Tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjæer_______________________________
"It is sad both for us and for him that he has decided to quit," his father Oyvind Solskjaer was quoted as saying by Aftenposten.no after the 34-year-old called time following a long run of knee injuries.
"He would have liked to stay on and was hoping for a 100 percent recovery. But something has happened with his knee which made it impossible for him to continue," he added.
Here's five of the baby-faced assassin's best moments:
1. Unsurprisingly, top of the list is the moment when Solsjkaer entered into United folklore with an out struck right boot on a barmy night in Barcelona back in 1999. He already had a reputation for scoring late goals, but this was something else altogether. On as a substitute, and with Teddy Sheringham already having put United back on level terms in injury time, Solskjaer stepped up to turn in his strike partner's flick on and win the Champions League for United. Bayern Munich fans are still recovering.
2. Solskjaer's reputation as a super-sub was unrivalled (even though his record shows he scored more when he actually started games) but nobody quite expected what happened at the City Ground earlier in the same season. The Norwegian came off the bench to net an incredible four times in just ten minutes to complete an 8-1 rout of Nottingham Forest, proving his credentials as one of the most lethal finishers in the game.
3. How many players have scored four goals in a game more than once in their careers? Not many, is the simple answer. But Solksjaer repeated his incredible feat of 1999 a year later, notching another four against Everton at Old Trafford in a 5-1 win. Outstanding.
4. Not a single moment as such, but Solskjaer's unwavering sense of loyalty to United throughout his career should be saluted. Solskjaer's birth certificate claims he was born in Kristiansund, Norway, but you would be forgiven for thinking he is as Mancunian as the late, great Tony Wilson. At the peak of his powers, Solskjaer had received attractive offers from a number of other clubs where he was promised more regular football, but every time he was linked with a move Solskjaer insisted he was happy at Old Trafford, even if he found himself on the bench more often than not. He simply got his head down and carried on playing when he got the chance. A rarity in the modern game - a true professional.
5. If the 34-year-old had not already won the hearts of United fans by 2005, his decision to speak out against the impending takeover of their club by the Glazer family sealed the deal. That the takeover has largely been a success (ticket price hikes aside) is irrelevant, it was Solskjaer's willingness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with normal fans that endeared him so much to the public. He became the patron of Shareholders United and was even reported to have said he would turn out for anti-Glazer off-shoot club FC United. What a hero.
Mike Hytner / Eurosport.More on Solskjaer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_Gunnar_Solskjaer
No comments:
Post a Comment