Ole Gunnar Solskjær (born February 26, 1973) is a Norwegian
football player who currently plays for Manchester United (since
July 1996). Before he came to England, he played for
Clausenengen F.K. and Molde F.K.. He is married and has two
children. Solskjær is 1.78m tall and weighs 74kg.
When Alex Ferguson failed to sign Alan Shearer, he settled for
this then-unknown Norwegian striker. Solskjær had scored 31
goals in 42 matches for Molde F.K. in the Norwegian Premier
League, and he did not disappoint at the start of his United
career, scoring six minutes into his debut as a substitute
against Blackburn in the Premiership.
Solskjær scored 18 Premiership goals for United in the first
season, helping United win the title in the last weeks of the
season. The British media nicknamed him the "Baby-Faced Assassin"
because of his youthful looks and his deadly finishing. He will
perhaps be best remembered as a "super-sub", having earned wide
acclaim for a remarkable habit of coming into matches late on as
a substitute and scoring vital goals. One of his most impressive
feats was coming off the bench to score four goals in the last
seventeen minutes of United's 8-1 thrashing of Nottingham
Forest,although, this was not United's biggest win.
Ole enjoys life at Old Trafford and didn't leave the club when
an offer of £5.5m came from Spurs, among others in 1998. United
fans were eternally grateful, as the slightly-built Norwegian
went on to score the winning goal in the Champions League Final
in 1999, securing the astonishing Treble and cementing his own
place in United folklore. These feats, as well as his likeable
demeanour, have made Solskjær a firm fans' favourite, inspiring
many songs from "Who Put the Ball in the Germans' Net?" to "You
Are My Solskjær". Songs in Solskjær's honour are still
frequently sung during United games, in spite of his recent
longstanding injury. Only Eric Cantona and Roy Keane have a
similar standing with United supporters.
Solskjær finally got the chance as a starter in 2001/02,
alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, and he took the chance with
characteristic incisiveness, forcing Andrew Cole and Dwight
Yorke onto the subs bench, in his usual place.
By 2002/03, both Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke had left Old
Trafford and Solskjær had only the hardly-prolific Diego Forlán
to compete with for places, but Ferguson's persistence on
playing Ruud van Nistelrooy up front on his own meant that
opportunities were still limited.
However, he still got his chance when David Beckham picked up an
injury and the versatile Norwegian was played on the right wing.
He proved himself to be a fine crosser of the ball, and still
managed to pop up with crucial goals, sixteen in total for the
season. It was testament to his brilliant form that he was
selected to play on the right wing in crucial matches, such as
the league game against Arsenal and the Champions League
quarter-final tie with Real Madrid, while Beckham was left on
the bench.
In 03-04, Solskjær found himself in and out of the United squad
as he struggled with a recurring knee problem. With the arrival
of Fulham's Louis Saha in January 2004, Solskjær found himself
ousted from the United First team and returning to his original
'supersub' mantle, or indeed moving to an attacking midfield
position. Solskjær returned from injury in time to appear in the
2004 FA Cup final, which United won. However, the arrival of
Alan Smith in the summer of 2004 led to rumours that he was to
leave Old Trafford, touted as one of several names, along with
Nicky Butt (who eventually went to Newcastle United) and David
Bellion offered as part-exchange for the impressive Wayne
Rooney. He underwent intensive knee surgery in early August 2004
which has resulted in him missing the entire 04-05 Premiership
season. Despite United's heavyweight strikeforce conceivably
limiting the 32-year-old's chances of playing even when he is
fit again, the Old Trafford faithful still hope to see him play
for United again; indeed, he has an almost fanatical loyalty
from many United fans.
To show Solskjær that he has not been forgotten while out
injured, the United faithful have added a banner to the famous
collection that lines the Stretford End reading "20LEGEND"
(Solskjær wears number 20 for United.) Solskjær further enhanced
his reputation amongst United fans when he became a patron of
the fans action group Shareholders United.
Solskjær made his long-awaited return to action on December 5,
2005, playing for United's reserves against Liverpool. [1] The
popular Norwegian's comeback was witnessed by 2,738 spectators -
above average for a reserve team match. He made his first-team
return as a substitiute in United's match against Birmingham
City on 28 December. He then finally made his first start in
more than a year in United's FA cup match against Burton Albion
before playing a full game as captain in the replay.
For Norway, Solskjær played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000
and has appeared over 60 times for his country. |
