The former famous head coach and current national coach in Norway, Ståle Solbakken, now says that his wife was badly disappointed with a blue Suzuki.
He could practically walk on water when he was head coach of FC Kobenhavn between 2006 and 2011 and again between 2013 and 2020.
But on the home front, Ståle Solbakken hasn't always been as popular, he says in a new interview with Norwegian publication Motor .
In fact, his wife was quite disappointed when the then-active football player came home with a bright blue Suzuki Baleno.
– But that's what I could afford. And then in 1997 – with left-hand traffic in England – I thought that was a car I could afford to damage.
But we actually have to go so far back in time that Ståle Solbakken can't remember the last time he owned a car. Most of the cars he has owned have been on lease contracts.
Mrs. Solbakken was certainly not impressed.
– It's been a long time since I owned my own car. I actually can't remember when it happened, the current Norwegian national coach tells the media.
And there is actually something different about Mrs. Solbakken. Her name is Anniken Solbakken . She is a little worried that her husband doesn't take better care of their cars than he does.
Ståle Solbakken also insists that he doesn't wash the car himself. He pays for that kind of thing. But it may well happen that he 'sometimes cleans the inside of the car a little'.
Ståle Solbakken is one of Scandinavia's most high-profile football coaches. He was born on February 27, 1968 in Norway and had a successful playing career as a midfielder for clubs such as Lillestrom, Aalborg BK and FC Kobenhavn.
The Norwegian's active career ended abruptly in 2001 when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a training session with FCK. After recovering, he decided to shift his focus to coaching.
As a coach, Solbakken is particularly known for his many years at the helm of FC Kobenhavn, which he led from 2006 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2020.
Under Solbakken's leadership, the club won several Danish championships and repeatedly qualified for the Champions League group stage, where they defeated big teams such as Manchester United and Juventus.
He has also had shorter stints as a coach at FC Köln and Wolverhampton, but each time with less success than at FCK.
In December 2020, Ståle Solbakken was hired as the head coach of the Norwegian men's national team. His task has been to lead Norway back to a finals, which the country has not participated in since Euro 2000.
With players like Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard on the team, Solbakken has worked to strengthen Norway's position in international football. But he has yet to secure the team a major finals berth.
