Erik Mykland

Erik Mykland
Personal information
Date of birth21 July 1971
Place of birthRisør, Norway
Height1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Youth career
Risør FK
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1989Bryne17(1)
1989–1996Start159(11)
1995→ Utrecht (loan)9(0)
1996–1997FC Linz28(0)
1997–2000Panathinaikos71(3)
2000–20011860 Munich26(0)
2002–2004Copenhagen51(1)
2008–2009Start9(0)
2009Drammen1(0)
Total371(16)
National team
1990–1991Norway U2115(0)
1990–2000Norway78(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Erik Mykland (born 21 July 1971) is a Norwegian retired footballer who played as a midfielder. He was nicknamed Myggen (the mosquito) during his career, as he used to flap his arms and hands like one when celebrating his goals.

A rarity in modern Norway footballers (standing at a mere 172 centimeters and a technical player), he played professionally in six different countries, mainly representing IK Start, and amassed 78 caps and two goals for the Norwegian national team, having appeared in two World Cups, in 1994 and 1998, as well as Euro 2000.[1]

Mykland was one of the most popular footballers in Norway, well-liked but never without controversy,[2][3] his bohemian, unshaved look and relaxed lifestyle in contrast to those of the typical footballers.

Club career

IK Start

Born in Risør, Mykland started his career with modest Bryne FK, being "brought home" to IK Start in 1989, for NOK 60.000. He first appeared for the club against Moss FK in Melløs Stadion later that year, as Start finished the top division in ninth place.

In 1990, Mykland was named midfielder of the year in Norway, and also made his international debut. Start finished the 1991 season third, with impressive wins over Viking FK (4–1) and Rosenborg BK (5–0). After the latter, Mykland and seven other teammates were included in the team of the week. Also this year, he was named best player of an under-21 match, as Norway trounced Italy 6–0, in Stavanger; he represented the nation in this category a total of 15 times.[4]

Move abroad

After being named the nation's player of the year in 1992, and being relegated with Start four years later, Mykland left for Austria's FC Linz (he had already served a small loan stint at FC Utrecht). Also during that year, movie producer Thomas Robsahm made a film, simply called "Myggen", which consisted in following Mykland for a whole season.[5][6]

In 1997, Mykland moved to Panathinaikos FC but, during his spell at the club, it failed to achieve any silverware. After a season with German Bundesliga outfit TSV 1860 München (he also started 2001–02, but was released following a serious run-in with then club coach Peter Pacult),[7] he joined F.C. Copenhagen in January 2002,[8] playing very little due to injuries, while also gaining a dubious reputation off the pitch: newspaper Ekstra Bladet found him three days before a match drunk on a pavement outside nightclub Rust, asking people walking by to arm wrestle him.[9] Håvard Rem wrote a book about the player in 2000, entitled Erik Mykland : oppvekst, livsstil, EM 2000, spillestil.

In June 2004 Mykland retired at 33, after nearly a year out with injuries.[10] On 8 September 2006, he and several other former Norwegian internationals played an exhibition game against former Argentina stars, including Diego Maradona, Claudio Caniggia and Matías Almeyda. Argentina won 10–8.

In June 2007 Mykland helped build a football school in his hometown of Risør, alongside former Start player Bernt Christian Birkeland.

Comeback

On 9 July 2008 Mykland announced his return to football, aged 36, rejoining former club IK Start, in the second level.[11][12] On 2 September, he was charged with possession and use of cocaine and having a "peripheral role" in a large drug dealing network in Norway's Romerike county."[13] In June 2009 he stated that he would withdraw from his active career, after just nine games for Start.[14] However, shortly after, he changed his mind, moving to lowly Drammen FK (third level)[15] but retiring for good shortly after, at the age of 38.

International career

Mykland made his debut for Norway on 7 November 1990, during a 3–1 away win against Tunisia. He scored the first of his two international goals on 8 September 1992, during a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against San Marino, which finished 10–0.

During the 1998 World Cup, in-between games, Mykland and fellow international Henning Berg were caught in a bar drinking. They claimed they had only had a few beers, but Berg later admitted in his biography that they actually were drunk.[2]

In UEFA Euro 2000, Mateja Kežman of Yugoslavia was sent off after just one minute, after a dangerous tackle on Mykland.[16] In all three competitions combined, he appeared in a total of 10 matches, nine as a starter – on 23 June 1998, in Norway's historical 2–1 win against Brazil in Marseille, he started on the bench, replacing Roar Strand at half-time.

While Mykland failed to score more than twice for the national team, a goal he created by playing through Øyvind Leonhardsen in an Euro 2000 qualification match against Slovenia was rated among Norway's best goals ever – much due to Mykland's ability to trick several defenders prior to the pass.[17]

Honours

Copenhagen

References

  1. ↑ "Euro 2000 profile". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Football: Norway stars in 5am bar shame". The Free Library. 15 June 1998. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "Football: McLeish can land Mykland". Encyclopedia.com. 6 January 2002.
  4. ↑ "Erik Mykland, 21.7.1971" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Pedersen, Ole Petter (18 May 2009). "Erik Mykland" (in Norwegian). Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "Erik Mykland". IMDB. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Mykland in the cold at 1860". UEFA.com. 14 January 2002. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "København sign Mykland and Albrechtsen". UEFA.com. 14 January 2002. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "Legendariske fodboldbranderter" [Legendary footballer behaviour] (in Danish). Ekstra Bladet. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  10. ↑ "Mykland's future threatened by injury". UEFA.com.
  11. ↑ Solholm, Rolleiv (10 July 2008). "Football: Supercomeback by Mykland". The Norway Post. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  12. ↑ Sellevold, Terje (9 July 2008). ""Myggen" til Start" ["Myggen" to Start] (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  13. ↑ Berglund, Nina (2 September 2008). "Soccer start faces drugs rap". Aftenposten. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  14. ↑ "Myggen legger opp for godt" [Myggen retires for good] (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Erik "Myggen" Mykland klar for DFK" [Erik "Myggen" Mykland signs for DFK] (in Norwegian). DT. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  16. ↑ "The best and worst so far". BBC Sport. 22 June 2000. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "Norges fineste landslagsmål" [Norway's best international goals] (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2012.

External links