Alexander Toft Søderlund (born 3 August 1987) is a Norwegian 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 le ...

who plays as 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) ** Sm ...

for

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

. He has represented the Norway national team.

Club career

After playing for Stegaberg IL in his youth, Søderlund played for

and

Vard Haugesund Sportsklubben Vard Haugesund is a Norwegian football club located in Haugesund. The team currently plays in the 2. divisjon after being promoted from the 3. divisjon in 2019. The team reached the Norwegian Football Cup finals in 1962 and 1975. ...

. He later became something of a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

, spending time at six different clubs in four different foreign countries between 2008 and 2010 (notably in the third italian division, fourth italian division and

Belgian Second Division The Belgian Second Division (known as the Proximus League for sponsorship reasons) was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Associa ...

). His unsuccessful experience abroad ended in summer 2010, when the fourth italian division club of

Calcio Lecco Calcio Lecco 1912, better known as Lecco , is a football club in Lecco, Lombardy, Italy. The club currently plays in Serie C, the third division of the Italian Football Founded in 1912, it has played in three Serie A tournaments (the last ...

did not renew his probation period of 4 months. He then returned home, and played for his former club Vard Haugesund (

Norwegian Second Division The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

) in the closing stages of the 2010 season. In January 2011, he moved to FK Haugesund, and on 20 March 2011, Søderlund made his debut in

Tippeligaen 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 ...

against

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

. He got his first two league goals against Stabæk on 8 May 2011, and finished his debut season with 11 goals. On 17 June 2013,

Rosenborg BK Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg () or RBK, is a Norwegian professional football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien. The club has won a record 26 league titles, a shared record 12 Norwegian Football Cup ti ...

announced that they had bought Søderlund from Haugesund as a replacement for

Tarik Elyounoussi Tarik Elyounoussi ( ar, طارق اليونسي, ', ; born 23 February 1988) is a professional footballer who plays for Japanese club Shonan Bellmare. His preferred position is a forward, but he can also play as a winger. Club career Born in ...

who was sold to the German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

. Søderlund joined the club on 15 July. He played 12 matches and scored three goals for Haugesund in the 2013 season, and as the club eventually finished in third place in Tippeligaen for the first time in the club's history, Søderlund was eligible for bronze medals. But as his new team Rosenborg finished second, he was only awarded silver medals due to a change in the rules after

Thomas Holm Thomas Holm (born 19 February 1981) is a Norwegian former professional association football, footballer. A Midfielder#Central midfielder, central midfielder, he played for SC Heerenveen, BV Veendam, Vålerenga Fotball, Vålerenga, Molde FK, Mol ...

won both gold and silver with two different teams in the 2011 season. Søderlund won another silver-medal in 2013, as Rosenborg lost the

2013 Norwegian Football Cup Final The 2013 Norwegian Football Cup Final was the 108th final of the Norwegian Football Cup. The final was contested by Rosenborg and Molde and took place on 24 November 2013 at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo. Route to the final *(TL) = Tippeligaen team ...

4–2 against

Molde Molde () is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the m ...

. On 4 January 2016, Søderlund joined

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...

on 3.5-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Rosenborg was estimated at between €1.5 and 2 million. Thirteen days later, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0

derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

win against

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

. Frequently criticized in France for his lack of speed and technique, he was transferred in January 2018 to his former club Rosenborg. The transfer fee paid was estimated at €500,000.

International career

On 23 November 2011, Søderlund was named in the

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 ...

squad for the three

friendly matches An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

in Thailand in January 2012. He made his debut for Norway in a 1–1 friendly draw against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

on 15 January 2012. On 1 June 2012, he was added to Norway's squad when

Mohammed Abdellaoue Mohammed "Moa" Abdellaoue ( ar, محمد عبد اللاوي; born 23 October 1985) is a retired Norwegian footballer who played as a forward. He started his career with Skeid and Vålerenga before moving to Germany where he played for Hannover 9 ...

was doubtful for the match against

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. Søderlund got his first cap at home when he replaced

Erik Huseklepp Erik André Huseklepp (born 5 September 1984) is a Norwegian professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant coach at Brann. A former forward, he previously played for Fyllingen and Brann in Norway, for Bari in Ital ...

as a substitute in the 84th minute, and later assisted

equalizing goal against Croatia. In the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

qualifying match against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

on 11 September 2012, he replaced Elyounoussi after 89 minutes earning a penalty three minutes later which

John Arne Riise John Arne Semundseth Riise (born 24 September 1980) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who played as a left back and a left midfielder. He is currently the manager of Toppserien club Avaldsnes. With 110 caps, Riise is ...

converted for the match-winning goal as Norway won 2–1. He started his first qualifying match when Norway met

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 12 October 2012.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Søderlund goal''.

Honours

Rosenborg *

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 ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...

Mesterfinalen Mesterfinalen ( en, Champions Final), also known as UNICEF Mesterfinalen due to its cooperation with UNICEF, is a Norwegian association football competition contested between the champions of the previous Eliteserien season and the holders of the ...

Individual

* Eliteserien Top goalscorer:

Striker of the Year:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soderlund, Alexander 1987 births Living people People from Haugesund Sportspeople from Rogaland Norwegian footballers Association football forwards Norway international footballers Belgian First Division B players FK Haugesund players SK Vard Haugesund players S.S. Virtus Lanciano 1924 players Union Royale Namur Fosses-La-Ville players Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar players Calcio Lecco 1912 players Rosenborg BK players AS Saint-Étienne players BK Häcken players Çaykur Rizespor footballers Eliteserien players Ligue 1 players Allsvenskan players Süper Lig players Norwegian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in Belgium Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Expatriate footballers in Iceland Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Iceland Expatriate footballers in France Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in Sweden Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Sweden Expatriate footballers in Turkey Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey