English defender’s goal yields millions for Swedish football fan

“It’s totally unbelievable,” the man told the Expressen newspaper following the record payout from his modest 12 kronor wager.

The 75-year-old resident of Malmö in southern Sweden has been playing the Stryktipset betting game since 1971, having also won 25,000 kronor back in 1972.

The game, administered by Swedish state-owned gambling monopoly Svenska Spel, involves guessing the results of 13 football matches, usually from games played in England and Sweden, by marking a playing ticket with the correct symbol: ‘1’ for a home win, ‘X’ for a draw, and ‘2’ for a win by the away team.

The man’s dream win was made possible by an injury-time goal by defender Billy Jones of Preston, which helped his team salvage a draw against rivals Middlesborough in England’s Championship football league, the country’s second highest division.

The equalizing goal meant the man had guessed the correct results for thirteen matches on his Stryktipset playing ticket, giving him the biggest payout in the game’s 75-year-history and smashing the previous record by 3 million kronor.

While the man plans to donate some of his winnings to charity, he also expects the unexpected boost to his bank account will be used to fund some travel.

“It’s going to be a football trip to England with the missus to watch my new favourite team – Preston,” he told the newspaper.