Morten Gamst Pedersen facts for kids
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Pedersen lining up for Norway in 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morten Gamst Pedersen | ||
| Date of birth | 8 September 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Vadsø, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Norild | ||
| 1998–1999 | Polarstjernen | ||
| 1999–2000 | Norild | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2004 | Tromsø | 121 | (51) |
| 2004–2013 | Blackburn Rovers | 288 | (35) |
| 2013–2014 | Karabükspor | 10 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Rosenborg | 37 | (5) |
| 2016–2019 | Tromsø | 96 | (4) |
| 2020–2022 | Alta | 41 | (19) |
| 2022 | Åsane | 18 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ranheim | 22 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Norway U21 | 18 | (10) |
| 2004–2014 | Norway | 83 | (17) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 December 2023 | |||
Morten Gamst Pedersen (born on September 8, 1981) is a professional footballer from Norway. He plays as a midfielder, which means he helps both defend and attack on the field. He was well-known for his amazing skills and powerful long-range goals, especially when he played for Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
Morten started his football journey with Tromsø in Norway. Later, he moved to England and played for Blackburn Rovers from 2004 to 2013, appearing in 349 games. After that, he played for a Turkish team called Karabükspor. In 2014, he joined Rosenborg back in Norway. With Rosenborg, he won the 2015 Tippeligaen (the top Norwegian league) and the 2015 Norwegian Cup. In February 2016, he returned to his first club, Tromsø. He also played for Alta and Åsane, and most recently for Ranheim.
Morten also played for the Norwegian national team for ten years, starting in 2005. He played 83 games and scored 17 goals for his country.
Contents
Morten's Club Career Highlights
Starting at Tromsø IL
Morten was born in Vadsø Municipality in Norway. He became a star player for Tromsø, a club in Norway's top football league. In the 2004 season, he scored 7 goals before moving to Blackburn Rovers in England. Blackburn paid about £1.5 million for him. He was brought in to help fill the spot left by another player, Damien Duff.
Playing for Blackburn Rovers
Morten joined Blackburn Rovers in 2004. He made his first appearance in the Premier League on August 28, 2004, in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United. At first, it was a bit tough for him to get used to the Premier League. However, in 2005, he started scoring goals and became a key player. In his first season, he played 27 games and scored 8 goals.
The 2005–06 season was great for Morten. He became the main player on the left side of the midfield. He scored some amazing goals, like a volley against Fulham in August 2005, which was voted "Goal of the Month" by BBC Match of the Day. A big moment was in September 2005 when he scored two goals in a 2–1 win against Manchester United at their home stadium, Old Trafford.
Morten continued to play for Blackburn for many years. He signed a new four-year contract in May 2010, showing how important he was to the team. On November 6, 2010, he scored a fantastic 40-yard free-kick goal against Wigan Athletic. A few days later, he scored his 40th goal for the club against Newcastle United. He scored two more goals against Aston Villa on November 21, helping Blackburn win 2–0.
In the 2011–12 season, Morten continued to play a big role. He even captained Blackburn in a League Cup game against Sheffield Wednesday.
Time at Karabükspor
In August 2013, Blackburn Rovers told Morten he could look for a new club. On August 30, 2013, he moved to the Turkish team Karabükspor for free. He had played 288 league games for Blackburn before leaving.
Coming Back to Norway
After his time in Turkey, Morten returned to Norway. He joined Rosenborg and played 28 league games, scoring 3 goals over two seasons. After his contract with Rosenborg ended, he went back to his first senior club, Tromsø. He played 88 league games for Tromsø, scoring 3 goals. He later played for Alta and Åsane, and then Ranheim.
Morten's International Career
Morten Gamst Pedersen made a fantastic debut for the Norwegian national team on February 18, 2004. He scored two goals against Northern Ireland in that game!
On September 2, 2006, during a Euro 2008 qualifying match against Hungary, Morten scored a goal that was very similar to a famous goal by the legendary player Marco van Basten. Because of this amazing goal, Norwegian newspapers nicknamed him van Gamsten. After that match, he received the "Golden Watch" award from the Football Association of Norway for playing his 25th game for his country.
