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 metres (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | 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) |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2004 | Norway U21 | 18 | (10) |
| 2004–2014 | Norway | 83 | (17) |
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Morten Gamst Pedersen, born on September 8, 1981, is a famous Norwegian professional footballer. 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 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. He played 349 games for them! After that, he played for a Turkish team called Karabükspor. In 2014, he returned to Norway to play for Rosenborg. There, he helped his team win the 2015 Tippeligaen (the top Norwegian league) and the 2015 Norwegian Cup. In 2016, he went back to play for Tromsø.
Morten also played for the Norway national team for ten years, starting in 2005. He played 83 games for his country and scored 17 goals.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Morten Gamst Pedersen has played for several football clubs throughout his career. He started in Norway, then moved to England and Turkey, before returning to play in his home country again.
Starting at Tromsø IL
Morten was born in Vadsø Municipality in Norway. He became a well-known player at Tromsø, a club in Norway's top football league. In the 2004 season, he scored 7 goals. This caught the eye of English clubs. By August 2004, he moved to Blackburn Rovers for about £1.5 million. He was brought in to replace another great player, Damien Duff.
Time at Blackburn Rovers
Morten joined Blackburn Rovers in 2004. His first game in the Premier League was against Manchester United on August 28, 2004. It was a 1–1 draw. At first, it was a bit tough for him in the Premier League. But in 2005, he started scoring goals and became a key player. In his first season, he played 27 games and scored 8 goals.
In the 2005–06 season, Morten became the main left-midfielder for Blackburn. He scored some amazing goals, like a volley against Fulham that won "Goal of the Month" on BBC. A big moment was in September 2005 when he scored two goals against Manchester United at their home stadium, Old Trafford. Blackburn won that game 2–1!
Later, under a new manager, Sam Allardyce, Morten often played as an attacking midfielder. On May 19, 2010, he signed a new four-year contract with Blackburn. This meant he would stay with the club until 2014. He played over 30 games and scored three goals in the 2009–10 Premier League season.
In November 2010, he scored a fantastic 40-yard free-kick against Wigan Athletic. A few days later, he scored against Newcastle United. On November 21, he scored two goals against Aston Villa, helping Blackburn win 2–0. By the end of the 2010–11 season, he had played 39 games and scored four league goals.
On August 24, 2011, Morten was the captain for Blackburn in their 3–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup. He played many more games for Blackburn, showing his dedication to the team.
Moving to Karabükspor
In August 2013, Blackburn Rovers told Morten he could look for a new club. On August 30, 2013, he joined the Turkish team Karabükspor. He moved there for free after playing 288 league games for Blackburn.
Back to Norway
After his time in Turkey, Morten Gamst Pedersen returned to Norway. He joined Rosenborg and played 28 league games, scoring 3 goals over two seasons. When his contract with Rosenborg ended, he went back to his first senior club, Tromsø. He played 88 league games for Tromsø, scoring 3 goals.
Playing for Norway
Morten Gamst Pedersen also had a great career playing for his country, Norway.
He scored two goals in his very first game for Norway. This was against Northern Ireland on February 18, 2004.
On September 2, 2006, during a Euro 2008 qualifying game against Hungary, Morten scored a goal that looked a lot like a famous goal by Marco van Basten. Because of this, Norwegian newspapers called him van Gamsten! After that game, he received the "Golden Watch" award for playing 25 games for his country.
On August 12, 2009, he scored two goals for Norway against Scotland in a World Cup qualifier. He scored one goal at the end of the first half and another at the end of the second half. On November 17, 2010, Morten scored a fantastic curling free-kick against Republic of Ireland, helping Norway win 2–1. He continued to play important roles for Norway in many matches.
He played his last game for Norway against Greece on August 15, 2012. He has played 74 games and scored 14 goals for his country.
About Morten's Life
Morten Gamst Pedersen's father, Ernst Pedersen, was also a footballer. He played in the Norwegian Premier League in the 1970s and 1980s.
Morten has some Sami heritage, which comes from both his parents. The Sami are an Indigenous people of northern Europe. He has said that he has more Sami blood from his mother's side of the family. However, he admits he doesn't know much of the Sami language.
Morten was also part of a Norwegian boyband called The Players. Other footballers were in the band too! Their first song became very popular in Scandinavia. They released music to support a campaign called "Soccer Against Crime."
Career Statistics
Club
| 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
| 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 |
Honours
Morten Gamst Pedersen has won several awards and championships during his career:
Tromsø
- 1. divisjon: 2002 (This is a lower division league title)
Rosenborg
- Tippeligaen: 2015 (This is the top Norwegian football league title)
- Norwegian Football Cup: 2015 (This is a national cup competition)
Individual
- Eliteserien top assist provider: 2017 (He helped his teammates score the most goals in the top league in 2017)
See also
In Spanish: Morten Gamst Pedersen para niños
