Famous Norwegian Football Players

Former Norwegian football player, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was one of the most successful players of Manchester United and scored 126 goals for it. He famously scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to secure a treble for the Manchester United. Post retirement, he began his coaching career and is currently the manager of Manchester United.

Norwegian football manager and former footballer John Arne Riise is perhaps best known for his stint with Liverpool, having won 6 titles with them, including an FA Cup and a UEFA Champions League. He was honored with the Kniksen of the Year award in 2006.

Norwegian footballer Morten Gamst Pedersen who created headlines for being active in the game even at age 40, has previously been a star for the Blackburn Rovers. The Åsane midfielder is the son of former footballer Ernst Pedersen. He has also scored a hit song as part of the boyband The Players.

Norwegian striker Tore André Flo has also represented renowned clubs, including Chelsea and Leeds United as a player, winning multiple titles with the former, such as the FA Cup. He comes from a family of footballers and is also known for his decade-long association with Chelsea as their coaching staff.

Omar Elabdellaoui is a Norwegian football player best known for his association with the Olympiacos Football Club with which he has won four Super League Greece tournaments. Omar Elabdellaoui has also been an important player for the Norwegian national team since 2013.

Stefan Johansen is a Norwegian football player and the current captain of the popular English football club Queens Park Rangers. An attacking midfielder, Johansen won the 2013 Kniksen Award under the Midfielder of the Year category. The following year, he was honored with the prestigious Gullballen award. Stefan Johansen announced his retirement from international football in 2021.

Norwegian footballer Håvard Nordtveit is best known as a defender/defensive midfielder for the German club Hoffenheim. He began his youth career with Norwegian clubs such as Vats 94 and Haugesund. He has also played for Arsenal and Fulham. He once lost a tooth following a clash with Norwegian footballer Bernt Hulsker.

Norwegian former footballer Ronny Deila, who now coaches New York City FC, had a successful stint with Odds Ballklubb as a player, winning the Norwegian Football Cup with them. The Kniksen Coach of the Year award winner made headlines for stripping down to his underwear after New York City’s first MLS Cup win.

Best known for his long stint with Manchester United, which saw him win numerous titles, such as the FA Cup and the Premier League, retired Norwegian footballer Ronny Johnsen has also competed at the FIFA World Cup for Norway. He has also won a Kniksen Award and now coaches Eik Tønsberg.

Ørjan Nyland is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. In 2012, he helped Hødd win the Norwegian Cup by winning the man of the match award in the finals. He then went on to win two more Norwegian Cups with Molde in 2013 and 2014. In 2014 and 2015, Nyland won the Tippeligaen Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Henning Berg is a Norwegian former professional football player best known for his participation in the Premier League. He is the first player to win the EPL with two different clubs, having won the titles with Manchester United as well as Blackburn Rovers. Berg was also an important player for the national team at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

Norwegian former footballer John Carew has had successful stints with clubs such as Valencia, Aston Villa, and Lyon. He has also scored 24 goals for the Norwegian national team. Post-retirement, he stepped into acting, with roles in movies such as Dead of Winter and series such as Heimebane.

Ola Kamara is a Norwegian football player who plays as a striker. Although his father is from Sierra Leone, Kamara chose to represent Norway in international football as his mother is from Norway. Apart from playing for popular clubs like D.C. United, Ola Kamara has also been an important player for the Norway national team since 2013.

Norwegian footballer Joshua King is best known as a forward for Watford. A child prodigy, he began his youth career with Romsås IL at age 6. He has also represented teams such as Manchester United and the Blackburn Rovers. He won the prestigious Gullballen award in 2017.

Ståle Solbakken is a Norwegian football manager and retired player. One of the most successful managers of his generation, Solbakken helped Copenhagen win eight Danish Superliga championships. In 2004, he was named Norwegian Manager of the Year. Ståle Solbakken also had a successful playing career until he suffered a heart attack in 2001.

Norwegian former midfielder Hege Riise scripted history when she became one of the 3 women in the world to win the Olympics, the European Championship, and the World Cup. Post-retirement, she has coached the British women’s football team and the Norwegian U-19 team. Interestingly, she played with a boys’ team till 14.

Norwegian footballer Ada Hegerberg became the top women’s club goal-scorer in UEFA history in 2019. She was part of the silver-winning Norwegian team at the 2013 UEFA Women's Championship. The Ballon d'Or Féminin winner has also been a 5-time UEFA Women's Champions League champion with Lyon.

Norwegian footballer Sander Berge is best known for his association with the English club Sheffield United. He has also played for Genk in Belgium and for Vålerenga and Asker in Norway. Interestingly, his father, mother, and older brother were all international basketball players, while he followed his grandfather, footballer Ragnar Berge.

Åge Hareide is a Norwegian football manager and former player. A popular coach, Hareide has managed the Norway national team as well as the Denmark national football team. He has also won league titles in each and every Scandinavian country that plays professional football. Åge Hareide also had a successful playing career and represented teams like Manchester City and Molde.

Bersant Celina is a Kosovan football player who has played for popular teams like Manchester City, Swansea City, and Ipswich Town. During the 2018–19 season, one of his goals for Swansea City was adjudged Goal of the Season. Raised in Norway, Bersant Celina represented the Norway national team at youth level before playing for the Kosovo national senior team.

Ghanaian-born footballer Alexander Tettey moved to Norway at 13, where he began his youth career with Bodø/Glimt. He later had successful stints as a defensive midfielder with teams such as Rosenborg and Norwich City, winning 2 EFL Championships with the latter and 2 Eliteserien championships with the former.

