Rosenborg BK facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rosenborg

Full name	Rosenborg Ballklub
Nickname(s)	Troillongan ("The Troll Children")
Founded	19 May 1917; 108 years ago (1917-05-19) (as Odd)
Ground	Lerkendal Stadion Trondheim
Ground Capacity	21,426
Chairwoman	Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen
Head coach	Alfred Johansson
League	Eliteserien
2024	Eliteserien, 4th of 16
Home colours Away colours

Rosenborg Ballklub, often called Rosenborg or RBK, is a professional football club from Trondheim, Norway. They play in the top Norwegian league, Eliteserien. Rosenborg has won a record 26 league titles and shares the record for 12 Norwegian Football Cup wins. They have also played more matches in European competitions than any other Norwegian team. RBK plays its home games at Lerkendal Stadion, which can hold 21,421 fans.

The club started as Odd in 1917. They were not allowed to play in amateur leagues until 1928. That's when they changed their name to Rosenborg Ballklub. They reached Norway's top league in 1937–38. The club moved to Lerkendal in 1957. Their first big win was the 1960 Cup. This allowed them to play in a UEFA tournament for the first time.

In the 1960s, RBK became Trondheim's best football team. They were promoted to the top league in 1967. They have stayed there almost every season since. They won three league titles between 1967 and 1971. The club's "golden era" began with the 1985 league title. From 1991 to 2004, they won 13 league titles in a row. Ten of these wins were under coach Nils Arne Eggen. During this time, they also played in the Champions League group stage 11 times. They even reached the quarter-finals in 1996–97.

Rosenborg's nickname is Troillongan, which means "The Troll Children". Their team colors are white shirts and black shorts. Their biggest rival is Molde FK.

The Story of Rosenborg

How it All Started (1917–1959)

On May 19, 1917, 12 young men from the Rosenborg area in Trondheim started a sports club. They called it Sportsklubben Odd. The name Odd was a way to honor Odd from Skien, which was Norway's most successful team back then.

Odd played against other local teams for a few years. They tried to join the regional league in 1920 but were not allowed. Many small clubs were forming, and the football authorities worried there wouldn't be enough players for the bigger teams. Some players left the club because of this. In 1923, the team played only one match.

By 1926, new members took over the club. Thanks to their hard work, Odd finally joined the regional league in 1927. This was ten years after the club began. A year later, they wanted to join the Football Association of Norway. But the association already had a club named Odd. So, on October 26, 1928, the club changed its name to Rosenborg Ballklub. Rosenborg is a neighborhood in Trondheim.

Rosenborg didn't have much success at first. They moved between the lower divisions of the regional league. But they slowly got better. In 1931, they reached the highest level. A year later, they played in the Norwegian Cup for the first time. Around this time, Rosenborg also started planning for a new home stadium at Lerkendal. This stadium was finished after World War II.

Becoming a Top Team (1960–1968)

Rosenborg has always had strong youth teams. A very talented group of young players in the 1950s grew up to become the core of the first team. This led to their success in the 1960s. In 1960, Rosenborg reached the cup final. They played against Odd, the team they had named themselves after in 1917. Rosenborg won their first trophy after a replay match. They won the cup again in 1964.

Rosenborg was promoted to the main Norwegian league in 1960. In 1967, Rosenborg reached the highest level of Norwegian football, the Main League. This was a very successful year for the club. With players like Harald Sunde, Nils Arne Eggen, and the young forward Odd Iversen, Rosenborg won their first league title. Iversen scored 17 goals in 18 games that year. He scored an amazing 30 goals the next season. By the end of the 1960s, Rosenborg was clearly one of Norway's best football clubs.

The 1960s also saw Rosenborg play in European competitions for the first time. They played in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1965 as cup winners. Three years later, they entered the European Cup as league champions.

Ups and Downs (1969–1987)

Rosenborg hired English coach George Curtis in 1969. He brought in a new 4–4–2 playing style. This focused more on tactics and defense. It worked well at first, and Rosenborg won their third league title. But when key players Odd Iversen and Harald Sunde left, Rosenborg stopped scoring goals. Curtis was replaced by former player Nils Arne Eggen. Eggen brought back a more attacking style. His first time as coach was a big success; Rosenborg won both the league and the cup, known as The Double.

The 1971 Double ended the club's first great period. Rosenborg lost two cup finals in a row and struggled in the league. Many coaches came and went without much success. In 1977, the team won only one match all season and finished last.

