Maria Olsvik (born 23 September 1994) is a Norwegian

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 plays for Rosenborg. In 2021, she was called up for the Norway national team for the first time.

Club career

Olsvik started her professional career in Kattem, a team in that used to play in

Toppserien The Toppserien is the top level of women's association football in Norway. It was founded in 1984. History Women's league football was introduced on a county basis in 1977. These leagues acted as qualification for the regional (South) league in ...

, but after the club had to withdraw from the league, she decided to change club. Like several other players, including Guro Reiten, she moved to at the time

Trondheims-Ørn Rosenborg Ballklub Kvinner (previously known as Sportsklubben Trondheims-Ørn) is a Norwegian women's professional football club in Trondheim, Trøndelag. History The club was founded as a multi-sports club on May 18, 1917, and became a mem ...

(now Rosenborg) in 2013. In 2020 she missed the first season after Trondheims-Ørn became Rosenborg, since she was pregnant. Rosenborg came second in

that year, after Trondheims-Ørn had been a mid-table team for the last eight years Olsvik had played for the club. However, she had a strong comeback in 2021 and took a part when Rosenborg came second in Toppserien that season as well.

Martin Sjögren Martin Sjögren (born 27 April 1977) is a Swedish football coach who is currently working as coach for Hammarby IF women team in the Damallsvenskan. Career Damallsvenskan He won the 2016 Damallsvenskan title with Linköpings FC. Norway na ...

, among others, said he hasn't experienced many players coming back at the level that she did after giving birth, and that she shows that a career doesn't have to be over after getting a child.

International career

Olsvik has played ten matches and scored one goal for Norway youth national teams. She scored the goal one minute after being substituted when she debuted on the U19 national team in an away match against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, one week before she turned 18. In October 2021, she was called up for the Norway national team for the first time, 14 months after giving birth and at the age of 27. She had then played 11 years in Toppserien, the top level in football in Norway, without being called up. After selecting Olsvik, the coach of the national team,

, said that it shows that there are several different paths to get a place on the national team. Some players, like Julie Blakstad and

Elisabeth Terland Elisabeth Terland (; born 28 June 2001) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Women's Super League club Manchester United and the Norway national team. Club career Terland started her career in Nærbø IL before s ...

, come directly from the youth national teams. Others, like Guro Bergsvand and Olsvik, were called up at an older age.

Style of play

In Rosenborg, she plays left back, and at the national team she was called up to play either back or winger. The author of the round 11 dual in Toppserien in 2021, concluded that her best abilities are in defence. She is especially good in one vs one situations. Martin Sjögren adds that her speed on the field is also a skill with international quality.

Personal life

She has studied the integrated master in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at NTNU. During the

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, she spoke about how strict

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

COVID Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

rules were. They made it impossible for her to meet her one-year-old son for ten days, during her first call up to the national team.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olsvik, Maria 1994 births Living people SK Trondheims-Ørn players Rosenborg BK Kvinner players Toppserien players Norwegian women's footballers 21st-century Norwegian sportswomen Norway women's youth international footballers Women's association football fullbacks Women's association football midfielders Women's association football defenders Norway women's international footballers