Leif Eriksen (14 May 1940 – 31 January 2024) was a Norwegian football player and coach. A

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

, he spent most of his career in

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 ...

, and became league top goalscorer in 1963. Eriksen represented

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

as a U21, B and senior international.

Club career

Making his debut at 17 years of age in 1958, Eriksen played a total of 142 top-tier games for Vålerenga in which he scored 58 goals. This makes him Vålerenga's second-leading scorer all-time 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 ...

behind

Morten Berre Morten Gladhaug Berre (born 10 August 1975) is a Norwegian football coach and former player who played as a winger. With 447 top division appearances, Berre has made the second-highest number of appearances in the Norwegian top division. Club ...

who scored 62 goals. In

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

, Eriksen scored 16 goals to become top scorer in the Norwegian top division. In

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, he was a member of the Vålerenga side that became league champions for the first time in club history. In the championship-deciding game against

Steinkjer or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...

, Eriksen fractured his foot, but was somehow able to finish the match (substitutions were at that time not allowed after the start of the second half).

International career

Eriksen made his senior debut for

in a May 1964

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, coming on as a 20th-minute substitute for

Roald Jensen Roald Jensen (11 January 1943 – 6 October 1987), nicknamed "Kniksen", was one of Norway's most celebrated football players. He played for Brann and Heart of Midlothian ("Hearts"). ''Knicksen'' is a local Bergen word meaning "juggler". From ...

, and earned a total of four caps, scoring one goal. His final international was an August 1968

Nordic Football Championship The Nordic Football Championship (, , , , commonly abbreviated NM or PM) was an international association football, football competition contested by the list of men's national football (soccer) teams, men's national football teams of the Nordic c ...

match against

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Coaching career

Eriksen left Vålerenga in 1969 to become player-manager at

Eidsvold Turn Eidsvold Turnforening is a Norwegian sport club from Eidsvoll, Akershus. It has sections for association football, team handball, track and field, gymnastics and speed skating. The club was founded as ''Eidsvold IL'' on 29 April 1910, and the na ...

. He returned to Vålerenga as player-manager two years later. After finishing his playing career, Eriksen returned to Vålerenga for a second spell as manager in 1979, and guided the club to victory in the 1980 Norwegian Cup, which was followed by winning Vålerenga's first league championship since his own playing days in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

Personal life

Leif Eriksen's son Bengt Eriksen also became a footballer who had two spells as a midfielder for Vålerenga between 1983 and 1993, and later became manager of Skeid. Bengt Eriksen also worked as a football pundit for TV 2 from 2003 to 2011.

Death

Eriksen died on 31 January 2024, at the age of 83.Vålerenga-legenden Leif Eriksen er død

References

External links

* 1940 births 2024 deaths Footballers from Oslo Men's association football forwards Norwegian men's footballers Norway men's under-21 international footballers Norway men's international footballers Vålerenga Fotball players Eidsvold TF players Eliteserien players Norwegian First Division players Norwegian football managers Vålerenga Fotball managers Skeid Fotball managers 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen {{Norway-footy-midfielder-stub