Association football statues in Norway
Association football statues in Norway are in several cities. They were rare before the 1990s, but more were built after 2015. Most statues stand outside stadiums, though a few are in city centers.
Fotballspilleren in Stavanger
In 1955, sculptor Magnus Vigrestad was asked to make a bronze statue to honor sportspeople who died in World War II. The statue, named Fotballspilleren (The Footballer), was to be cast in 1957, but Vigrestad died in a traffic accident that day. It was unveiled in 1958 and placed outside Stavanger stadion and at Eiganes Cemetery. The work used four models but is mainly linked to Reidar Kvammen, Stavanger’s celebrated player of the time. The square nearby is Reidar Kvammens plass.
Tom Lund – Steget (The Step) in Lillestrøm
A statue of Lillestrøm SK player Tom Lund, by Bjørn Sørvang Hansen, was unveiled in June 1990. Lund served mostly as a face model. Because of the Lillestrøm–Vålerenga rivalry, it was a frequent vandalism target, with paint splashed on it. In June 2013, its head was cut off and removed. The artist kept the mould, so the statue was rebuilt and re-unveiled in November 2013. In 2014, Stabæk fans painted it blue.
Roald Jensen – Kniksen outside Brann Stadion
Roald "Kniksen" Jensen, one of Norway’s most skilled players, is remembered with a statue outside Brann Stadion, unveiled on 28 May 1995. Brann officials place flowers on 16 May, the day before Norway’s national day.
Ålesund statue at Color Line Stadion
When Color Line Stadion opened in 2005, a new statue appeared. It shows a footballer performing a left-foot volley and resembles Ålesund’s great player John Arne Riise, who served as the model. Riise was unhappy not to have the statue named after him, criticizing the manager of Aalesunds FK for opposing a player-specific statue. In 2018 the name was changed to John Arne Riise.
Steiner Pettersen – Drammen statue
Strømsgodset IF won its first league title in 1970, and Steinar Pettersen is celebrated as the team’s greatest player. As Pettersen turned 70 in 2015, a statue was proposed and later unveiled in May 2016. By the 2020s, Pettersen was Drammen’s only living person with a statue.
Asbjørn Halvorsen bust – Sarpsborg
In 2017, a bust of Asbjørn Halvorsen was unveiled at Sarpsborg FK. The bust, created by Merete Sejersted Bødtker, was moved to central Sarpsborg in 2023 to Haralds plass, which was renamed Asbjørn Halvorsens plass.
Nils Arne Eggen – Lerkendal and Go’foten
Nils Arne Eggen, famed as a Rosenborg BK manager, has a statue outside Lerkendal Stadion (unveiled June 2019). He is depicted pointing and shouting directions. Earlier, a separate sculpture near his home in Fannrem, called Go’foten (The Good Foot), praised his teamwork philosophy.
Thorbjørn Svenssen – Sandefjord
Plans for a Thorbjørn Svenssen statue were announced in 2019, and a statue by Oddmund Raudberget was unveiled in central Sandefjord on St. John’s Day, 2020.
Harald Berg – Bodø/Glimt
A statue of Harald Berg outside Aspmyra Stadion was unveiled in September 2023. It bears the caption Førr evig (forever) with Berg’s name and birthdate. The artwork was created as Bodø/Glimt had just won the league title and risen in European competition. In 2024, two additional figures—a boy and a girl—were added to represent the future. The project faced some budget criticism from Bodø/Glimt and the municipality.
Per Bredesen – Horten
A statue of Per Bredesen was unveiled in Horten in May 2024. He played in the 1950s and 1960s for several clubs, including Lazio and AC Milan.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær – Campus Kristiansund
A statue of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, completed after a fundraising effort, was unveiled in Campus Kristiansund’s city center in November 2024.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:33 (CET).