Åge Hareide
Born: 23.09.1953 in Ålesund
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Caps: 50
Goals: 5
Profile
Åge Hareide was one of the best Norwegian players of his generation, and later became a successful coach. He began his career at Hødd, the tiny club from Ulsteinvik that had reached the top flight against all odds in the late 1960s. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and Hødd were relegated in 1972. The talented Hareide would spend a couple more seasons at the club, but returned to the highest level in 1975 when he joined Molde. At Molde, Hareide established himself as one of the best players in the domestic league, alternating between central defender and a defensive midfield role. He got his international debut against Denmark in 1976, and played a couple more internationals the next year - but it would take another four years before he became a regular.
In 1980, more than three years after his last cap, Hareide was recalled to the national team after an impressive season at Molde. The opponents were none other than England at the start of the 1982 World Cup qualifying campaign at Wembley. Norway were thrashed 4-0, but Hareide must have done something right, because he kept his place in the side. In the next game against Romania, Hareide, playing in midfield, scored his first international goal, and he followed up with another goal against Switzerland - a small consolation for Hareide, whose team had been relegated. Despite Molde's relegation, Hareide kept his place in the national team the next year, and after a particularly impressive display in Norway's shock 2-1 win against England in 1981, Hareide was signed by Manchester City, which made him only the second Norwegian to play in the English league (Einar Aas was the first).
At Maine Road, Hareide was a bit of a fringe player, playing only 24 league matches in little over a year at the club. But limited playing time did not prevent Hareide from playing for the national team. In those days, playing professional football abroad almost automatically guarranteed you a spot in the national team. Besides, Hareide was still an important player for Norway. In November 1982, he was transferred to Norwich, where he spent a year and a half. At Norwich, Hareide got regular first-team football, and was a fan favorite. He was offered a new contract with the team at the end of the 1983/84 season, but the 30-year-old Hareide instead opted to return to Molde. He lated admitted that had he been a few years younger, he would have stayed at Carrow Road.
And so, Hareide returned to Molde to wind down his career. Well, not exactly. Hareide was still an excellent player and a key member of the national team, and would take part in two more famous victories - the away win against world champions Italy in 1985 and the victory against future world champions Argentina in 1986. He played his 50th and last international against Romania that summer.
In 1987, Hareide was appointed player-coach of Molde, and did a fantastic job. Despite being regarded as relegation candidates before the start of the season, Molde finished second, losing the title on the last day of the season. Hareide retired as a player in 1987, to concentrate full-time on coaching. During his ten-year reign at Molde, the club finished second twice, and won the Cup in 1994. He resigned after the 1996 season and spent a year out of the game. He returned to coaching in 1998, at Helsingborg in Sweden, leading the club to the league championship in 1999. He then got one of the biggest coaching gigs in Scandinavia at Danish giants Brøndby. He finished second two years in a row, and it seemed like he was about to get the elusive championship in 2001/02, but quit halfway through the season citing pressure from the media.
In 2003, Hareide returned to coaching when he was given the task of replacing the legendary Nils Arne Eggen at Rosenborg. The Molde fans were not exactly pleased about seeing their former hero joining their arch-rivals, but Hareide found the Rosenborg job is too good to turn down, and proved to be a worthy successor to Eggen. Rosenborg ran away with the 2003 Championship in emphatic style, but Hareide's coaching stint in Trondheim was about to end.
In late 2003, after failing to reach the European Championship, Nils Johan Semb resigned as national team coach, and Hareide was named as his successor. His departure from Rosenborg was rather controversial, but Hareide insisted that the job as head coach of Norway was something he couldn't refuse. It's still too early to give any verdicts about Hareide's tenure, but he did make an excellent start, winning all six of his first matches in charge. However, later on, things did not go as smoothly. Although Norway did come quite close to qualifying for both the 2006 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship, losing out in the playoffs for the former, and finishing one point behind second-place Turkey in the latter, Hareide was often criticized for the team's perceived lack of a distinct style of play. And in 2008, everything fell apart, as Norway went winless through an entire calendar year for the first time since 1978. Hareide resigned at the end of the season. He now works as a television pundit, but has not ruled out a return to coaching if the right offer comes along.
