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Steffen Iversen
Personal information
Iversen playing for Rosenborg in 2012
Full name	Steffen Iversen
Date of birth	(1976-11-10) 10 November 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth	Oslo, Norway
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	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)
Total		447	(158)
International career
1994	Norway U17	7	(4)
1995	Norway U18	6	(7)
1995–1998	Norway U21	23	(17)
1998–2011	Norway	79	(21)
Managerial career
2018–2019	Trygg/Lade (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Steffen Iversen (born 10 November 1976) is a famous Norwegian former footballer. He played as a striker and was also a player-manager for a lower division team called Trygg/Lade. Steffen is the son of Odd Iversen, who was also a well-known Norwegian football player and a great goal scorer.

Steffen Iversen started his career at Rosenborg when he was 18. He quickly won two Norwegian league championships. In 1996, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur in England. He played there for seven years, scoring 54 goals and winning the League Cup.

After a short time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, he returned to Norway. He played for Vålerenga and helped them win their first league championship in 21 years. In 2006, he went back to Rosenborg and won another league title. After winning again in 2010, Iversen played for Crystal Palace for a year. He then signed with Rosenborg for a third time in 2012.

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 during UEFA Euro 2000.

Steffen Iversen's Early Football Days

Starting in Oslo and Trondheim

Steffen Iversen was born in Oslo, Norway. At that time, his father, Odd Iversen, was playing football for Vålerenga. When Steffen was three years old, his family moved back to Trondheim.

The first football club Steffen played for was Nationalkameratene. He joined them when he was seven years old. Later, he played for Astor before joining Rosenborg's youth team in 1994. He quickly showed his talent, scoring six goals in his very first game for the reserve team.

First Time at Rosenborg

Steffen joined Rosenborg's main team in 1995. His first game was on 21 April 1995, against Kongsvinger. In his first two seasons with Rosenborg, he scored 18 goals in 50 matches. He helped the team win two league championships in a row. He also played in the exciting UEFA Champions League.

His last game in this first period at Rosenborg was a famous win. They beat Milan at their home stadium, San Siro.

Playing in England: Tottenham and Wolves

Time at Tottenham Hotspur

In December 1996, Steffen Iversen moved to England to play for Tottenham Hotspur. He joined them for about £2.3 million. Just four days after his last game for Rosenborg, he made his debut in the Premier League against Coventry City.

He spent seven years playing at White Hart Lane, Tottenham's home stadium. In 1999, he won the League Cup with the team. He even scored the winning goal in the semi-final match against Wimbledon. Steffen was the top scorer for Tottenham in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons. He scored 13 goals in the first season and 17 in the second.

Playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers

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

Back to Norway: Vålerenga and Rosenborg Again

Success with Vålerenga

In 2004, Steffen Iversen returned to Norway to play for Vålerenga. He was a very important player for them 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 was a free agent, meaning he didn't have a club. Many clubs were interested in him, including Mallorca, Everton, and Vålerenga again.

Return to Rosenborg (Second Time)

On 10 February 2006, it was announced that Steffen wanted to go back to his old club, Rosenborg. His return was made official on 13 February 2006. Iversen became Rosenborg's top scorer in the 2006–07 season with 18 goals. He helped his team win the league title again, which was his fourth league medal.

Short Time at Crystal Palace

In the summer of 2010, Steffen was linked to several English clubs. He eventually signed for Crystal Palace on 1 January 2011. In his very first game for Crystal Palace, he scored a goal against Preston after 58 minutes. This goal helped Palace get their first win in five matches. He scored two goals in 19 matches during his 13 months with Crystal Palace. He left the club on 31 January 2012.

Third Time at Rosenborg and Retirement

Steffen Iversen joined Rosenborg for the third time in his career on 15 February 2012. He signed a one-year contract. He said he had returned to help the team win the league again. In November 2012, he decided to retire from playing professional football.

Playing and Managing at Trygg/Lade

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 and also managed them. On 19 April 2018, he managed his team in a game against his former club, Rosenborg, in the 2018 Norwegian Football Cup. Trygg/Lade lost that game 2–4.

Steffen Iversen's International Career

Playing for Norway's Youth Teams

Steffen Iversen was a regular player for the Norway U-21 team. He played a big part in helping the team finish third in the 1998 UEFA U-21 Championship. He scored all three of Norway's goals in that championship, including two goals in the third-place match against the Netherlands U-21 team. In total, he played 23 matches for the U-21 team and scored 17 goals, which was a record.

Playing for the Senior National Team

Later in 1998, Steffen made his debut for the senior national team. This was in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2000 against Albania. He scored his first goal for the national team on 20 May 1999, in a friendly match against Jamaica. Norway won that game 6–0.

In Norway's first-ever match 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.

Iversen played regularly for the national team for many years. In August 2008, he missed a team meeting and was sent home by the coach. However, he was called up for the next squad. He played in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Iceland and scored both of Norway's goals in that game.

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

Personal Life

Steffen Iversen was married to Anna Crane.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Rosenborg	1995	Tippeligaen	25	8	9	4	—		7	1	—		41	13
	1996	Tippeligaen	25	10	4	4	—		8	2	—		37	16
	Total		50	18	13	8	—		15	3	—		78	29
Tottenham	1996–97	Premier League	16	6	0	0	0	0	—		—		16	6
	1997–98	Premier League	13	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		13	0
	1998–99	Premier League	27	9	7	2	6	2	—		—		40	13
	1999–2000	Premier League	36	14	2	1	2	1	4	1	—		44	17
	2000–01	Premier League	14	2	2	0	2	1	—		—		18	3
	2001–02	Premier League	19	4	3	1	3	2	—		—		25	7
	2002–03	Premier League	19	1	1	0	2	0	—		—		22	1
	Total		144	36	14	4	15	6	4	1	—		178	47
Wolverhampton	2003–04	Premier League	16	4	2	0	2	0	—		—		20	4
Vålerenga	2004	Tippeligaen	11	4	0	0	—		—		8	4	19	8
	2005	Tippeligaen	21	7	5	2	—		3	2	—		29	11
	Total		32	11	5	2	—		3	2	8	4	48	19
Rosenborg	2006	Tippeligaen	24	17	6	7	—		—		2	1	32	25
	2007	Tippeligaen	23	13	2	1	—		10	4	—		35	18
	2008	Tippeligaen	22	10	2	5	—		12	6	—		36	21
	2009	Tippeligaen	29	9	3	1	—		4	1	—		36	11
	2010	Tippeligaen	30	14	5	3	—		12	1	1	0	48	18
	Total		128	63	18	17	—		38	12	3	1	187	93
Crystal Palace	2010–11	Championship	17	2	1	0	0	0	—		—		18	2
	2011–12	Championship	3	0	1	0	1	0	—		—		5	0
	Total		20	2	2	0	1	0	—		—		23	2
Rosenborg	2012	Tippeligaen	21	6	2	2	—		9	0	—		32	8
Career total			411	140	57	33	18	6	69	18	11	5	566	202

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Norway	1998	2	0
	1999	10	4
	2000	10	2
	2001	5	0
	2002	8	1
	2003	9	1
	2004	4	3
	2005	11	1
	2006	5	1
	2007	8	6
	2008	4	2
	2009	1	0
	2010	1	0
	2011	1	0
Total		79	21

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	6 September 2008	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo	Iceland	2–1	2–2	World Cup 2010 Qual.