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Solbakken’s remarkable path from collapse to Norway’s bench

Norway coach Ståle Solbakken once stopped breathing in training, then rebuilt his career in the dugout.

Filed Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Solbakken’s remarkable path from collapse to Norway’s bench

Ståle Solbakken’s route to Norway’s World Cup bench included a seven-minute medical emergency in 2001, when he collapsed in training at Copenhagen and his heart stopped.

The former midfielder said he saw a blue light before waking up. Club doctor later revived him with CPR and two electric shocks. Solbakken quit playing after the incident and moved into coaching.

He began in Norway’s second tier with HamKam and took the club up to the top division within two seasons. After returning to Copenhagen, he won eight Danish league titles and three domestic cups across two spells, and also led the club into the Champions League.

His Copenhagen side beat Manchester United in 2006 under Alex Ferguson. Later spells at Köln and Wolves did not go well, and both clubs dismissed him.

Solbakken returned to Copenhagen, then took charge of Norway in 2020. He has now guided the national side to a World Cup for the first time in 28 years, with Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard among the key names in the squad.

Solbakken’s remarkable path from collapse to Norway’s bench · Cornerflick