He continued to score important goals for Norway. On August 12, 2009, he scored two goals against Scotland in a World Cup qualifier. On November 17, 2010, he scored a brilliant curling free-kick against Republic of Ireland to help Norway win 2–1. He played his last match for Norway against Greece on August 15, 2012. He has played 83 games and scored 17 goals for Norway.
Morten's Personal Life
Morten Gamst Pedersen's father, Ernst Pedersen, was also a footballer. He played in the Norwegian Premier League in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Morten has some Sami heritage, which comes from the indigenous people of northern Norway. He has Sami blood from both his parents, especially his mother's side. He has mentioned that he knows only a little bit of the Sami language.
Interestingly, Morten was also part of a Norwegian boyband called The Players. He was in the band with other footballers like Freddy dos Santos. Their first song became popular across Scandinavia and was released to support a campaign called "Soccer Against Crime."
Career Statistics
Here are Morten Gamst Pedersen's career statistics, showing how many games he played and goals he scored for different clubs and for his country.
Club Appearances and Goals
| Season | Club | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tromsø | 2000 | Tippeligaen | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2001 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 5 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 5 | |||
| 2002 | 1. divisjon | 23 | 18 | 5 | 3 | – | – | 28 | 21 | |||
| 2003 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 7 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 31 | 12 | |||
| 2004 | Tippeligaen | 18 | 7 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 21 | 10 | |||
| Total | 103 | 40 | 18 | 11 | — | — | 121 | 51 | ||||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2004–05 | Premier League | 19 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 27 | 8 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 34 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 42 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 36 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 49 | 8 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 46 | 6 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | – | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 39 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Championship | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 33 | 1 | ||
| Total | 288 | 35 | 25 | 5 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 349 | 47 | ||
| Karabükspor | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | ||
| Rosenborg | 2014 | Tippeligaen | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | 32 | 5 | |
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | 37 | 5 | |||
| Tromsø | 2016 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2018 | Eliteserien | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2019 | Eliteserien | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 88 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 96 | 4 | ||||
| Alta | 2020 | 2. divisjon | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | 2. divisjon | 25 | 12 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 12 | |||
| Total | 38 | 19 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 19 | ||||
| Åsane | 2022 | 1. divisjon | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | ||
| Ranheim | 2023 | 1. divisjon | 19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 22 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 591 | 102 | 65 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 697 | 130 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 2004 | 10 | 4 |
| 2005 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 83 | 17 | |
- Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gamst Pedersen goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 February 2004 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 13 October 2004 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Slovenia |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 4 | 16 November 2004 | Craven Cottage, London, England |  Australia |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3 September 2005 | Arena Petrol, Celje, Slovenia | Slovenia |
3–2 | 3–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 6 | 16 August 2006 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Brazil |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2 September 2006 | Ferenc Szusza Stadium, Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary |
3–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 8 | 21 October 2007 | Ta' Qali Stadium, Attard, Malta |  Malta |
4–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 9 | 28 March 2009 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa |  South Africa |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 10 | 1 April 2009 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Finland |
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 11 | 12 August 2009 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Scotland |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 12 | 4–0 | |||||
| 13 | 29 May 2010 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Montenegro |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 17 November 2010 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 7 June 2011 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Lithuania |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 11 October 2011 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier |
| 17 | 5 March 2014 | Eden Arena, Prague |  Czech Republic |
2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Awards and Honours
Morten Gamst Pedersen has won several awards and titles during his career:
Tromsø
- 1. divisjon: 2002 (This is a second-tier league in Norway)
Rosenborg
- Tippeligaen: 2015 (The top football league in Norway)
- Norwegian Football Cup: 2015 (A major cup competition in Norway)
Individual
- Eliteserien top assist provider: 2017 (He made the most assists in the top Norwegian league in 2017)
See also
In Spanish: Morten Gamst Pedersen para niños
