Steffen Iversen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Steffen Iversen

Iversen playing for Rosenborg in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Steffen Iversen
Date of birth	(1976-11-10) 10 November 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Oslo, Norway
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Nationalkameratene
0000–1994	Astor FK
1994–1995	Rosenborg
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1996	Rosenborg	50	(18)
1996–2003	Tottenham Hotspur	144	(36)
2003–2004	Wolverhampton Wanderers	16	(4)
2004–2005	Vålerenga	32	(11)
2006–2010	Rosenborg	128	(63)
2011–2012	Crystal Palace	20	(2)
2012	Rosenborg	21	(6)
2013–2014	Herd	2	(0)
2016–2017	Haugar	14	(11)
2018–2019	Trygg/Lade	20	(7)
National team
1994	Norway U17	7	(4)
1995	Norway U18	6	(7)
1995–1998	Norway U21	23	(17)
1998–2011	Norway	79	(21)
Teams managed
2018–2019	Trygg/Lade (player-manager)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Steffen Iversen (born November 10, 1976) is a former Norwegian footballer. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward player who focused on scoring goals. Later in his career, he even became a player-manager for a team called Trygg/Lade.

Steffen is the son of Odd Iversen, who was also a famous Norwegian footballer and one of the country's best goal scorers ever. Steffen followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a successful player himself.

He started his professional career at Rosenborg when he was 18. There, he helped his team win the Norwegian league championship two times in a row. In 1996, he moved to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur. He stayed there for seven years, scoring 54 goals and winning the League Cup.

After a short time with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Steffen returned to Norway. He played for Vålerenga for two years. He played a big part in Vålerenga winning their first league championship in 21 years. In 2006, he went back to Rosenborg and won another league title. After winning yet another league title in 2010, he played for Crystal Palace for about a year. In 2012, he signed with Rosenborg for the third time.

Steffen Iversen also played for the Norwegian national team 79 times, scoring 21 goals. He scored Norway's only goal in a UEFA European Football Championship tournament. This important goal happened against Spain in the group stage of UEFA Euro 2000.

Club Career Highlights

Starting His Football Journey

Steffen Iversen was born in Oslo, Norway. His father, Odd Iversen, was playing for Vålerenga at the time. When Steffen was three, his family moved back to Trondheim. His first club was actually Rosenborg, his father's team.

At age seven, he joined a club called Nationalkameratene. His contract even had a special rule that he could always return to Rosenborg for free. Later, he played for Astor before joining Rosenborg's youth team in 1994. He scored six goals in his very first game for their reserve team!

In 1995, Steffen joined Rosenborg's main team. His first game was on April 21, 1995. During his first two years at Rosenborg, he scored 18 goals in 50 games. He helped them win two league championships and played in the UEFA Champions League, a big European competition. His last game in his first time at Rosenborg was a famous win against AC Milan in Italy.

Playing in England: Tottenham and Wolves

In December 1996, Steffen moved to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham paid about £2.3 million for him. He played his first Premier League game just four days after leaving Rosenborg.

He spent seven years at Tottenham. He won a League Cup in 1999, helping his team with an assist for the winning goal. He also scored the winning goal in the semi-final match. Steffen was the top scorer for Tottenham in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons.

Before the 2003–04 season, he signed a one-year contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He had been dealing with some injuries before this move. He scored Wolves' first-ever Premier League goal. However, he only scored 4 goals in 18 games for them.

Back in Norway: Vålerenga and Rosenborg

In 2004, Steffen returned to Norway to play for Vålerenga. He was a very important player during the 2005 season. He helped Vålerenga win his third Tippeligaen title, which was their first in 21 years!

His contract with Vålerenga ended in October 2005. For a few months, he didn't have a club. Many teams were interested in him. Then, in February 2006, it was announced that he would return to his old club, Rosenborg.

At Rosenborg, Iversen became a star player again. He was Rosenborg's top scorer in the 2006 season with 18 goals. He helped his team win the league title again, which was his fourth overall. A Belgian club, K.R.C. Genk, wanted to buy him, but Steffen decided to stay with Rosenborg.

