualifying win for the Danes over Ireland in Copenhagen, Lerby was substituted before hurriedly disappeared down the tunnel.

This was not an unsubtle signal to his manager that he was disgruntled by his removal, as may be more common today. His hastened exit was because he had plane to catch. Bayern had a DFB Pokal tie with VfL Bochum set for later that evening and they had chartered a flight, as well as director Uli Hoeness as an escort, to get Lerby back to Germany to help his club into the next round. Lerby, encountering the throng of fans outside the ground back in Germany blocking the path of his taxi from the airport, ran the last few hundred meters through the crowds in order to make kick off. To Lerby’s dismay however, despite his outlandish journey, he was only named as a substitute. Although he did make an appearance in the second half and continued as the game ventured into extra time. A remarkable story, one that sums up Lerby’s spirit and undying thirst for victory.

Not only does Lerby’s footballing attitude scream ‘winner’ but so does his sizeable trophy cabinet. After beginning his career in his native Denmark with Fremad Amager, Lerby was snapped up by Dutch powerhouse Ajax in 1975, along with compatriot Frank Arnesen, at just 17. Where, in his eight year stay, he won five Eredivise titles, the last two as captain and when Paul Breitner retired in 1983, Bayern looked to Lerby as a replacement. During his three seasons in Bravaria he helped the club to a brace of Bundesliga titles and two further DFB Pokal trophies. Then, after spending a season with Monaco, he returned to Holland with reigning champions PSV Eindhoven, where, as part of a heavy Danish contingent that included Arnesen, he added the 1988 European Cup to his already impressive C.V. After retiring in 1990, Lerby succeeded Jupp Huynckes (never easy) in the dugout at Bayern but was replaced before the end of the 91/92 season by Erich Ribbeck after a disappointing campaign and is now working as an agent, counting Napoli’s Belgian winger Dries Mertens among his clients.

Much to their detriment, Lerby is exactly the type of player the current crop of Scandinavian sides are missing. Justifiably, the question could be raised as to if they even produce players like Lerby anymore. Where are this generation’s Johan Mjallbys or Thomas Helvegs or Jari Litmanens? Players that are going to add some much needed bite, presence and forcefulness, winning battles or acting as a catalyst, as an enforcer or as a leader? In more recent times Scandinavian teams have been largely padded out by players (Zlatan aside) who are, while being technically proficient and decent on the ball, a little lightweight and lack the personality, the wherewithal, or frankly the class, to impose themselves on a game at international level and lead.

In fact, Scandinavian influence at recent world cups has been slowly dwindling. Denmark where the only representative in 2010 and they were dispensed with by Japan early on, failing to make the knock out stages. This was the first time the second round had been without a Scandinavian representative since Italia 90. Whereas the absence of Norway, Denmark or Sweden this summer was an occurrence unrecorded since Spain 82, from there on World Cup history has been marked by squash-buckling runs of the big three Scandinavian nations into the latter stages. Denmark beat West Germany 2-0 and Uruguay 6-1 in 86 before being prematurely ushered home at the hands of Spain in a shattering 5-1 reverse, while Tomas Brolin and Martin Dahlin (insert  your own impression of Barry Davis’ Euro 92 commentary for the exchange of passes that lead to their goal against England here) inspired a Swedish burst into USA 94’s semis before being edged out by a solitary Romario goal at the Rose Bowl, Pasedena.

Norway meanwhile managed to overhaul Brazil during the group stages of France 98, thanks to 88^th minute penalty from Kjetil Rekdal before circumming to Italy in the heat of Marseille’s Stade Velodrome again by a single goal, this time from Christian Vieri. Although Denmark managed to outdo their counterparts and enter the quarter finals, they came up against Ronaldo and Rivaldo who squeezed past Micheal Laudrup and co in a thrilling 3-2 victory. Four years later Denmark again appeared in the second round, this time in the far east where they were joined by Sweden, both were unsuccessful here however, just as the Swedes where again in 2006, losing out to hosts Germany.

All three countries have been drawn in 2016 qualification groups from which at trip to France looks evidently achievable. Finland and even Iceland, who made the play offs for Brazil, also have realistic chances of making the expanded 24 team tournament. A tournament, let’s not forget, Denmark won in 1992. However, if Scandinavian football wants to continue to surprise and enthral as it has in previous years, they’ll need to adjust the balance of their national teams and, much like the rest of the international footballing community, reassess their youth policies. The boisterous, blonde bombast of Soren Lerby would be the ideal template for future footballing generations of marauding Viking hordes.