Nils Arne Eggen returned as coach in 1978. With the return of 35-year-old Odd Iversen, Rosenborg climbed back into the top division. In 1979, Iversen was the top goalscorer for the fourth time. But the club didn't regain its old glory until 1985. After 14 years without a trophy, Rosenborg beat Lillestrøm in the last match to win the league by one point.

The Golden Era (1988–2002)

The year 1985 was a turning point for Rosenborg. But things really took off in 1988. The club got new money from a main sponsor and became fully professional. Nils Arne Eggen returned as head coach. He had just led Moss to a league title in 1987. In the late 1980s, Rosenborg won The Double twice (1988 and 1990).

Rosenborg completely dominated Norwegian football in the 1990s. While the Norwegian national team played a defensive style, Rosenborg played exciting, attacking football. They won the Norwegian Premier League (started in 1991) for 13 seasons in a row, starting in 1992. They also won the Norwegian Cup five times.

In 1995, Rosenborg qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. This helped the club financially and made them even stronger in Norway. The money from playing in Europe allowed Rosenborg to become the richest club in Norway. They could offer the best new players better deals. This ensured they would keep winning league titles and playing in Europe. During this time, few other clubs could seriously challenge them.

European Adventures

Rosenborg vs Valencia

Rosenborg played in the Champions League group stage 11 times between 1995 and 2007. Eight of these were in a row (1995 to 2002). This was a record until 2004.

Rosenborg made it past the first group stage of the Champions League twice. In the 1996–97 season, they were about to be eliminated. But Milan lost points, setting up a deciding match at San Siro. Rosenborg beat Milan 2–1, knocking them out. Rosenborg reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Juventus. In the 1999–2000 season, Rosenborg won their group. A memorable game was their 3–0 win against Borussia Dortmund away from home.

Other great moments include a 2–0 win against Real Madrid and a 5–1 victory over Olympiacos. Both happened in the 1997–98 season. However, they also had some tough losses, especially against French teams. They lost 0–5 to Lyon in 2002 and 2–7 to Paris Saint-Germain in 2000.

Rosenborg didn't qualify in 2003 but made it again in 2004 and 2005. In 2007, they qualified for the 11th time. They had an impressive 1–1 draw away against Chelsea. They also beat Valencia 2–0 both at home and away.

In July 2009, Rosenborg was knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Qarabag from Azerbaijan. A year later, in August 2010, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Copenhagen due to the away goals rule.

Changes and Challenges (2003–2014)

At the end of 2002, Nils Arne Eggen retired after many successful years. Åge Hareide took over as coach. He wanted Rosenborg to be more defensive and tactical, while still keeping their strong attacking play. He also wanted to bring in new, younger players. Hareide released popular player Bent Skammelsrud, which caused some debate.

Under Hareide, Rosenborg dominated the league in 2003. They lost only three games and won by 14 points. They also won their seventh Double, beating Bodø/Glimt in the cup final. Hareide left in December 2003 to coach the Norwegian national team. His assistant, Ola By Rise, became the new coach.

With Hareide gone, the club struggled to continue his changes. Other Norwegian clubs were also getting stronger. Rosenborg won the league again in 2004, but only by scoring more goals than the second-place team. Ola By Rise's contract ended in October. Per Joar Hansen became manager with Nils Arne Eggen as an advisor.

The 2005 season was difficult. Rosenborg fought to avoid relegation for much of the season. Eggen left, and Per Joar Hansen left in August. Per-Mathias Høgmo took over. His first months were tough, but the team improved late in the season. They stayed in the top league and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Kjernen

Rosenborg's struggles continued in early 2006. Rival team Brann had a 10-point lead. On July 27, Per-Mathias Høgmo took sick leave. Assistant manager Knut Tørum took charge. Rosenborg then won eight games in a row, catching up to Brann. On October 22, Rosenborg beat Brann away, giving them a six-point lead. The next weekend, Rosenborg beat Viking to win their 20th league title. Høgmo resigned, and Tørum became the permanent manager.

Despite the 2006 success, Knut Tørum didn't have the same results in 2007. He also had problems with director Knut Thorbjørn Eggen. Tørum resigned on October 25, 2007. Rosenborg finished 5th that season.

