Sahlin was born in
Falun. He began his football career with
Nynäshamns IF, and later played for
Division 3 club
Västerhaninge IF while also playing
bandy at elite level. Sahlin came late into top-class football: he was nearly 28 years of age when, after lengthy negotiations, he joined
Allsvenskan club
Hammarby IF in February 1995. His debut was eventful: after 11 minutes 3 seconds, he scored the first goal of the
1995 Allsvenskan season, and in the 44th minute he received his second
yellow card. He finished the season with 12 league goals and another 3 in the
Swedish Cup, but his club were
relegated. He made his debut in
the Football League on 26 November 1995 in a 2–2 draw at home to
Leicester City, coming on as a 74th-minute
substitute for fellow debutant
Danny Hill. This was the only first-team game that Sahlin played for Birmingham, Sahlin returned to the Allsvenskan with
Örebro SK. In 1997 his 14 goals earned him a share in the
league top scorer's crown, together with
Christer Mattiasson of
Elfsborg and
Mats Lilienberg of
Halmstad, and the following season his 10 goals made him Örebro's leading scorer. In his last game for ÖSK, Sahlin scored in the 89th minute to confirm a 4–2 win and take his club second in the table. In his three seasons with the club he scored 40 goals from 64 appearances in all competitions. Sahlin signed a three-year contract with
Danish Superliga club
AaB. In July 1998, he made his debut, opening the scoring in the 39th minute in a 4–0 defeat of
AGF Aarhus. He picked up a few injuries, including a minor ankle injury which required surgery. While in hospital, Sahlin suffered a
staphylococcal infection in the operated area, which despite lengthy recuperative treatment forced his retirement. He played only six games for AaB, and scored twice. ==International career==