Ruben Kristiansen (born 20 February 1988) 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 lea ...

who plays for

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

as a defender.

Career

Early years

Kristiansen hails from

Nordreisa Municipality , (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami, ), or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storslett. Other villages include O ...

. He started his career at local club

Nordreisa Nordreisa may refer to: Places * Nordreisa Municipality, a municipality in Troms county, Norway * Nordreisa Church, a church in Nordreisa Municipality in Troms county, Norway Other * Nordreisa IL, a sports club in Nordreisa Municipality in Troms c ...

, before moving on to play for

Skjervøy Skjervøy or Skjervøya may refer to the following: Places *Skjervøy Municipality Skjervøy Municipality (, ; ) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the mu ...

Tromsdalen or is an urban neighborhood in the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø which is in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city centre on the mainland along the coast of the Tromsøysundet strait. The v ...

Tromsø

In late 2011 Kristiansen signed a three-year contract with

Eliteserien 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 ...

club

Vålerenga

He signed for

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 ...

in March 2014.

Brann

After two seasons at Vålerenga, Kristiansen joined fellow Eliteserien side Brann in 2015, helping them reach promotion at the end of the season. He subsequently signed several new contracts with the club, stretching all the way through the 2024 season.

Return to Tromsø

In October 2024 Brann announced that Kristiansen would not be offered a contract extension after the season was finished. The following December, his formed club Tromsø confirmed that they had signed Kristiansen on a one-year contract.

International career

Kristiansen made one appearance for Norway's U23 team in 2012 against Estonia's U23 team, where they lost 2-0. He made his international senior debut for

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 ...

against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in a friendly game in January 2013.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

;Tromsø *

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup () 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 tournament in the country. The tournament ...

runner-up:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

;Brann *

Norwegian First Division The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon () and OBOS-ligaen (due to sponsoring ties with :no:OBOS, OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Norwegian Football Cup The Norwegian Football Cup () 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 tournament in the country. The tournament ...

Mesterfinalen Mesterfinalen (), 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 Norwegian Football ...

runner-up:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

References

1988 births Living people People from Nordreisa Footballers from Troms Men's association football fullbacks Norwegian men's footballers Norway men's international footballers Tromsdalen UIL players Tromsø IL players Vålerenga Fotball players SK Brann players Norwegian First Division players Norwegian Second Division players Eliteserien players 21st-century Norwegian sportsmen {{Norway-footy-defender-stub