The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Norway. Though their female national team are former World Champions, the men’s team have only ever qualified for three World Cup finals tournaments and have never got past the last 16.
However, an impressive amount of Norwegians have appeared in the Premier League over the years. According to the Premier League website, 68 players have represented Norway in the Premier League, stretching back to the opening weekend of the very first season.
First Player – Gunnar Halle (Oldham, Leeds, Bradford; 1992-2002)
Starting Oldham Athletic’s first-ever Premier League game in 1992, right back Gunnar Halle became the first Norwegian to play in the Premier League. Halle joined Oldham in 1991, spending over a decade in England including later spells with Leeds United and Bradford City in the Premier League.
He retired in 2003 after returning to Norway with Lillestrøm. Halle moved into coaching not long after, later becoming assistant manager of the Norway Women’s national team.
Most Appearances: John Arne Riise – 321 (Liverpool, Fulham 2001-08, 2011-14)
A ginger assassin with a sledgehammer for a left foot, left-back/midfielder John Arne Riise made over 300 Premier League appearances in spells with Liverpool and Fulham.
Riise moved to England in 2001, joining Liverpool after three years with Monaco. In seven successful years at Anfield, Riise won the Champions League and FA Cup and made a name for himself as a scorer of stunningly powerful goals.
After three years in Italy with Roma, Riise returned to England with Fulham, linking up with his brother Bjørn Helge Riise. His time at Craven Cottage was less successful however and he left the club in 2014 following their relegation to the Championship.
Top Scorer: Ole Gunnar Solskjær – 91 (Manchester United; 1996-2007)
Before Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s days in the Premier League dugouts, the baby-faced assassin was a sharp-shooting striker on the pitch. He scored 91 Premier League goals in 235 appearances, a record made more impressive by the fact that 83 of those appearances came as a substitute.
He would almost certainly have reached 100 goals were it not for devastating knee problems that ravaged his final four seasons at United. He missed the entire 2004/05 campaign and only managed to add seven more goals to his tally before retiring in 2007.
Current Players
Four Norwegians appeared in the Premier League last season before the suspension – Ørjan Nyland (Aston Villa), Joshua King (Bournemouth), Alexander Tettey (Norwich City) and Sander Berge (Sheffield United).
Two others have made previous Premier League appearances and remain with Premier League clubs – Alexander Sørloth (Crystal Palace, on loan at Trabzonspor last season) and Mohamed Elyounoussi (Southampton, on loan at Celtic last season).
Trivia
- Three Norwegians have won the Premier League, all with Manchester United – Henning Berg (also with Blackburn), Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
- John Arne Riise is the most capped Norwegian of all time (110 caps).
- Since the Premier League began recording free-kick statistics in 2006/07, only four players have scored goals direct from free-kicks in the Premier League than former Blackburn midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen (seven goals).
- Sander Berge is Sheffield United’s current record signing.
