Ståle Solbakken: Biography, Facts and Career

Ståle Solbakken (born 27 February 1968) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Norway national team. Solbakken is the first manager to take Norway to the World Cup since Egil Olsen in 1998. During his playing career, Solbakken was named 1995 Norwegian midfielder of the year and won the Danish Superliga championship with both Aalborg and Copenhagen (in 1999 and 2001, respectively). He played 58 matches and scored nine goals for Norway during the end of the 1990s and represented the country at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship tournaments. He ended his playing career in March 2001 following a heart attack. As a manager, Solbakken was named 2004 Norwegian Manager of the Year and won eight Superliga championships with Copenhagen. He was also in charge of German club 1. FC Köln during the 2011–12 Bundesliga season and then managed the English side Wolverhampton Wanderers in a six-month tenure. Following his second period at Copenhagen, he was appointed coach of the Norwegian national team in 2020 and, in 2025, qualified them for their first FIFA World Cup since 1998.

Quick facts about Ståle Solbakken

• Full name: Ståle Solbakken
• Born: 1968-02-27
• Nationality: Norway
• Known as: Athlete
• Wikidata ID: Q455291

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.