A Short Time at Crystal Palace

In the summer of 2010, several English clubs were interested in Steffen. He eventually signed with Crystal Palace on January 1, 2011. In his very first game for Crystal Palace, he scored a goal after 58 minutes. This goal helped Palace win their first game in five matches. He scored two goals in 19 games during his 13 months with Crystal Palace. He left the club in January 2012.

Back to Rosenborg Again

Steffen Iversen joined Rosenborg for the third time on February 15, 2012. He signed a one-year contract, hoping to help them win the league once more. In November 2012, he decided to retire from playing professional football.

Becoming a Player-Manager

In 2018, Iversen joined a lower division club called Trygg/Lade. He took on a new role as a player-manager, meaning he played for the team while also managing them. On April 19, 2018, he managed his team in a game against his former club, Rosenborg, in the 2018 Norwegian Football Cup.

International Career for Norway

Steffen Iversen was a key player for the Norway Under-21 team. He helped them finish third in the 1998 UEFA U-21 Championship. He scored all three of Norway's goals in that tournament, including two goals in the third-place match. In total, he played 23 games for the U-21 team and scored 17 goals, which is a record!

Later that same year, he played his first game for the senior national team. This was a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2000 against Albania. He scored his first goal for the national team on May 20, 1999, in a friendly game against Jamaica, which Norway won 6–0.

In Norway's first-ever game in a UEFA European Championship, Iversen scored the winning goal against Spain with a header. This goal is still Norway's only goal in a UEFA European Football Championship.

Steffen played regularly for the national team. In August 2008, he missed a team meeting before a friendly match. He was sent home by the coach, but he was called up for the next games. He scored two goals against Iceland in a World Cup qualifier.

His last game for Norway was on March 26, 2011, in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Denmark. In total, he played 79 games for Norway and scored 21 goals.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Iversen goal.

List of international goals scored by Steffen Iversen

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	20 May 1999	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Jamaica	3–0	6–0	Friendly
2	30 May 1999	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Georgia	1–0	1–0	Euro 2000 Qualifier
3	5 June 1999	Qemal Stafa, Tirana	Albania	1–0	2–1	Euro 2000 Qualifier
4	8 September 1999	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Slovenia	2–0	4–0	Euro 2000 Qualifier
5	27 May 2000	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Slovakia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
6	13 June 2000	Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam	Spain	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2000
7	12 October 2002	Lia Manoliu Stadium, Bucharest	Romania	1–0	1–0	Euro 2004 Qualifier
8	15 November 2003	Estadio Mestalla, Valencia	Spain	1–0	1–2	Euro 2004 Qualifier
9	18 February 2004	Windsor Park, Belfast	Northern Ireland	3–0	4–1	Friendly
10	9 October 2004	Hampden Park, Glasgow	Scotland	1–0	1–0	World Cup 2006 Qual.
11	16 November 2004	Craven Cottage, London	Australia	1–0	2–2	Friendly
12	8 June 2005	Råsunda Stadium, Solna	Sweden	3–1	3–2	Friendly
13	6 September 2006	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Moldova	2–0	2–0	Euro 2008 Qualifier
14	2 June 2007	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Malta	3–0	4–0	Euro 2008 Qualifier
15	6 June 2007	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Hungary	1–0	4–0	Euro 2008 Qualifier
16	8 September 2007	Zimbru Stadium, Chişinău	Moldova	1–0	1–0	Euro 2008 Qualifier
17	21 November 2007	Ta' Qali Stadium, Ta' Qali	Malta	1–0	4–1	Euro 2008 Qualifier
18				2–0
19				3–0
20	6 September 2008	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Iceland	1–0	2–2	World Cup 2010 Qual.
21				2–1

Honours and Awards

Steffen Iversen won many awards and championships during his career:

With Rosenborg

• Tippeligaen (Norwegian League): 1995, 1996, 2006, 2009, 2010
• Norwegian Football Cup: 1995
• Superfinalen: 2010

With Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup: 1998–99 (Winner); 2001–02 (Runner-up)

With Vålerenga

• Tippeligaen (Norwegian League): 2005

Individual Awards

• Tippeligaen Player of the Year: 2006
• Kniksen Award Striker of the Year: 2006
• Tippeligaen Player of the Month: September 2006
• Norwegian Football Association Gold Watch

See also

In Spanish: Steffen Iversen para niños