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Ståle Solbakken
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Ståle Solbakken
Ståle Solbakken (born 27 February 1968) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Norway national team. Solbakken is the first manager to take Norway to the World Cup since Egil Olsen in 1998.
During his playing career, Solbakken was named 1995 Norwegian midfielder of the year and won the Danish Superliga championship with both Aalborg and Copenhagen (in 1999 and 2001 respectively). He played 58 matches and scored nine goals for Norway during the end of the 1990s and represented the country at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship tournaments. He ended his playing career in March 2001 following a heart attack.
As a manager, Solbakken was named 2004 Norwegian Manager of the Year and won eight Superliga championships with Copenhagen. He was also in charge of German club 1. FC Köln during the 2011–12 Bundesliga season and then managed English side Wolverhampton Wanderers in a six-month tenure. Following his second period at Copenhagen, he was appointed coach of the Norwegian national team in 2020 and in 2025, qualified them for their first FIFA World Cup since 1998.
Solbakken, a midfielder, started his career in Norway, playing for his local lower league team Grue. After five seasons with Grue, he moved to HamKam, a then-second tier club, in 1989.
He was the club's top goalscorer in the 1990 season, where he netted nine times. The following season he scored 14 goals to help the club to promotion to the top-flight Norwegian Premier League. After narrowly avoiding relegation in his first season at the top level, Solbakken was part of the HamKam side that finished fifth in 1993 – a position they have not bettered since.
In 1994, he transferred to their Premier League rivals Lillestrøm where he finished as runner-up in the league during his first season. Although the club finished in fourth during the following campaign, Solbakken's performances saw him win the Kniksen award as the Norwegian Midfielder of the Season.
He was appointed club captain by Lillestrøm and helped the side again finish runners-up in 1996 before he serving one final season in 1997 for the Canaries. In total, he made 99 league appearances for the club, scoring 34 times.
In October 1997, Solbakken joined English Premier League club Wimbledon for £250,000. In his six league games for Wimbledon, Solbakken scored one goal against West Ham United and was twice named "man of the match", but he fell out with team manager Joe Kinnear and was banned from club training shortly thereafter.
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Ståle Solbakken
Ståle Solbakken (born 27 February 1968) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Norway national team. Solbakken is the first manager to take Norway to the World Cup since Egil Olsen in 1998.
During his playing career, Solbakken was named 1995 Norwegian midfielder of the year and won the Danish Superliga championship with both Aalborg and Copenhagen (in 1999 and 2001 respectively). He played 58 matches and scored nine goals for Norway during the end of the 1990s and represented the country at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship tournaments. He ended his playing career in March 2001 following a heart attack.
As a manager, Solbakken was named 2004 Norwegian Manager of the Year and won eight Superliga championships with Copenhagen. He was also in charge of German club 1. FC Köln during the 2011–12 Bundesliga season and then managed English side Wolverhampton Wanderers in a six-month tenure. Following his second period at Copenhagen, he was appointed coach of the Norwegian national team in 2020 and in 2025, qualified them for their first FIFA World Cup since 1998.
Solbakken, a midfielder, started his career in Norway, playing for his local lower league team Grue. After five seasons with Grue, he moved to HamKam, a then-second tier club, in 1989.
He was the club's top goalscorer in the 1990 season, where he netted nine times. The following season he scored 14 goals to help the club to promotion to the top-flight Norwegian Premier League. After narrowly avoiding relegation in his first season at the top level, Solbakken was part of the HamKam side that finished fifth in 1993 – a position they have not bettered since.
In 1994, he transferred to their Premier League rivals Lillestrøm where he finished as runner-up in the league during his first season. Although the club finished in fourth during the following campaign, Solbakken's performances saw him win the Kniksen award as the Norwegian Midfielder of the Season.
He was appointed club captain by Lillestrøm and helped the side again finish runners-up in 1996 before he serving one final season in 1997 for the Canaries. In total, he made 99 league appearances for the club, scoring 34 times.
In October 1997, Solbakken joined English Premier League club Wimbledon for £250,000. In his six league games for Wimbledon, Solbakken scored one goal against West Ham United and was twice named "man of the match", but he fell out with team manager Joe Kinnear and was banned from club training shortly thereafter.
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