Thorbjørn Svenssen facts for kids
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Svenssen in 1951
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ole Thorbjørn Svenssen | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Sandefjord, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 8 January 2011 (aged 86) | ||
| Place of death | Sandefjord, Norway | ||
| Playing position | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1945–1966 | Sandefjord | ||
| National team | |||
| 1947–1962 | Norway | 104 | (0) |
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Ole Thorbjørn Svenssen (born April 22, 1924 – died January 8, 2011) was a famous Norwegian footballer. He played a record 104 international games for Norway. He was also the team captain 93 times. Thorbjørn was one of the first footballers in the world to play 100 international games for his country. He was also part of Norway's team at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Playing for Clubs
Svenssen was a tall and strong player who played as a central defender. This means he helped protect his team's goal. He played his entire career for his hometown team, Sandefjord.
Thorbjørn played for Sandefjord for 22 seasons! Even though he played for so long, his team never won any big trophies. They did come in second place in the league in 1955–56. He also played in the final game of the Norwegian Cup twice, in 1957 and 1959. Sadly, his team lost both times.
Because he played so steadily and strongly at the back, people called him "Klippen," which means "The Rock."
Playing for Norway
Svenssen played his first game for the Norway national team on June 11, 1947. It was a friendly game against Poland. For the next 15 years, he was almost always on the national team.
He became the team captain in his 12th international game. This was a friendly match against Egypt on Christmas Eve in 1948. He kept the captain's armband for the rest of his time playing for Norway.
Svenssen played his 100th game for Norway against Denmark on September 17, 1961. At that time, he was only the second player in football history to reach 100 international games. The first player was Billy Wright, who reached this milestone in October 1958.
Thorbjørn Svenssen's 104th and final game for Norway was a 2-1 win against the Netherlands on May 16, 1962. When he played his last game, Svenssen was 38 years and 24 days old. Today, he is the fourth oldest player to have played for the Norway national team. Only Frode Johnsen, Gunnar Thoresen, and Ronny Johnsen were older when they played their last games.
See also
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
- List of one-club men in association football
Images for kids
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