After Tørum left, Erik Hamrén became the new coach in June 2008. Rosenborg became the first Norwegian team to win a final match in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in July 2008. They beat Dutch team NAC Breda. This win helped them reach the group stage of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. However, they finished last in their group. They also finished a disappointing 5th in the league.

In 2009, Hamrén brought in new players. Rosenborg won the league with 69 points, 13 points ahead of Molde FK. They lost only one league game all season. Molde stopped their chance at The Double by beating them 5–0 in the cup quarter-final.

On May 20, 2010, Nils Arne Eggen returned to lead Rosenborg for the 2010 season. Erik Hamrén left to manage the Swedish national team. On October 24, 2010, Rosenborg won the league for the 22nd time. On November 7, they finished the season unbeaten in the league.

Jan Jönsson became head coach for the 2011 season. Rosenborg finished third in the league and qualified for the Europa League group stage both years. But the club was not happy with his results, and he was fired on December 7, 2012.

In December 2012, Per Joar Hansen was confirmed as the new head coach. He aimed to bring Rosenborg back to the top. Hansen changed the team's playing style to a more attacking 4–3–3 formation, like they played in the 1990s.

Rosenborg had a good first half of the 2013 season. They were second in the league and doing well in the Norwegian Cup. They also won their first Europa League qualifying round. However, they were surprisingly beaten by St Johnstone in the next Europa League round. Rosenborg finished second in the league, one point behind Strømsgodset.

Rosenborg reached the Cup Final against their rival Molde. This was their first Cup Final since 2003. Unfortunately, they lost the match 2–4.

In June 2014, after a disappointing spring, Per Joar Hansen was fired. Former player Kåre Ingebrigtsen became temporary coach. Rosenborg played poorly at first under Ingebrigtsen. But they won nine of their last ten games, finishing second in the league. Ingebrigtsen became the permanent coach in November 2014.

Recent Success (2015–Present)

Kåre Ingebrigtsen made a big change by increasing the players' training. He wanted them to be stronger and avoid getting tired at the end of games. This change worked right away. Rosenborg scored 23 goals and only let in two in their first five pre-season matches.

In 2015, Rosenborg won the league title again. They also reached the play-off in the Europa League. More fans came to watch their games, with average attendance increasing by 31 percent.

At the end of the 2015 season, Rosenborg won their 23rd league title. They finished 12 points ahead of Strømsgodset. On November 22, Rosenborg beat Sarpsborg 08 2–0 in the Cup final. This was their 10th national cup win and their 8th domestic Double.

In 2016, Rosenborg won both the league and the cup again. They became the first team in Norway to win The Double two years in a row. This was Rosenborg's 9th domestic Double. They also won the league in 2017 and 2018, and the cup in 2018.

Team Colors and Badge

The first kits for Rosenborg were bought in 1918. The shirts were blue with a yellow stripe, and the shorts were white. The current white shirts and black shorts were introduced in 1931. These colors were also a tribute to the Odd football club. A shirt sponsor was added in 1971.

• Home kit: White shirt and black shorts.
• Away kit: Black shirt and black shorts.
• Third kit: Red shirt and red shorts.

Home Stadium

Lerkendal Stadion Rosenborg plays its home matches at Lerkendal Stadion. It's about 3 kilometers south of Trondheim city center. The stadium has four large stands and can hold 21,426 fans. It's part of Lerkendal idrettspark, which also has three training fields. The club's offices are in a building called Brakka, which was built during World War II.

Lerkendal Stadion opened on August 10, 1947. It was owned by the city. Rosenborg started using Lerkendal in the 1957–58 season. The stadium was rebuilt before the 1962 season. New concrete stands were built, and the south stand got a roof. Lights were added in 1968 so UEFA matches could be played there. The record attendance at Lerkendal is 28,569 fans. This was for a league match against Lillestrøm in 1985. The current stadium was built in parts from 1995 to 2002. Rosenborg and private investors bought the stadium during this expansion.

Players and Staff

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Sander Tangvik 2 DF Erlend Dahl Reitan (vice-captain) 4 DF Luka Racic 5 MF Moustafa Zeidan (on loan from Malmö) 6 MF Santeri Väänänen 8 MF Iver Fossum 9 FW Ole Sæter 10 MF Ole Selnæs (Captain) 11 FW Noah Sahsah 12 GK Rasmus Sandberg 15 DF Jonas Mortensen

No. Position Player 16 DF Aslak Fonn Witry 18 FW Noah Holm 19 DF Adrian Pereira 21 DF Tomáš Nemčík 22 MF Henry Sletsjøe 23 DF Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen 35 FW Emil Konradsen Ceïde 38 DF Mikkel Konradsen Ceïde 45 FW Jesper Reitan-Sunde 50 DF Håkon Singsdal Volden

For season transfers, see transfers winter 2024–25 and transfers summer 2025.

