Øyvind Leonhardsen
| Øyvind Leonhardsen | ||
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| birthday | 17th August 1970 | |
| place of birth | Kristiansund , Norway | |
| size | 177 cm | |
| position | midfield player | |
| Juniors | ||
| Years | station | |
| 1987-1989 | Clausenegen FK | |
| Men's | ||
| Years | station | Games (goals) 1 |
| 1989-1991 | Molde FK | 64 (9) |
| 1992-1994 | Rosenborg Trondheim | 63 (20) |
| 1994-1997 | Wimbledon FC | 76 (13) |
| 1997-1999 | Liverpool FC | 37 (7) |
| 1999-2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | 54 (7) |
| 2002-2003 | Aston Villa | 19 (3) |
| 2004-2005 | Lyn Oslo | 37 (2) |
| 2006-2007 | Strømsgodset IF | 41 (7) |
| National team | ||
| Years | selection | Games (goals) |
| 1985 | Norway U-15 | 1 (0) |
| 1985-1986 | Norway U-16 | 6 (1) |
| 1987 | Norway U-17 | 3 (2) |
| 1988 | Norway U18 | 1 (0) |
| 1989 | Norway U-20 | 5 (0) |
| 1988-1990 | Norway U-21 | 14 (0) |
| 1990-2003 | Norway | 86 (19) |
| 1 Only league games are given. | ||
Øyvind Leonhardsen (born August 17, 1970 in Kristiansund ) is a former Norwegian football player . In 2007 he ended his playing career as captain of the Norwegian first division side Strømsgodset IF . As a national player of Norway , he took part in two soccer world championships .
Club career
The early years
Leonhardsen began his career with Clausengenegen FK, known for his strong youth work, near his hometown Kristiansund . His teammates back then were, among others, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Arild Stavrum .
In 1989 he was discovered by the Norwegian first division club Molde FK and signed his first professional contract. At Molde he formed a strong midfield duo with his future national team colleague Petter Rudi . Since the team could not keep up with the league leaders in general, the club's successes were initially absent.
After three strong years with Molde, he subsequently signed a contract with the Norwegian record champions Rosenborg Trondheim . Rosenborg, which could not win the championship title for two years, rejuvenated the team and this year signed players like Stig Inge Bjørnebye and Vidar Riseth in addition to Leonhardsen in order to get back on the road to success. Leonhardsen became an outstanding player straight away in a Rosenborg team that acted more as a collective. In his first year he won the Norwegian Cup and championship titles. He was also voted Norway's best midfielder at the end of the season. Two more championship titles followed. Today the team from 1992 is considered the cornerstone for the thirteen consecutive championship titles.
The time in England
In 1995 he moved to the Premier League at Wimbledon for £ 650,000 . The transfer fee was then synonymous with the transfer record for the Tippeligaen . In London it continued to improve. As a midfield interface , alongside captain and clearer Vinnie Jones and storm tank Efan Ekoku , he was able to convince quickly. His first season in the 1993/94 season ended with the historic sixth place in the table for Wimbledon. After 2 more strong years in which he was used a total of 76 times for Wimbledon, Liverpool FC attracted a million offer.
In July 1997 he then moved to Liverpool for £ 3.5 million. Fetched as the declared dream player of the then Liverpool manager Roy Evans , he should replace the previously weak Jamie Redknapp or at least put pressure on Steve McManaman, who at times seemed somewhat unmotivated . A foot injury, which he sustained in a preparation game, forced him to spend the first eleven championship games in the stands. He had no chance to recover in midfield, as neither Redknapp nor McManaman weakened. Because Evans did not want to put his dream player on the bench, he put him on the left side of midfield. Despite 6 goals in 28 games, Leonhardsen never really managed to convince in this position and never lived up to the expectations placed in him. When Gérard Houllier took over the scepter at Anfield Road in the following season , Leonhardsen was only used sporadically. In addition, he struggled with several minor injuries throughout the year. After this year, which was very disappointing for him, he urged a club change, although Houllier wanted to keep him in midfield because of his versatility.
