Ole Thorbjørn Svenssen (22 April 1924 – 8 January 2011) was 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 played a then record 104 international games 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 ...

, and captained the side 93 times. He was one of the first footballers who played 100 international games for their country. He was also part of Norway's squad at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

Club career

Svenssen was a tall and strong central defender who played his entire career for his hometown team

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

. At club level, Svenssen played 22 seasons for Sandefjord, but never won any major trophies (Sandefjord finished second in the league in 1955–56). However, he did play twice in the

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 ...

final (

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

and

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

), finishing on the losing side both times. His steady and solid play at the back earned him the nickname "Klippen" ("The Rock").

International career

Svenssen made his debut for the Norway national team on 11 June 1947, in a friendly against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. He remained virtually ever-present in the national side throughout the next decade and a half. He was named captain in his 12th international (a friendly against

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

on Christmas Eve 1948), and kept the captain's armband throughout the rest of his international career. Svenssen won his 100th cap against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

on 17 September 1961. At the time, Svenssen was only the second player in the history of football to reach 100 international appearances. The first was Billy Wright, who reached the milestone in October 1958. Svenssen's 104th and final cap came in a 2-1 win against the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

on 16 May 1962. When he received his 104th cap, Svenssen was 38 years and 24 days, and is today the fourth oldest player to have played for the Norway national team, only beaten by

Frode Johnsen Frode Johnsen (born 17 March 1974) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played for Odd and Rosenborg in the Tippeligaen and for Nagoya Grampus and Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. He played in several positions, but was preferred as a ...

, Gunnar Thoresen and

Ronny Johnsen Jean Ronny Johnsen (born 10 June 1969) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. He played club football in Norway, Turkey, and England for Sem, Stokke, Eik-Tønsberg, Lyn, Lillestrøm, Beşiktaş, ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Svenssen, Thorbjorn 1924 births 2011 deaths Footballers from Sandefjord Norwegian men's footballers Men's association football defenders Norway men's international footballers Sandefjord BK players FIFA Men's Century Club Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Norway 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen

Club career

International career

See also

References