Ståle Solbakken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ståle Solbakken

Solbakken as manager of Copenhagen in 2014
Personal information
Date of birth	(1968-02-27) 27 February 1968 (age 57)
Place of birth	Kongsvinger, Norway
Height	1.90 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Norway (head coach)
Youth career
0000–1989	Grue
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1989–1994	Hamarkameratene	100	(35)
1994–1997	Lillestrøm	99	(34)
1997–1998	Wimbledon	6	(1)
1998–2000	AaB	79	(13)
2000–2001	Copenhagen	14	(4)
Total		298	(87)
National team
1992	Norway U21	2	(0)
1994–2000	Norway	58	(9)
Teams managed
2002–2005	Hamarkameratene
2006–2011	Copenhagen
2011–2012	1. FC Köln
2012–2013	Wolverhampton Wanderers
2013–2020	Copenhagen
2020–	Norway
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ståle Solbakken (born 27 February 1968) is a Norwegian football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Norway national football team.

As a player, Solbakken was a talented midfielder. He was named the 1995 Norwegian Midfielder of the Year. He won the Danish Superliga championship with two different clubs: Aalborg in 1999 and Copenhagen in 2001. He also played 58 matches for the Norway national football team, scoring nine goals. He represented Norway at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 tournaments. His playing career ended in March 2001 due to a heart condition.

As a manager, Solbakken has achieved great success. He was named the 2004 Norwegian Manager of the Year. He won eight Superliga championships with Copenhagen. He also managed German club 1. FC Köln and English side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Playing Career: A Midfielder's Journey

Ståle Solbakken started his football journey in Norway. He played for his local team, Grue, in the lower leagues.

Rising Through Norwegian Clubs

In 1989, Solbakken joined HamKam, a club in Norway's second division. He quickly became a key player. In 1990, he was the club's top scorer with nine goals. The next year, his 14 goals helped HamKam get promoted to the top league, the Norwegian Premier League. In 1993, HamKam finished fifth, their best result in many years, with Solbakken playing a big part.

In 1994, Solbakken moved to Lillestrøm, another top-flight club. In his first season, the team finished second in the league. His excellent performances in 1995 earned him the Kniksen award for the Norwegian Midfielder of the Season. He became the team captain and helped Lillestrøm finish second again in 1996. He played 99 league games for Lillestrøm, scoring 34 goals.

Solbakken playing for Lillestrøm in 1996

Adventures Abroad

In October 1997, Solbakken moved to England to play for Wimbledon F.C. in the Premier League. He scored one goal against West Ham United in his six league games. However, he soon left the club due to disagreements with the manager.

He then moved to Denmark in March 1998, joining Aalborg. Solbakken quickly became the team captain. He led Aalborg to win the 1998–99 Danish Superliga championship. He also helped them reach the final of the 1998–99 Danish Cup. In 2000, he was named Danish football's Player of the Year. He played 79 games for Aalborg, scoring 13 goals.

In August 2000, he joined Copenhagen, another top Danish club. He quickly became a regular player and helped the team climb to the top of the league.

Health Challenge and Retirement

In March 2001, during a training session, Solbakken had a serious health scare. His heart stopped beating, and he was unconscious. The club doctor quickly helped him, and he was revived after several minutes.

Doctors discovered he had a heart condition that was not known before. He now has a special device called a pacemaker to help his heart. Because of this, he had to stop playing football professionally. Even though he couldn't finish the season, Copenhagen went on to win the 2001 Superliga championship, giving Solbakken another winner's medal.

International Career: Representing Norway

Ståle Solbakken made his first appearance for the Norway national football team on 9 March 1994. This was a friendly match against Wales, which Norway won 3–1.

He quickly became a regular player for Norway. He was part of the Norwegian team that played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He played in two group games and in the second round match against Italy.

Norway also qualified for the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament. Solbakken had an injury before the tournament, so he only played in one game, a draw against Slovenia. After this tournament, at age 32, he decided to retire from international football.

In total, he played 58 matches for Norway and scored nine goals.

Managerial Career: Leading Teams to Success

After ending his playing career, Solbakken began a new chapter as a football manager.

Starting in Norway

In 2002, Solbakken returned to his former club, HamKam, as their manager. The club was in the second division at the time. He had great success, leading HamKam to win the league and get promoted back to the top-flight Tippeligaen. His amazing work earned him the nickname "Ståle Salvatore," which means "Ståle the Savior" in Norwegian.

The next season, in 2004, he guided HamKam to a fifth-place finish in the top league. For this achievement, he won the 2004 Kniksen award as the Norwegian Manager of the Year. In late 2005, he was chosen to be the new manager of another of his old clubs, Copenhagen.

Success with Copenhagen

In his first years as manager of Copenhagen, Solbakken led them to win the Danish Superliga championship in 2006 and 2007. They also won the Royal League trophy in 2006. He guided Copenhagen to the group stage of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, a big achievement for the club. They even had a memorable 1–0 victory against Manchester United.

In May 2009, Solbakken led Copenhagen to win both the Danish Cup and the Superliga championship in the same season. This was the club's seventh championship. He left Copenhagen in 2011, planning to manage the Norway national team later.

Managing in Germany and England

On 15 May 2011, Solbakken became the manager of 1. FC Köln in the German Bundesliga. He won his first game in a cup match. However, the team struggled in the league, and he was dismissed in April 2012.

On 11 May 2012, English club Wolverhampton Wanderers announced Solbakken as their new manager. The club had just been relegated from the Premier League. Solbakken's team started well, even reaching third place at one point. But their form dropped, and he was sacked in January 2013 after a series of defeats.

Return to Copenhagen and National Team Role

On 21 August 2013, Solbakken returned to Copenhagen as head coach. He had another successful seven-year period with the club. During this time, he won three more Danish championships in 2016, 2017, and 2019. However, after a difficult start to the 2020–21 season, he was fired on 10 October 2020.

For his two periods at Copenhagen, Solbakken was recognized as the 'Biggest Manager in Superliga History' by football experts.

On 3 December 2020, Solbakken became the manager of the Norway national football team. In his first match, Norway won 3–0 against Gibraltar. He continues to lead the national team today.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Ståle Solbakken has won many awards and championships throughout his career as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

AaB

• Danish Superliga: 1998–99

Copenhagen

• Danish Superliga: 2000–01

As a Manager

Copenhagen

• Royal League: 2005–06
• Danish Superliga: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19
• Danish Cup: 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17

Individual Awards

• 1995 Kniksen award as Norwegian Midfielder of the Year
• 2004 Kniksen award as Norwegian Manager of the Year
• Danish Superliga Manager of the Year: 2007, 2011

See also

In Spanish: Ståle Solbakken para niños