Markus Henriksen is a Norwegian football player best known for his association with Rosenborg Ballklub for which he won the Eliteserien in 2009 and 2010. He has also represented other popular teams like AZ Alkmaar, winning the KNVB Cup for the team in 2013. Since 2010, Markus Henriksen has been an important player for the Norwegian national team. 

Tarik Elyounoussi is a Moroccan-born Norwegian professional football player whose international debut goal for the Norwegian national team against Uruguay in 2008 within four minutes on the pitch is considered one of the fastest debut goals ever in an international match. In the domestic circuit, Tarik Elyounoussi helped the Olympiacos Football Club win the Super League Greece tournament in 2017.

Jan Åge Fjørtoft is a Norwegian retired professional football player who played as a centre forward in Norway, Austria, Germany, and England. Nicknamed The Feather, Fjørtoft was renowned for his agility and speed. Jan Åge Fjørtoft also captained the Norway national team in 15 games. 

Brede Hangeland is a Norwegian retired professional football player. He is best known for helping the Viking Fotballklubb win the prestigious Norwegian Football Cup in 2001. He also won the Danish Superliga in 2006 and 2007 with FC Copenhagen. Brede Hangeland served as the captain for the Norwegian national team from 2008 until his resignation.

Jo Inge Berget is a Norwegian footballer who has played for popular clubs in places like Italy, Wales, Sweden, Scotland, and the US. A popular name in Norway, Jo Inge Berget helped Strømsgodset win the 2010 Norwegian Football Cup. He also had a successful stint with Molde, winning the Eliteserien in 2011 and 2012 and the Norwegian Cup in 2013.

Caroline Graham Hansen is a Norwegian football player best known for playing an important role in Norway’s silver medal-finish at UEFA Women's Euro 2013. Counted among the best wingers of her generation, Caroline Graham Hansen is renowned for her dribbling skills. In 2018, she was named in The Guardian's 100 Best Female Footballers In The World list.

Best known as a Chelsea midfielder, Norwegian footballer Guro Reiten has also previously represented Norwegian clubs such as Kattem and LSK Kvinner. She was also part of Norway’s 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup team and has been a 2-time FA Women's League Cup and FA WSL champion with Chelsea.

Steffen Iversen is a Norwegian football player who plays as a striker. He is the current player-manager for Trygg/Lade, a Norwegian fourth division side. Steffen Iversen is best known for his association with Rosenborg for which he won the Eliteserien on five occasions. He has also won several individual awards like the Kniksen Award Striker of the Year in 2006.

Rune Jarstein is a Norwegian football player who plays as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his association with Rosenborg with which he won the 2009 Tippeligaen as well as the 2010 Mesterfinalen. In 2018, Rune Jarstein won the prestigious Gullballen award.

Per Ciljan Skjelbred is a Norwegian football player best known for his association with Rosenborg Ballklub with which he has won three Eliteserien, 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup, and the 2010 Mesterfinalen. He served as the captain for the Norway national football team in a few games before announcing his retirement from international football in 2017.

Harmeet Singh is a Norwegian football player who currently plays for Sandefjord Fotball. Nicknamed The Norwegian Iniesta, Singh often positions himself as a deep-lying midfielder and creates opportunities for himself and his teammates to score goals. In 2010, Harmeet Singh was named in the 100 greatest talents out of the world list by Spanish newspaper Don Balón.

Adama Diomande is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker. In 2013, he was part of the Strømsgodset Toppfotball team that won the Eliteserien. Adama Diomande has also had success with the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), scoring nine goals in the first seven league contests before being named MLS Player of the Month in June 2018.

Mathis Bolly is a Norwegian-born professional football player best known for winning the 2019 Eliteserien with Molde Fotballklubb. Renowned for his speed, Bolly is one of the fastest players of his generation. Although he represented the Norway national under-19 team, Bolly chose to play for the Ivory Coast national team at the senior level as his father is an Ivorian.

Norwegian footballer Stefan Strandberg, best known as a defender for the Italian club Salernitana, began his senior career at age 15. He has also represented the Norwegian national team. He also captained the Norwegian U-21 team and was named to the UEFA U-21 Championship Team of the Tournament.

Norwegian footballer Maren Mjelde is best known for her association with Chelsea. The sister of former footballer Erik Mjelde, Maren began her youth career with Fri IL and later also represented clubs from Norway, Germany, and Sweden. Her achievements with Chelsea include 3 FA WSL and 2 FA Women's League Cup wins.

Norwegian footballer Julian Ryerson is best known as a midfielder for Union Berlin. Starting his youth career with the clubs Lyngdal IL and Viking, he later also played for the Norwegian squad, from the U-18 to the senior level. Born to an American father, he qualified to compete for the US, too.

Norwegian-Icelandic footballer Maria Thorisdottir was always interested in sports, being the daughter of Icelandic handball coach Þórir Hergeirsson. Interestingly, the Manchester United defender had been a star juggler in her childhood. She has also played for Klepp and Chelsea and has tried her luck at handball, too, with Sola and Stabæk.

Known for his skills as a penalty box striker, Moroccan-origin Norwegian footballer Mohammed Abdellaoue has been associated with both German and Norwegian clubs, such as VfB Stuttgart and Vålerenga. Also known as Moa, the football star quit his career due to a knee injury. He is the brother of striker Mustafa Abdellaoue.