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Thorbjorn Svenssen photo by J.D. Noske / Anefo-

10 Greatest Norwegian Football (Soccer) Players of All Time

The Norway history of soccer is very fascinating since the Norwegian soccer team was a force to be reckoned with in the 90s.

They were widely recognized as the greatest Norwegian footballers of all time and very popular to frustrate larger football nations and others who were considered football giants.

In fact, they were so brutal that they beat Brazil in the 1998 World Cup and Spain in the Euro in 2000.

Since then though their football league success has been disappointing it is not for lack of potential. Here are the 10 greatest Norwegian football players of all time.

1. Thorbjorn Svenssen

Thorbjorn Svenssen photo by J.D. Noske / Anefo-

Svenssen was a central defender who played for his hometown team Sandefjord throughout his career.

He played 22 seasons for Sandefjord at the club level but never won any big trophies.

He did however compete twice in the Norwegian final in 1757 and 1959 ending both times on the losing side. His steady and solid play earned him the nickname 鈥�办濒颈辫辫别苍鈥� meaning 鈥�The Rock鈥�.

Svenssen was 38 years old when he earned his 104^th cap and is now the fourth oldest player to have played for the Norwegian national team beaten only by Gunnar Thoresen, Frode Johnsen, and Ronny Johnsen.  

2. Erik Thorstvedt

Erik Thorstvedt photo by Norsk Folkehjelp Norwegian People’s Aid-

He has played for Borussia Monchengladbach, IFK Goteborg, Viking, Eik-Tonsberg, and Totten ham Hotspur.

Thorstvedt retired in 1996 because of back injuries though he worked as a goalkeeping coach with the Norwegian national team after his career as a player and had a brief period as Director of Football at Viking.

Moreover, when he won it with Spurs in 1991 and later became the first Norwegian to compete in the Premier League and also the first Norwegian to win the FA Cup.

3. Per Ciljan Skjelbred

Per Ciljan Skjelbres photo by Vegard Holen-

Skjelbred is a central midfielder for Hertha BSC and is one of Norway鈥檚 better-known football players today.

When he was selected to compete in a football talent contest named Proffdrommen meaning the professional dream on Norwegian channel TV3.

He won the contest and was offered a deal with the youth system of Liverpool but he rejected the offer and instead joined the major team Rosenborg.

In 2011 he was hired by the Bundesliga team Hamburger SV but he enjoyed little success and he was added to the transfer list with just a few games under his belt.

4. Odd Iversen

He started his career in Rosenborg in 1964 and would spend twelve of his eighteen years at the club as a top-level football player.

He is often recognized as one of Norway鈥檚 greatest footballers ever not only that he was four times the top goal scorer in the Norwegian top division from 1967, 鈥�68,鈥�69, and 1979.

He became the first Norwegian player in history to receive a testimonial match from his club after retirement in 1982 from Rosenborg.

He still held the record for most goals scored in one season at the time of his death which is 30 goals in 18 matches a record that still stands as of November 2020.

He scored 158 goals in the top division during his career as a footballer a record that stood for more than 20 years until Peter Belsvik’s 159 goals broke it in 2003.

5. Henning Berg

Henning Berg photo by 袪芯屑邪薪 楔械胁褔褍泻-

Before moving to Manchester United Berg was the very first player to win the Premier League with two separate clubs playing as a defender for Blackburn Rovers.

He produced a handful of goals at both clubs and made historically high appearances.

He took part in the 1995 Blackburn championship season and the 1999 and 2000 Manchester United championship runs. He is definitely considered one of the greatest Norwegian football players in history.

6. Tore Andre Flo

Tore Andre Flo photo by @cfcunofficial-

Tore is a resigned soccer player who played as a forward with teams such as Leeds United, Sunderland, Rangers, and Chelsea.

He was a member of the team that represented Norway in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and scored the first goal against Brazil.

In 1997 Tore signed for Chelsea from Norwegian side Brann for a fee of 300,000 Euros and enjoyed a spectacular debut season with the Blues producing 14 goals.

The following season he was a significant character as Chelsea applied for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club鈥檚 history.

He won the League Cup, and the Cup Winners Cup, and scored against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals during his stay at Chelsea.

7. John Arne Riise

John Arne Riise photo by Nick-

Riise is a retired soccer player and he has played for teams such as Liverpool, Monaco Fulham, Roma, and the Norwegian national team mostly as a left winger and left back.

He is widely considered to be one of Liverpool鈥檚 best left-backs in the Premier League era.

He spent seven seasons with Liverpool in the Premier League prior to joining AS Roma at the end of the 2008 to 2009 season.

He made 234 appearances during his period in the league and scored 21 times. In 2011 he returned and joined Fulham from AS Roma for a second spell in the league.

8. Joshua King

Joshua King photo by Borusse86-

King is one of the few famous Norwegian footballers in history who currently plays for the AFC Bournemouth and the Norwegian national team as a striker.

He began playing for Manchester United in 2008 and has been on loan to Hull City, Preston North End, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Blackburn Rovers.

In Premiere League History King is the second highest-scoring Norwegian striker indeed one of the greatest Norwegian footballers of all time. Playing as a forward for Bournemouth he continues to make appearances.

9. Morten Gamst Pedersen

Morten Gamst Pedersen photo by Paolo Camera-

Morten lived his best football career at Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League where he played for 9 seasons with almost 300 official games and 83 for the national tea gathering a total of 17 goals. 

The Norwegian star was well renowned for his electrifying left foot and sublime trademark free kick in the Premier League which he used in setting the league alight.

Interestingly his brilliant ability to often find the top corner of an opponent鈥檚 post left an indelible mark on the Premiere League history as a Blackburn Rovers Player.

10. Jorgen Juve

Juve was a Norwegian footballer, jurist, journalist, and non-fiction writer who also had an incredible soccer career with Porsgrunn Sports Club, Lyn Oslo, and the national team before he retired.

He captained the Norwegian team that won the bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin an international career that made him the country鈥檚 highest goal scorer with 33 goals in 45 games for Norway.

With Juve鈥檚 goal-scoring record still standing as the country鈥檚 most lethal striker in history, his pivotal role in guarding the Norse country to clinch bronze at the Summer Olympics in Berlin stands him among the greatest the country ever produced.