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 17 FW Ísak Þorvaldsson (at Lyngby until 30 June 2026) 29 FW Oscar Aga (at Helsingborg until 31 December 2025)

No. Position Player 44 FW Magnus Holte (at Hødd until 31 December 2025) DF Håkon Røsten (at Ranheim until 31 December 2025)

Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Alfred Johansson
Assistant coach	Jordi González Alexander Tettey
Sports director	Mikael Dorsin
Goalkeeper coach	Alexander Lund Hansen
Team leader	Jørn Jamtfall
Development leader	Tore Grønning
Osteopath	Ole Lilleås Næss
Physiotherapist	Arve Næss Kjøsnes
Leader of fysmed department	Ulrik Wisløff
Physical trainer	Vetle Veierød
Scout - Top player developer	Trond Henriksen
Material master	Alexander Kopperud
Material assistant	Per Nygaard
Doctor	Julie Nesheim
Mental trainer	Martin Langagergaard
Head of academy	Christer Basma
Reserve team head coach	Roger Naustan
Under-16 head coach	Nils Petter Austad
Under-16 assistant coach	Sarmed Saify
Coach developer and responsibility for role training	Svein Maalen
Training with responsibility for role training	Jonas Lian Hansen
Under-16 goalkeeper coach	Andreas Ørsleie
Physical trainer and physiotherapist	Peder Lindsetmo
Equipment manager	Anders Megård
Goal boy	Ole Hammerfjell Sæter

Club Management

Position	Name
Chairman	Cecilie Gotaas Johnsen
Managing director	Tore Bjørseth Berdal
Sports director	Mikael Dorsin

Recent Seasons

List of Rosenborg BK seasons

Rosenborg in European Football

Rosenborg BK in European football

Rosenborg playing Real Madrid in the XXXI Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 2009

Rosenborg has played many games in European football tournaments. This table shows their overall results in different UEFA competitions. It includes games played (P), won (W), drawn (D), and lost (L). It also shows goals scored (GF), goals against (GA), and goal difference (GD). The win percentage (Win%) is also listed. These numbers include qualifying matches and are up to date as of the 2023–24 season.

Updated 8 May 2025

Club Records

List of Rosenborg BK records and statistics Rosenborg's biggest win was 17–0 in a cup match against Buvik in 2003. Their biggest league win was 10–0 against Brann in 1996. In the Champions League, they beat Helsingborg 6–0 in 2000. In 1997, they had a record goal difference of 87 goals scored to 20 goals against. They earned a record 69 points in 2009. In 2010, they went the entire league season without losing a single game. The club was relegated in 1977 after winning only one match all season. The most fans ever at Lerkendal Stadion was 28,569 for a game against Lillestrøm in 1985.

Roar Strand played for Rosenborg for 21 seasons (1989–2010). He played 644 matches, more than any other player. He also won the most titles with the club: 16 league titles and 5 cup titles. Harald Martin Brattbakk is the club's all-time top scorer with 256 goals. He was also the league's top scorer six times. Odd Iversen holds the record for most goals in a single match (6) and season (30). Rosenborg received their highest transfer fee for John Carew. They got 75 million Norwegian krone when he was sold to Valencia in 2000.

Club Trophies

Rosenborg has won many important titles:

• 1. divisjon / Eliteserien (Top League):
  • Winners (26) (Record): 1967, 1969, 1971, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
  • Runners-up (7): 1968, 1970, 1973, 1989, 1991, 2013, 2014
  • Third place (5): 1981, 2011, 2012, 2019, 2022

• Norwegian Football Cup:
  • Winners (12) (Joint-Record): 1960, 1964, 1971, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Runners-up (6): 1967, 1972, 1973, 1991, 1998, 2013

• Superfinalen / Mesterfinalen (Super Cup):
  • Winners (3) (Record): 2010, 2017, 2018

European Trophies

• UEFA Intertoto Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2008 (joint winner)

Coaches of Rosenborg

List of Rosenborg BK managers

See also

In Spanish: Rosenborg Ballklub para niños