- Heinrich Griessel
- 6 March 2024
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's impact at Man Utd won't be instant
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warns that the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe won't change Manchester United's fortunes overnight.
After starting his career at Clausenengen and then Molde, Solskjaer went on to play eleven seasons at Manchester United, where he won six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Most notably, Solskjaer scored Manchester United's last-minute winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.
As a manager, he previously took charge of Molde and Cardiff City, before spending three seasons in charge at Old Trafford. In November 2021, Manchester United announced they had parted ways with the Norwegian, who is now searching for another job.
Solskjaer played 67 times for the Norwegian national team and scored 23 goals. He was part of Norway's World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000 squads.
Manchester United adventure
Solskjaer's lengthy affiliation with Manchester United began when he joined them from Molde ahead of the 1996/97 season.
Despite the presence of Eric Cantona and Andy Cole in the Manchester United side, Solskjaer scored 18 goals in 33 Premier League appearances in his first season as the club clinched the title.
Solskjaer would remain an important member of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad until the end of the 2006/07 season. Much of his time at United was spent scoring important goals off the bench, marking him out as a "super sub".
In the 1998/99 Champions League final on May 26 1999 at Camp Nou, Solskjaer came on in the 81st minute for Andy Cole with United trailing Bayern Munich 1-0. After Teddy Sheringham levelled the score in stoppage time, Solskjaer met a Sheringham's flick-on from a David Beckham corner to score the winner. The goal secured United's second European champions trophy.
The '98/99 season also saw United win the Premier League title and the FA Cup, to claim the elusive treble.
Solskjaer also won Premier League titles with United in 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, and 2006/07, to add to the earlier '96/97 and '98/99 triumphs.
In '03/04, Solskjaer won his second FA Cup as a United player. He also won the 1999 Intercontinental Cup with them as they beat Palmeiras, the winners of the 1999 Copa Libertadores.
Solskjaer scored a total of 127 goals in 365 appearances for Manchester United. The 2001/02 season was his most prolific as he netted 25 times in 47 appearances in all competitions. However, he never bettered his Premier League tally of 18 in the 1996/97 campaign.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer loved scoring goals 😍 pic.twitter.com/kqxwd94SVX
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 31, 2020
Solskjaer became reserve team manager at Manchester United in 2008, leaving in January 2011 to take up the first team managerial job at Molde. During his spell in charge of the United reserves, Solskjaer picked up the Lancashire Senior Cup in 2007/08, Manchester Senior Cup in 2008/09 and Premier Reserve League in 2009/10.
After two three-year stints at Molde, with a brief unsuccessful spell at Cardiff City sandwiched in between, Solskjaer became Manchester United caretaker manager in December 2018, replacing Jose Mourinho.
Solskjaer was scheduled to return to Molde at the end of the season, but after an impressive start in the Old Trafford hotseat, he secured the managerial position on a permanent basis. However, United's form took a turn for the worse in the latter stages of the 2018/19 season and they missed out on Champions League qualification after finishing 6th.
In 2019/20, Solskjaer guided the Red Devils to third place in the Premier League and a place in the next season's Champions League.
Solskjaer's first 100 games as Manchester United manager saw him pick up 55 wins, 21 draws and 24 defeats.
The 2020/21 season saw Solskjaer inspire his side to a second-placed finish in the Premier League, while they fell just short in the Europa League, losing on penalties to Villarreal in the final.
Looking as though a long-term project was in place, Solskjaer bolstered his squad in the summer of 2021 by bringing in Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, his star-studded side struggled to perform in the Premier League, and consecutive losses to Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford in November meant he was sacked by the club.
His successor is yet to be named, while Solskjaer is now left searching for a new job of his own.
Welsh woes
Solskjaer became Cardiff City manager after a successful first spell at Molde, which saw his side win the Tippeligaen in 2011 and 2012 and the Norwegian Football Cup in 2013.
Arriving midway through the 2013/14 season, Solskjaer replaced Malky Mackay, who was popular with Cardiff supporters but had fallen out with owner Vincent Tan.
However, Solskjaer was unable to save Cardiff from relegation to the Championship at the end of the season. After a poor start to the 2014/15 campaign, Solskjaer left the Welsh club. A year later, he returned to Molde, where he spent the next three years before Manchester United came calling.
During his time at Cardiff, Solskjaer won nine, drew five and lost 16 of the 30 games he was in charge of.
Personal life
Solskjaer is married to Silje, a former Norwegian soccer player herself. The pair have three children, Noah, Karna and Elijah.
Famously, Solskjaer once revealed that Noah's favourite footballer was United teammate Wayne Rooney rather than himself.
In 2008, Solskjaer earned the First Class Knighthood of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav by King Harald V of Norway.
At the age of 35, Solskjaer became the youngest ever recipient of the knighthood. This honour is usually bestowed upon Norwegians later in their lives.
Net worth
In 2010, the Sunday Times' Sport Rich List estimated Solskjaer had a net worth of approximately £10million, making him one of British football's richest coaches. At the time, he was presiding over Manchester United's reserves.
During his spell as Manchester United manager Solskjaer was believed to be earning around £7.5million per year.