For the 1999/00 season he then moved back to Tottenham Hotspur in London for £ 3 million . At Tottenham he was planned as a hanging tip, which should primarily relieve the team's free spirit, David Ginola . But again he injured himself before the start of the season and had to watch the first five league games from the stands. Recovered, he fought for a regular place, but again did not find the shape of bygone days. Shortly before the end of the season, he was seriously injured for the third time and missed the 2000 European Championship . For the 2000/01 season Ginola left the Spurs. , and Serhiy Rebrow was brought in as a replacement for € 18 million , who turned out to be a completely wrong purchase. This was also chalked up to Leonhardsen, who rarely knew how to convince and thus the playful element at the Spurs was almost exclusively due to Darren Anderton . When Glenn Hoddle took over the team, it was changed and Leonhardsen had to move back to the unloved left side. Hoddle favored among others the aspiring Simon Davies for the central position. In the 2001/02 season he came to only 7 league games, partly because of injuries or because of the frequent disregard by Hoddle. At the end of the season he got clearance from Tottenham.
The following August he completed a trial training session at FC Schalke 04 together with his national team colleague Ronny Johnsen , in which he was able to convince in contrast to Johnsen. Even before there were serious contract negotiations with Schalke, Aston Villa offered both players a one-year contract with an option for another, which they both accepted. The year in Birmingham had its ups and downs. On the one hand, he was able to return to his old class at times, on the other hand, the entire year was marked by the relegation battle. In the end, they managed to stay in the league by 3 points. At the end of the season Villa refrained from pulling the option in order to rejuvenate the team, whereby his contract ended at the end of the season.
Career finale at home
In 2004 Leonhardsen returned to the traditional club Lyn Oslo . Lyn hired him as a leader and appointed him captain of the team in the first season. The first season they finished in 6th place. In 2005 they played for the championship title for a long time and ended up third, just two points behind.
After this success he left Oslo and was hired in the second Norwegian division at Strømsgodset IF . At Strømsgodset, too, he immediately became the captain of the team and at the end of the year celebrated his sovereign promotion to the Tippeligaen . In the 2007 season he managed to stay up with Stormgodset and then ended his 19-year professional career.
National team
Leonhardsen went through all of Norway's youth selections .
In 1989 he caused a stir internationally for the first time when he defeated Norway's U-20s at the Junior World Cup in Saudi Arabia , Spain with 4-2. The selection at that time was peppered with his later A-Team colleagues Henning Berg , Lars Bohinen , Tore Pedersen , Roger Nilsen and Roar Strand , among others .
A year later, he made his debut for the senior national team in a friendly against Cameroon . After a flawless hat trick in his 11 international match against Bermuda , he was a regular player.
In 1994 he was a regular player at the 1994 World Cup in the United States . Despite a win over Mexico and a hard-fought loss to eventual finalists Italy , Norway did not survive the group stage. In the end, it was only the bad goal difference that decided the Norwegians were eliminated. Leonhardsen played in all three preliminary round games over the entire season.
In 1998 he was also a regular player at the 1998 World Cup in France . In the course of the preliminary round you could defeat Brazil 2-1 and advance to the last sixteen. Leonhardsen injured himself there after 13 minutes and was replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjær . Norway lost the game against Italy 1-0.
A knee injury prevented his nomination for the 2000 European Football Championship in Belgium and the Netherlands .
After he was unable to qualify for the 2002 World Cup with Norway , he ended his national team career in June 2003 with a 0-1 defeat against Denmark .
In the meantime he was also given the honor of team captain. Leonhardsen is the owner of the "Golden Clock". This is awarded to every deserving Norwegian national player who has completed 25 senior team appearances.
He made a total of 89 international matches between 1990 and 2003, in which he scored 19 goals.
successes
In the club
- Norwegian champion: 1992, 1993, 1994
- Norwegian Cup Winner: 1992
As a player
- Kniksenprisen - Best Midfielder: 1991, 1993
Web links
- Leonhardsen as a player from Tottenham
- Leonhardsen as a player for Aston Villa
- Leonhardsen as Liverpool player
- International match statistics from Leonhardsen
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leonhardsen: Ginola is history (English)
- ↑ Spurs hit by Leonhardsen blow (English)
- ↑ Villa Sign Leonhardsen (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leonhardsen, Øyvind |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian soccer player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17th August 1970 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kristiansund , Norway |