Kristofer Krüger Hæstad (born 9 December 1983) is a Norwegian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Early life

Hæstad was born in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

, Agder.

Club career

Early career

Hæstad played for the youth teams of Randesund and Vigør.

Start

He was signed by

Start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

in 2001, and debuted in the

Norwegian Premier League Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

in 2002, when the youthful Start squad only made 11 points and were relegated. After two seasons in the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

, Start were once again promoted in 2004, with Hæstad as one of the team's central players. Hæstad has continued in great form after the promotion, and was named player of the month by

NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

in April 2005. In July 2006, Hæstad launched a music single ''This Is For Real'' together with four other professional Norwegian footballers –

Morten Gamst Pedersen Morten Gamst Pedersen (born 8 September 1981) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. During his spell for Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League he was known for his skill and long range goals. Pedersen began his care ...

Freddy dos Santos Freddy dos Santos (born 2 October 1976) is a Norwegian former association football, footballer who played most of his career for Vålerenga Fotball, Vålerenga in the Norwegian Premier League. Dos Santos has played as a defender, Midfielder, mid ...

Raymond Kvisvik Raymond Kvisvik (born 8 November 1974) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a winger. He is most noted for his spells at Brann, but he did also play for Moss, Austria Wien and Fredrikstad. Kvisvik won the Norwegian Cup w ...

, and Øyvind Svenning. They call their band '' The Players''. On 29 December 2006, it was announced that

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

had secured Hæstad on six-month loan. The Norwegian newspaper VG would later reveal that it not was a standard loan contract, but an intricate deal that could see Hæstad stay at Wigan until July 2010, if they pick up an option to buy him at the end of the current season. Hæstad made his Premier League debut on 13 January 2007 against Chelsea, but was released from his loan contract at Wigan Athletic by mutual consent on 1 April 2007. Hæstad made a scoring return for Start on his return to Norway after scoring the fourth goal in a 4–2 victory away to Aalesund.

Vålerenga

On 2 January 2008, Hæstad signed a four-year contract with

Vålerenga Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for i ...

. On 29 March 2008, Hæstad made his competitive debut for Vålerenga in the season's first game against Aalesund. After a poor first season plagued by injuries, and failing to score a goal, rumors said that he was heading away from the club, most likely back to his former club Start. However, he stayed at Vålerenga and had a great second season. He scored his first goal against Start in a 2–3 loss. He also scored two goals against Lyn which ended 4–4. Hæstad announced his retirement from professional football on 1 July 2014.

International career

24 May 2005, Hæstad debuted for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

in a private match against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

Career statistics

Club

International goals

Honours

Individual *

Kniksen award The Kniksen Award (), established in 1990, honors the best players in the Norwegian football premiership. The award is named after the legendary Norwegian football player Roald Jensen, nicknamed "Kniksen". Categories Category A A jury comp ...

: midfielder of the year in 2005

References

External links

*
Start's bio of Hæstad
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haestad, Kristofer 1983 births Living people Footballers from Kristiansand Norwegian men's footballers 21st-century Norwegian sportsmen Men's association football midfielders IK Start players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Vålerenga Fotball players Norwegian First Division players Eliteserien players Premier League players Kniksen Award winners Norway men's international footballers Norwegian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England