Jan Åge Fjørtoft facts for kids
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Fjørtoft in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jan Åge Fjørtoft | ||
| Date of birth | 10 January 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Gursken, Møre og Romsdal, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gursken | |||
| 1982–1983 | Hødd | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1985 | Hødd | 39 | (34) |
| 1986–1987 | HamKam | 44 | (17) |
| 1988–1989 | Lillestrøm | 33 | (20) |
| 1989–1993 | Rapid Wien | 129 | (63) |
| 1993–1995 | Swindon Town | 72 | (27) |
| 1995–1997 | Middlesbrough | 41 | (10) |
| 1997–1998 | Sheffield United | 34 | (19) |
| 1998 | Barnsley | 34 | (9) |
| 1998–2001 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 52 | (14) |
| 2001 | Stabæk | 15 | (6) |
| 2002 | Lillestrøm | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 497 | (219) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984 | Norway U19 | 6 | (5) |
| 1985–1987 | Norway U21 | 14 | (6) |
| 1986–1996 | Norway | 71 | (20) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jan Åge Fjørtoft (born 10 January 1967) is a famous Norwegian former footballer. He was a strong centre forward who scored many goals. He played professionally in Norway, Austria, England, and Germany. In total, he scored 308 goals in 614 games across these four countries. He played 71 times for the Norwegian National Team and scored 20 goals. He was captain in 15 of those games. A big moment for him was playing in the 1994 World Cup in the US. This was Norway's first time back at the World Cup since 1938. His nickname was Fjøra, which means "The Feather".
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Jan Åge Fjørtoft started his senior football journey at Hødd in Norway when he was just 17. He quickly showed his talent by scoring many goals. In the 1985 season, he scored 25 goals in 22 games!
Playing in Austria
After playing for Hødd, HamKam, and Lillestrøm in Norway, Fjørtoft moved to Austria. He spent four seasons with Rapid Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga. In 1989, he was named Player of the Year, becoming only the second foreign player to win this award.
Time in England
In the 1990s, Fjørtoft played for several teams in England.
- Swindon Town: He joined Swindon Town in 1993 for a club record fee of £500,000. This was after they were promoted to the Premiership. Swindon had a tough start, but Fjørtoft started scoring after Christmas. He even scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Coventry City in February 1994. Even with his goals, Swindon was relegated that season.
- Middlesbrough: Fjørtoft continued to score a lot of goals in the 1994–95 season. He moved to Middlesbrough in March 1995 for £1.3 million. He helped Middlesbrough win the First Division championship that season. This meant they were promoted to the Premiership. He played regularly in the 1995–96 season, scoring six goals.
- Sheffield United and Barnsley: In 1997, he joined Sheffield United. Later, in 1998, he moved to Barnsley to play in the Premiership again. He scored six goals in 15 games for Barnsley, but the team was still relegated.
Playing in Germany and Back Home
Fjørtoft left England in November 1998 to join Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. He became a fan favorite there. In a very important game in 1999, he scored a goal in the 89th minute that saved Eintracht from being relegated. He then returned to Norway, playing for Stabæk and finishing his career with Lillestrøm in 2002. He retired from playing at age 35.
International Career
Between 1986 and 1996, Jan Åge Fjørtoft played 71 games for the Norway national team. He was part of the team that played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He started in two matches during that World Cup, against Mexico and Italy.
Life After Playing Football
After he stopped playing professional football, Jan Åge Fjørtoft took on many different roles. He worked in TV, in football management, and as an advisor.
Media Career
Fjørtoft started working in media while he was still playing in England. He was a guest and worked for Sky. After retiring in 2002, he became the first full-time football expert on Norwegian TV for NRK. He also joined Viaplay in 2004, where he worked as a host and expert for big football events like the Champions League and the World Cup. He is still a senior reporter for Viaplay's Premier League broadcasts.
In 2021 and 2022, he made a documentary called "Haaland – The Big Decision." This film showed Erling Haaland's journey, especially when he moved from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City. Fjørtoft has also worked as a football expert for other TV channels like Sky Germany, ESPN, and ServusTV. He writes columns for Bild Zeitung in Germany and has a podcast called "The German Fussball Podcast" with his son, Markus.
Strategic Advisor Roles
Jan Åge Fjørtoft also runs his own company that helps other companies and their leaders. He has given advice to important organizations like the Norwegian Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). From 2016 to 2019, he worked as a strategic advisor for WADA's vice president. He even helped organize an Anti-Doping Conference at the White House in Washington D.C.
Since 2008, he has advised the Norwegian Football Association. He was involved in the "Handshake for Peace" idea from the very beginning. In 2014, he became the Team Manager for the Norwegian National Team, working closely with the coach.
Ambassador and Charity Work
In 2015, the Minister for Sport in Norway asked Fjørtoft to lead a group that advised the government on how to use sports to benefit society. He also serves as an ambassador for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. With the club, he started the Norway-Forum in 2021 to build stronger connections between the Frankfurt area and Norway.
Fjørtoft is also passionate about making sports available to everyone. Since 1990, he has run sports schools. For the last five years, these schools have been free for students. He has organized schools in Norway, England, and Scotland. He has also led foundations focused on peace and community work.
Personal Life
Jan Åge Fjørtoft's son, Markus, also became a professional footballer.
Honours
Jan Åge Fjørtoft achieved several important honours during his career:
- Lillestrøm
- 1. divisjon: 1989
- Middlesbrough
- Football League First Division: 1994–95
- Individual Awards
- 1. divisjon top scorer: 1988
- Player of the year in Austria (Krone-Fußballerwahl): 1989
- Football League First Division Team of the Year: 1994–95
See also
In Spanish: Jan Åge Fjørtoft para niños
