Solveig Gulbrandsen

Solveig Gulbrandsen
Solveig Gulbrandsen in October 2007
Personal information
Full name Solveig Ingersdatter Gulbrandsen[1]
Date of birth (1981-01-12) 12 January 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth Oslo, Norway[2]
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Kolbotn
Number 8
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2008 Kolbotn 190 (102)
2009 Stabæk 10 (6)
2010 FC Gold Pride 8 (1)
2010 Stabæk 8 (1)
2011–2013 Vålerenga 43 (12)
2014 Stabæk 5 (1)
2015–2017 Kolbotn 52 (11)
International career‡
1996–1997 Norway U-16 11 (4)
1998–1999 Norway U-18 3 (1)
1998 Norway U-21 1 (0)
1998–2015 Norway 183 (55)
Medal record
Women's football
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Team
UEFA Women's Championship
Silver medal – second place 2005 England Team
Silver medal – second place 2013 Sweden Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 June 2017
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 June 2015

Solveig Ingersdatter Gulbrandsen (born 12 January 1981) is a Norwegian footballer currently playing for Kolbotn of the Toppserien. At club level she has previously represented Kolbotn, FC Gold Pride, Vålerenga Fotball Damer and Stabæk. With the Norwegian national team Gulbrandsen accrued 183 caps, scored 55 goals and won the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Club career

Hailing from the Oppegård area to the South-East of Oslo, Gulbrandsen started her career for Kolbotn. Her team became the Norwegian Cup holders after winning the Cup Final in November 2007.

In December 2008 Gulbrandsen announced her transfer to Stabæk Fotball Kvinner, formed from the bankrupt Asker FK and other players.[3]

On 10 December 2009 FC Gold Pride in Santa Clara, California, playing in the WPS league, announced that Gulbrandsen had signed a contract to play and to take part in coaching and education, starting in March 2010. However, on 7 July 2010, FC Gold Pride announced that Gulbrandsen would be returning to Norway and Stabæk FK, effective after the club's 17 July match against Philadelphia. Gulbrandsen cited a desire to begin a transition to a post-soccer career in Norway for her decision.[4]

After a successful autumn season with Stabæk in 2010 she announced her retirement as a football player[5] and joined the Oslo club Vålerenga as an assistant trainer. She also announced that she was expecting her second child.

A highlight video of Gulbrandsen's last league match, in which she assisted two goals and Stabæk won the Toppserien league title, can be seen on line from the Norwegian channel TV 2.[6] She retired from her club side Stabæk Fotball Kvinner after the 2010 season.

In the latter half of the 2011 season Gulbrandsen played some matches as a substitute for the first-division club Vålerenga,[7] and was later hired as the team's assistant player coach. During 2012 and 2013 she played regularly for Vålerenga, who had been promoted into the Toppserien.

After another brief period of retirement, 33-year-old Gulbrandsen rejoined Stabæk as a player in September 2014. She had been working as a television pundit for TV 2 but agreed to help out her former team who had an injury crisis.[8]

International career

In 1998 Gulbrandsen made her debut for the Norwegian National Team and made regular appearances until the end of 2010. She won a gold medal with the Norwegian national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2005 Norway reached the Final of the 2005 UEFA Women's Championship by beating Sweden 3–2, with Gulbrandsen scoring two goals and earning a yellow card for hoisting her shirt over her head after scoring the first goal.

Gulbrandsen took part in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 tournament in China, her third such tournament, when Norway achieved fourth place behind Germany, Brazil and the USA. On 9 June 2008, she was named to the Norwegian roster for the 2008 Summer Olympics that was held in Beijing, China. Norway advanced to the quarter-finals where they lost to Brazil. Gulbrandsen was hit in a wrist early in the match but continued playing and discovered only afterwards that a bone had been broken.

Gulbrandsen was selected for Norway's team in the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 played in Finland. The team survived the group stage to beat Sweden 3–1 in the quarter-final, losing to Germany 3–1 in the semifinal. At the end of the tournament she announced it would be her last championship but she would continue playing to the end of the season at least. In October 2009 she announced that she had decided with her family to continue playing for another season.[9]

Veteran national coach Even Pellerud selected Gulbrandsen in Norway's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013 in Sweden.[10] In the final at Friends Arena, she had a second half penalty kick saved by Germany's goalkeeper Nadine Angerer. Anja Mittag's goal gave the Germans their sixth successive title.[11]

