Mats Solheim

Mats Solheim
Solheim playing for Hammarby in 2015
Personal information
Full name Mats Goberg Solheim
Date of birth (1987-12-03) 3 December 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Loen, Norway[1]
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Loen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
–2004 Loen
2005–2006 Stryn
2006–2011 Sogndal 115 (18)
2012–2014 Kalmar 50 (5)
2015–2019 Hammarby IF 111 (8)
2020–2021 Stabæk 40 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mats Goberg Solheim (born 3 December 1987) is a former Norwegian footballer who played as a defender.[2]

Career

Sogndal

Solheim started his career at the local club Loen IL,[3] continuing at Stryn TIL in the lower divisions. He initially played as a striker.[4] He attracted interest from the professional club Sogndal, then playing in the Norwegian second tier, during the summer of 2006. He subsequently joined the club and went on to enjoy a promotion to Tippeligaen four seasons later, in 2010.

During his time at Sogndal he got known as a utility player, being used in almost every outfield position. He has since established himself as a natural wing back on either flanks.[5]

Solheim played a total of 25 games, scoring 4 times, during the 2011 Tippeligaen-season. He attracted interest from several other Norwegian clubs after the successful campaign, but opted to move abroad, signing for Kalmar FF in the Swedish Allsvenskan.[6]

Kalmar FF

He had a rough start to his stint at Kalmar FF, when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament in February 2012 during the pre-season. He was forced to the sideline throughout the rest of the year.[7]

Solheim made his competitive debut for Kalmar on 2 April 2013 against Syrianska FC, on the first match day of the 2013 Allsvenskan. He crowned his debut for the side by scoring in a 3–0 victory.[4] He played as a regular at Kalmar during the upcoming two seasons, featuring in a total of 50 games in Allsvenskan, scoring on 5 occasions.

Hammarby IF

On 31 March 2015, the last day of the Swedish transfer window, Hammarby IF announced that they had signed Solheim on a three-year contract.[8] He reunited with his former manager Nanne Bergstrand, who first had brought him to Sweden, at the Stockholm-based outfit.

Solheim established himself as a first choice left defender at Hammarby during the 2015 season. He missed out on the whole first half of the 2016 season due to another, less serious, knee injury.[9]

Stabæk

In November 2019, Solheim returned to Norwegian football, joining Stabæk on a three-year contract.[10] He retired in August 2021 to become a banker.[11]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[12][13]
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sogndal 2006 1. divisjon 8 0 0 0 — 8 0
2007 18 3 0 0 — 18 3
2008 28 5 1 0 2[a] 0 31 5
2009 14 5 0 0 1[a] 0 15 5
2010 22 1 2 0 — 24 1
2011 Eliteserien 25 4 4 1 — 29 5
Total 115 18 7 1 3 0 125 19
Kalmar 2012 Allsvenskan 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2013 24 3 1 1 — 25 4
2014 26 2 1 0 — 27 2
Total 50 5 2 1 — 52 6
Hammarby IF 2015 Allsvenskan 26 2 1 0 — 27 2
2016 16 2 1 0 — 17 2
2017 27 1 3 0 — 30 1
2018 15 0 2 0 — 17 0
2019 27 3 3 1 — 30 4
Total 111 8 10 1 — 121 9
Stabæk 2020 Eliteserien 29 3 — — 29 3
2021 11 0 1 0 — 12 0
Total 40 3 1 0 — 41 3
Career total 316 34 20 3 3 0 339 37
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in promotion play-offs

Honours

Sogndal

References

  1. ^ a b Mats Solheim at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "Mats Solheim profile" (in Swedish). SVFF. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  3. ^ Mats Solheim at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
  4. ^ a b "Norsk inhoppare blev Kalmars solskenshistoria" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Solheim - "Har spelat på alla positioner på planen - även målvakt"" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 14 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Mats Solheim valde Kalmar FF framför Tippeligan" (in Swedish). Fotbolltransfers. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Solheim borta hela säsongen". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Svergies Radio. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Mats Solheim lämnar Kalmar FF" (in Swedish). Kalmar FF. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Mats Solheim skadad – missar vårsäsongen" (in Swedish). Expressen. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Solheim til Stabæk". NRK (in Norwegian). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Stabæk-spiller avslutter fotballkarrieren". Nettavisen. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Mats Solheim". Altomfotball (in Norwegian). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b Mats Solheim at Soccerway