National Team Appearances
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Goals | Competition |
| Molde | ||||||
| 1 | 24.06.1976 | Bergen | Denmark | 0-0 | ||
| 2 | 25.08.1976 | Vejle | Denmark | 0-3 | ||
| 3 | 26.05.1977 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 0-1 | ||
| 4 | 01.06.1977 | Oslo | Denmark | 0-2 | ||
| 5 | 10.09.1980 | London | England | 0-4 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 6 | 24.09.1980 | Oslo | Romania | 1-1 |
|
World Cup Qualifier |
| 7 | 29.10.1980 | Bern | Switzerland | 2-1 |
|
World Cup Qualifier |
| 8 | 29.04.1981 | Pleven | Bulgaria | 0-1 | ||
| 9 | 20.05.1981 | Oslo | Hungary | 1-2 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 10 | 17.06.1981 | Oslo | Switzerland | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 11 | 02.07.1981 | Helsinki | Finland | 1-3 | ||
| 12 | 09.09.1981 | Oslo | England | 2-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 13 | 23.09.1981 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1-2 | ||
| Manchester City (England) | ||||||
| 14 | 28.04.1982 | Stavanger | Finland | 1-1 | ||
| 15 | 12.05.1982 | Oslo | West Germany | 2-4 | ||
| 16 | 15.06.1982 | Oslo | Denmark | 2-1 |
|
|
| 17 | 11.08.1982 | Oslo | Sweden | 1-0 | ||
| 18 | 22.09.1982 | Swansea | Wales | 0-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 19 | 13.10.1982 | Oslo | Yugoslavia | 3-1 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 20 | 27.10.1982 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 2-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| Norwich (England) | ||||||
| 21 | 01.06.1983 | Oslo | Hungary | 1-1 | ||
| 22 | 10.08.1983 | Oslo | Romania | 0-0 | ||
| 23 | 07.09.1983 | Oslo | Bulgaria | 1-2 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 24 | 21.09.1983 | Oslo | Wales | 0-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 25 | 12.10.1983 | Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 1-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 26 | 01.05.1984 | Ettelbrück | Luxembourg | 2-0 | ||
| 27 | 23.05.1984 | Szekesfehevar | Hungary | 0-0 | ||
| 28 | 06.06.1984 | Trondheim | Wales | 1-0 | ||
| Molde | ||||||
| 29 | 29.08.1984 | Drammen | Poland | 1-1 | ||
| 30 | 12.09.1984 | Oslo | Switzerland | 0-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 31 | 26.09.1984 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 0-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 32 | 10.10.1984 | Oslo | Soviet Union | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 33 | 17.10.1984 | Oslo | Republic of Ireland | 1-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 34 | 17.12.1984 | Cairo | Egypt | 1-0 | ||
| 35 | 20.12.1984 | Ismailiya | Egypt | 1-0 | ||
| 36 | 26.02.1985 | Wrexham | Wales | 1-1 | ||
| 37 | 17.04.1985 | Frankfurt/Oder | East Germany | 0-1 | ||
| 38 | 01.05.1985 | Dublin | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 39 | 22.05.1985 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 0-1 | ||
| 40 | 05.06.1985 | Bergen | Wales | 4-2 | ||
| 41 | 14.08.1985 | Oslo | East Germany | 0-1 | ||
| 42 | 10.09.1985 | Oslo | Egypt | 3-0 | ||
| 43 | 25.09.1985 | Lecce | Italy | 2-1 | ||
| 44 | 16.10.1985 | Oslo | Denmark | 1-5 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 45 | 30.10.1985 | Moscow | Soviet Union | 0-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 46 | 13.11.1985 | Luzern | Switzerland | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 47 | 26.02.1986 | St. George's | Grenada | 2-1 | ||
| 48 | 30.04.1986 | Oslo | Argentina | 1-0 | ||
| 49 | 13.05.1986 | Oslo | Denmark | 1-0 | ||
| 50 | 04.06.1986 | Bucharest | Romania | 2-2 | ||