Ole Selnæs

Ole Selnæs
Personal information
Full nameOle Kristian Selnæs
Date of birth7 July 1994
Place of birthTrondheim, Norway
Height1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionDefensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
Rosenborg
Number20
Youth career
Skjetten
–2009Sverresborg
2009–2012Rosenborg
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2012–Rosenborg67(2)
National team‡
2010Norway U1610(2)
2011Norway U1712(0)
2011–2012Norway U187(0)
2012–2013Norway U1911(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 May 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 August 2013

Ole Kristian Selnæs (born 7 July 1994) is a Norwegian footballer who plays for Rosenborg as a defensive midfielder in the Norwegian Premier League. He is the son of former Rosenborg goalkeeper Ivar Selnæs.[1]

Club career

Early career

He was born in Trondheim,[2] but lived in Lillestrøm when his father Ivar Selnæs was head coach of Skjetten SK[3] and he was playing in the youth department of the same club. His family later moved back to Trondheim, with Selnæs joined Sverresborg IF.

Rosenborg

When Selnæs joined Rosenborg in 2009, he was earmarked for his accurate left foot and good knowledge of the game, which allowed him to develop as a defensive midfielder.[2]

In 2011, he was heavily involved in the Rosenborg under-19 side that won the national championship[4] and gained third place in their NextGen Series group.[5] Despite still being barely known from outside the club,[6] he was being recognised internally with an integral part of the first team's 2012 pre-season.[7] His impressive pre-season was rewarded when, on 25 March, he signed a professional contract.[8]

He started the season as back-up to the midfield pair of Mohammed-Awal Issah and Markus Henriksen,[9] but soon became first choice beside Henriksen.[10] His professional debut came against Lillestrøm on 1 April 2012, when he came on as a late substitute for Issah.[11] The next week, he made his first start at home to Sogndal.[12]

After four league-matches he was named the biggest talent in Scandinavia by the web-site scan-scout.com,[13][14] which didn't surprise Rosenborg's head coach Jan Jönsson: "He has developed very fast, but I'm not surprised."[15]

Selnæs was a regular in Rosenborg's midfield during the first half of the 2012-season, but lost his place in the starting line-up due to an injury. After his recovery, Rosenborg had bought Tarik Elyounoussi, Cristian Gamboa and Jaime Alas and Selnæs chances were limited. But he stated in an interview with NRK in September 2012 that "I am only 19 years old and have plenty of time, and will work hard to get more chances for the first-team".[16]

International career

Selnæs has represented his country from under-16 to under-19 level.[17]

Personal life

Selnæs is a huge fan of Hotel Cæsar, and in an interview with Adresseavisen in March 2012 he stated that he would love to play a role in the Norwegian soap opera.[18] Two months later he was offered a small speaking role in the TV series.[19]

Career statistics

As of 1 May 2015[10]
Season Club Division League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
2012 Rosenborg Tippeligaen 2214080341
2013 1907230292
2014 2112060291
2015 50000050
Career Total 672132170974

References

  1. ↑ – Drømmen er A-kontrakt fvn.no (Norwegian)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ole Selnæs profilen rbk.no (Norwegian)
  3. ↑ Selnæs mister to kamper rbkweb.no (Norwegian)
  4. ↑ Stegavik avgjorde for Rosenborg fotball.no (Norwegian)
  5. ↑ About Rosenborg nextgenseries.com
  6. ↑ – Jeg er ikke redd for noe aftenposten.no (Norwegian)
  7. ↑ Selnæs fikk stipend rbk.no (Norwegian)
  8. ↑ A-lagskontrakt for Selnæs rbk.no (Norwegian)
  9. ↑ Selnæs blir forfremmet rbkweb.no (Norwegian)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Altomfotball profilen altomfotball.no (Norwegian)
  11. ↑ 17-åring hjemmedebuterer for Rosenborg tv2.no (Norwegian)
  12. ↑ Bør Selnæs starte mot FFK? aftenposten.no (Norwegian)
  13. ↑ Sagbakken, Ole Kristian (24 April 2012). "Nå rankes han som Nordens største talent". adressa.no (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Johansen, Øyvind Chr. (24 April 2012). "Top 3 – Youth recommendations in Scandinavia". scan-scout.com. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Sagbakken, Ole Kristian (25 April 2012). "Jönsson: – Jeg er ikke overrasket". adressa.no (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  16. ↑ Wolden, Odd Rune; Øfsti, Anders (14 September 2012). "Han var hetest på Rosenborg i vår – ute i kulden i høst" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "Ole Kristian Selnæs' profil". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  18. ↑ Bråten, Roy Tommy (20 March 2012). "Tar gjerne en rolle i Hotel Cæsar". adressa.no (in Norwegian). Adresseavisen. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  19. ↑ Wolden, Odd Rune (19 May 2012). "RBK-Selnæs til Hotel Cæsar". tv2.no (in Norwegian). TV 2 (Norway). Retrieved 27 May 2012.