International goals

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 23 June 1999 Landover, United States  Canada 7–1 7–1 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
2. 7 May 2000 Moss, Norway  Portugal 1–0 5–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2001 qualifying
3. 2–0
4. 4 June 2000  England 4–0 8–0
5. 24 June 2000 Interlaken, Switzerland  Switzerland 1–0 1–0
6. 8 September 2001 Lillestrøm, Norway  Ukraine 2–0 4–0 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
7. 11 September 2001 Kongsvinger, Norway  Czech Republic 3–0 5–0
8. 25 January 2002 Guangzhou, China  China 2–0 3–0 2002 Four Nations Tournament
9. 27 January 2002  Germany 1–0 1–3
10. 3 March 2002 Ferreiras, Portugal  Sweden 3–3 3–3 2002 Algarve Cup
11. 5 March 2002 Lagos, Portugal  United States 3–2 3–2
12. 24 March 2002 Slaný, Czech Republic  Czech Republic 2–1 5–1 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
13. 12 May 2002 Boryspil, Ukraine  Ukraine 1–0 1–1
14. 11 May 2003 Kristiansand, Norway  Belgium 1–0 6–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2005 qualifying
15. 23 September 2003 Foxborough, United States  South Korea 1–0 7–1 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
16. 7 March 2004 Strombeek-Bever, Belgium  Belgium 6–1 6–1 UEFA Women's Euro 2005 qualifying
17. 14 March 2004 Guia, Portugal  Finland 4–? 4–1 2004 Algarve Cup
18. 10 November 2004 Reykjavík, Iceland  Iceland 1–0 7–2 UEFA Women's Euro 2005 qualifying
19. 3–0
20. 6–0
21. 12 June 2005 Preston, England  Italy 3–1 5–3 UEFA Women's Euro 2005
22. 16 June 2005 Warrington, England  Sweden 1–0 3–2 (a.e.t.)
23. 3–2
24. 24 September 2005 Lazarevac, Serbia  Serbia 1–0 4–0 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
25. 4–0
26. 17 June 2007 Ramat Gan, Israel  Israel 1–0 3–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
27. 2–0
28. 21 June 2007 Lillestrøm, Norway  Austria 1–0 3–0
29. 27 October 2007 Stavanger, Norway  Russia 2–0 3–0
30. 3 May 2008 Kristiansand, Norway  Israel 2–0 7–0
31. 7–0
32. 7 May 2008 Stavanger, Norway  Poland 2–0 3–0
33. 21 June 2008 Amstetten, Austria  Austria 2–0 4–0
34. 25 June 2008 Kutno, Poland  Poland 1–0 3–0
35. 11 March 2009 Loulé, Portugal  Austria 2–0 2–0 2009 Algarve Cup
36. 24 October 2009 Bærum, Norway  Netherlands 2–0 3–0 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
37. 1 March 2010 Silves, Portugal  Iceland 1–0 3–2 2010 Algarve Cup
38. 2–1
39. 30 March 2010 Grodno, Belarus  Belarus 5–0 5–0 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
40. 21 August 2010 Senec, Slovakia  Slovakia 2–0 4–0
41. 25 August 2010 Prilep, North Macedonia  North Macedonia 6–0 7–0
42. 15 September 2010 Bærum, Norway  Ukraine 2–0 2–0 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
43. 14 July 2013 Kalmar, Sweden  Netherlands 1–0 1–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2013
44. 22 July 2013  Spain 1–0 3–1
45. 26 October 2013 Sarpsborg, Norway  Albania 5–0 7–0 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
46. 11 March 2015 Albufeira, Portugal  Denmark 1–0 5–2 2015 Algarve Cup
47. 2–0
48. 3–0
49. 15 June 2015 Moncton, Canada  Ivory Coast 3–0 3–1 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
50. 22 June 2015 Ottawa, Canada  England 1–0 1–2

Personal life

Gulbrandsen is the daughter of former Norway international footballer Terje Gulbrandsen[12] and Inger Elise Johansen, a former Norwegian champion in Rhythmic Gymnastics. She is married to Espen Andreassen, a former football trainer in Kolbotn women's football club. On 8 June 2006 Solveig Gulbrandsen gave birth to her first child, a son named Theodor. Her second child was born on 19 June 2011, a daughter named Lilly. She is unrelated to the other footballer Ragnhild Gulbrandsen.

Honours

Club

Country

Norway

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Association player list – Norway" (PDF). UEFA. 21 August 2009. p. 17. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Norway Mediaguide 2013" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  3. ^ "On paper, we are the best". Womensfootball.eu. 10 December 2008.
  4. ^ FC Gold Pride and Gulbrandsen Agree to Mutually Terminate Contract[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Farewell to a star". Womensfootball.eu. 8 June 2006.
  6. ^ "Stabæk v Trondheims-Ørn highlights 30-10-2010". Tv2sporten.no. 30 October 2010.
  7. ^ "Gulbrandsen skal fikse opprykk for Vålerenga" (in Norwegian). ostkantavisa.no. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  8. ^ Smørdal, Englund (10 September 2014). "Solveig Gulbrandsen gjør comeback" (in Norwegian). TV 2 (Norway). Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  9. ^ "Another season for Sola". Womensfootball.eu.
  10. ^ Aarre, Eivind (13 June 2013). "Pellerud 'excited' by Norway squad". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  11. ^ Burke, Chris (28 July 2013). "Angerer the hero as Germany make it six in a row". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  12. ^ "GULL-brandsen". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 25 September 2000. Retrieved 25 August 2012.