Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Solskjær in 2011
Personal information
Full name Ole Gunnar Solskjær[1]
Date of birth (1973-02-26) 26 February 1973[2]
Place of birth Kristiansund, Norway
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1980–1990 Clausenengen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1995 Clausenengen 109 (115)
1995–1996 Molde 42 (31)
1996–2007 Manchester United 235 (91)
Total 386 (237)
International career
1994–1995 Norway U21 19 (13)
1995–2007 Norway 67 (23)
Managerial career
2011–2014 Molde
2014 Cardiff City
2015–2018 Molde
2018–2021 Manchester United
2025 Beşiktaş
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈûːlə ˈɡʉ̂nːɑr ˈsûːlʂæːr] ⓘ; born 26 February 1973) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the head coach of Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. He spent the majority of his playing career with Manchester United and made 67 appearances for the Norway national team.

A forward, Solskjær began his career in his native Norway with Clausenengen, where he scored 115 goals in 109 league appearances over five seasons, helping the club earn promotion to the Norwegian Second Division in 1993. He then moved to Molde, newly promoted to the Tippeligaen, for the 1995 season. His goals helped Molde finish second and qualify for the UEFA Cup.

In July 1996, Solskjær joined Manchester United for a transfer fee of £1.5 million. Nicknamed "the Baby-faced Assassin", he made 366 appearances for United and scored 126 goals during a successful period for the club. Renowned as a "super-sub" for his knack of scoring late goals off the bench, he famously netted the dramatic injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. That goal secured the treble for United, who had trailed 1–0 as the match entered stoppage time. He remained a regular player for the side until a serious knee injury sustained in 2003 began to plague his career.[3][4] After several attempts to return, he announced his retirement from football in 2007.[5]

Solskjær remained at Manchester United after retiring, taking on both a coaching role and ambassadorial duties. In 2008, he was appointed manager of the club's reserve team. He returned to Norway in 2011 to manage his former club, Molde, leading them to their first-ever Tippeligaen titles in his first two seasons. He added a third major honour by winning the 2013 Norwegian Football Cup. In 2014, Solskjær took charge of Cardiff City, though the club was relegated from the Premier League during his tenure. In late 2018, he returned to Manchester United as caretaker manager following the departure of José Mourinho, taking charge for the remainder of the 2018–19 season.[6]

On 28 March 2019, after winning 14 of his first 19 matches in charge, Solskjær was appointed manager of Manchester United on a permanent basis with a three-year contract.[7] He led the club to the 2021 UEFA Europa League final, where they were defeated by Villarreal in a penalty shoot-out. Following a poor run of results during the 2021–22 season, he was sacked by the club in November 2021.[8] In January 2025, after three years out of management, Solskjær was appointed manager of Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş,[9] but was sacked in August 2025 after failing to qualify for European football.[10]

  1. ^ "Ole Gunnar Solskjær" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Solskjær: Ole Gunnar Solskjær: Manager". BDFutbol. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Solskjaer's career on knife edge after injury". The Independent. 9 August 2004.
  4. ^ "The Big Interview: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer". www.thetimes.com. 22 May 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Buckingham, Mark (27 August 2007). "United stalwart retires". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference OGS MU 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Man Utd sack manager Solskjaer". BBC Sport. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Solskjaer confirmed as new Besiktas boss". BBC Sport. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked by Besiktas after Conference League play-offs defeat". BBC Sport. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
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