Bjørn Borgen
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 September 1937 | ||
| Place of birth | Fredrikstad, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 18 November 2015 (aged 78) | ||
| Position(s) | Right winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ørn Fjeldberg | |||
| 1948–1955 | Fredrikstad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1956–1958 | Fredrikstad | ||
| 1959 | Lyn | ||
| 1960–1968 | Fredrikstad | ||
| International career | |||
| 1957–1966 | Norway | 35 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bjørn Borgen (22 September 1937 – 18 November 2015) was a Norwegian footballer who played for Fredrikstad and Lyn, as well as the national team, as a right winger. He later became a coach active in the lower leagues.
Early career[edit]
Born in Fredrikstad, Borgen began his career with local team Ørn Fjeldberg before joining Fredrikstad in 1948 at the age of 11, alongside Per Kristoffersen.[1] He won the 1955 Norwegian Junior Cup with the team.[1] He made his debut for the first-team the next year.[1]
Debut with the Norway national team[edit]
By 1957 he was a first-team regular, and had also made his debut for the national team.[1] He suffered from behavioural problems in 1958, and eventually left the club in January 1959 to work in a clothes shop in Oslo and play for Lyn.[1] He returned to Fredrikstad in October 1959, and in 1960 became the youngest Norwegian international to collect 25 caps.[1] That same year he also turned down a professional contract offer from Italian club Fiorentina.[1]
Later career[edit]
Borgen spent a significant part of the 1962 season injured.[1] He retired from playing in 1968, alongside Kristoffersen.[1] With Fredrikstad he won the league championship three times, and also the national cup three times.[1] He scored 6 goals in 35 senior international appearances for Norway,[2] and also represented them at youth level.[1]
He later became a coach of lower-league teams, including Rapid, Moss, Trosvik and Rolvsøy.[1] He also played for Rolvsøy in a Cup match in 1972, against Fredrikstad.[1]
Death and legacy[edit]
Borgen died on 18 November 2015 following a long illness.[3] Kristoffersen subsequently described him as the best right winger Norway has ever produced.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Profile" (in Norwegian). FFK Supporter. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ "Bjørn Borgen". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ a b Vidar Henriksen (18 November 2015). "FFK-legenden Bjørn Borgen er død" [FKK legend Bjørn Borgen is dead] (in Norwegian). Fredrikstad Blad. Retrieved 18 November 2015.