Adrian Lillebekk Ovlien (3 August 1997 – 16 March 2018) was a Norwegian footballer who played as a central defender for

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

. He played more than 100 competitive first-team matches for Kongsvinger, including the 2016 Norwegian Cup Final. He was also capped a total of 50 times by

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

on various youth levels from U15 to U19.

Club career

Lillebekk Ovlien grew up in

Eidskog Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, an ...

, and made his senior debut for local third division side

Eidskog Fotball Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, an ...

in 2012 as a 14-year-old. He played 16 league matches for Eidskog before joining the Glåmdal region's biggest side Kongsvinger ahead of the 2013 season.Adrian Lillebekk Ovlien (club profile)
''Norwegian Football Association''. Retrieved 17 March 2018. He made his debut in the

Norwegian First Division The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

on 5 May 2013 as a substitute against

Fredrikstad Fredrikstad (; previously ''Frederiksstad''; literally "Fredrik's Town") is a city and municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Fredrikstad. The city of Fredrikstad was founded in 15 ...

, aged 15 years and 275 days. He is the youngest player to have ever played for Kongsvinger's first team in a competitive match. Lillebekk Ovlien played regularly for Kongsvinger over the next five years, playing a total of 114 competitive matches for the first team, scoring five goals. This includes 62 matches (two goals) in the Norwegian First Division. He also played all seven matches when Kongsvinger, as a club first, reached the final of the Norwegian Cup in 2016. He started in the final against Rosenborg, where Kongsvinger lost by a score of 4–0. Despite interest from clubs in

Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

, Lillebekk Ovlien decided to sign a new contract with Kongsvinger in the autumn of 2017, stating: "KIL is a safe place for me, and I feel this is the place where I can develop the most. I am allowed to try and fail at this club. It would also be nice if KIL got a transfer fee for us the day we join another club," after he and his teammate Harald Holter had extended their contracts.Du var hel ved, Adrian
'' Glåmdalen'' (16 March 2017). Retrieved 17 March 2018.

International career

Lillebekk Ovlien debuted on the international level when he was selected for Norway's Under-15 team in a match against Sweden on 18 September 2012. Lillebekk Ovlien appeared in 50 international games on youth level. His final international was an Under-19 match against Portugal on 15 February 2016.

Death

Lillebekk Ovlien died suddenly on the morning of 16 March 2018, aged 20. He had played in a pre-season friendly against Chinese side

Sichuan Longfor Sichuan Annapurna Football Club was a former professional football club that participated in the China League One under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Dujiangyan City, Chengdu, Sichuan and their home st ...

four days earlier in

La Manga La Manga (), or La Manga del Mar Menor (meaning "The Sandbar of the Minor Sea") is a seaside spit of Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide (average), separating the Mediterranean Sea from the ...

, Spain. According to a press release from the club, he died as a result of an acute infection which likely caused

septic shock Septic shock is a potentially fatal medical condition that occurs when sepsis, which is organ injury or damage in response to infection, leads to dangerously low blood pressure and abnormalities in cellular metabolism. The Third International Con ...

. Sports director Espen Nystuen said "This is the saddest day in KIL's history." A tribute to Lillebekk Ovlien was held at the international friendly between

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

on 23 March.Socceroos v Norway reaction: Danish newspaper trolls Australia ahead of the World Cup after loss
''Fox Sports'' (23 March 2018). Retrieved 25 May 2018.

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lillebekk Ovlien, Adrian 1997 births 2018 deaths Norwegian men's footballers Norway men's youth international footballers Kongsvinger IL Toppfotball players Norwegian First Division players Men's association football defenders People from Eidskog Deaths from sepsis Footballers from Innlandet