.jpg) Pedersen lining up forNorway in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morten Gamst Pedersen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1981-09-08)8 September 1981 (age 44)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Vadsø, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Norild | ||
| 1998–1999 | Polarstjernen | ||
| 1999–2000 | Norild | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2004 | Tromsø | 121 | (51) |
| 2004–2013 | Blackburn Rovers | 288 | (35) |
| 2013–2014 | Karabükspor | 10 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Rosenborg | 37 | (5) |
| 2016–2019 | Tromsø | 96 | (4) |
| 2020–2022 | Alta | 41 | (19) |
| 2022 | Åsane | 18 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Ranheim | 22 | (4) |
| Total | 633 | (118) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Norway U21 | 18 | (10) |
| 2004–2014 | Norway | 83 | (17) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 December 2023 | |||
Morten Gamst Pedersen (born 8 September 1981) is a former Norwegian professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. During his spell forBlackburn Rovers in thePremier League he was known for his skill and long range goals.
Pedersen began his career withTromsø, then played for English side Blackburn Rovers between 2004 and 2013 making a total of 349 appearances. He then played for the Turkish sideKarabükspor. He signed withRosenborg in 2014, and won2015 Tippeligaen, and the2015 Norwegian Cup.In February 2016, he returned to Tromsø.
In a decade-long career from 2005, Pedersen wascapped 83 times and scored 17 goals forNorway.
Pedersen was born inVadsø Municipality inFinnmark.[3] He had his breakthrough in theNorwegian top division clubTromsø, scoring 7 goals in the 2004 season, before he signed with Blackburn with only half a season played by August.[4] The fee was£1.5 million,[5] which could rise to £2.5 million on the basis of future appearances.[6] Gamst was required to fill the gap left byDamien Duff, who had left in July 2003 to go toChelsea.
Pedersen was signed by Blackburn bossGraeme Souness in 2004, just in time for the 2004–05 season.[4] TheNorwegian international made hisPremier League debut in a 1–1 draw against local rivalsManchester United on 28 August 2004, a match Blackburn were leading until deep into injury time. He initially struggled to make an impact in the Premier League and had lengthy period of not being selected after Souness was replaced byMark Hughes as the Blackburn manager in September 2004.[4] However, he started the year of 2005 by scoring againstCardiff City on his return to the side and going on to score three goals in his next three matches. In his first season in English football he featured in 27 matches and scored 8 goals in all competitions.
2005–06 saw Pedersen make the left-midfield position his own and he scored goals, such as a volley againstFulham in August 2005[4] which won BBC Match of the Day'sGoal of the Month. The highlight of his Blackburn career came in September 2005, when he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory againstManchester United atOld Trafford.[7]
During the 2006–07 season, Pedersen seemingly struggled for form during the early half of the league season, but returned to form in the second half of the campaign. With new management underPaul Ince in 2008, Pedersen found himself in and out of the team, but when Ince was dismissed in December 2008 andSam Allardyce was appointed Pedersen regained a regular starting position. He was frequently used a centralattacking midfielder under Allardyce. On 17 April 2010, Pedersen, was poked in the cheek and then the eye from Everton midfielderMikel Arteta, who acted angrily after Pedersen had tackled him in a challenge. They both were booked for stopping play.[8]
After a year of transfer negotiations, Blackburn announced that Pedersen had signed a new four-year deal atEwood Park on 19 May 2010, which would see him stay contracted until the summer of 2014.[5] He went on to make more than 30 appearances for them, and scored three goals in the 2009–10 Premier League campaign, in which Blackburn finished 10th, achieving 50 points and winning 10 league games at home and three away. Blackburn chairman, John Williams, who completed the formalities of the deal, added: "Sam made this, together with finding a striker, being our summer priority. He regards Morten as a key member of the Rovers squad and his future at Ewood Park is now secure." On 6 November 2010, he scored a 40-yardfree-kick againstWigan Athletic, in a 2–1 victory at Ewood Park, playing the full 90 minutes. Four days later, he netted againstNewcastle United atSt James' Park, scoring in the third minute with his right foot following anassist from Brett Emerton and he also took a punch to the stomach byJoey Barton.[9] This was also his 40th goal for the club in all competitions. On 21 November, in the game againstAston Villa, he scored twice at Ewood Park. First, from a free kick on the stroke of half time and the second came from a deflection offRyan Nelsen's shot in the 66th minute. Rovers went on to win the game 2–0. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he had made 39 appearances and scored four league goals for Rovers in all competitions.
On 13 August 2011, Pedersen started againstWolverhampton Wanderers at Ewood Park in a 2–1 defeat in their opening2011–12 Premier League fixture. On 20 August 2011, he started againstAston Villa in a 3–1 defeat atVilla Park and scored in the 52nd minute. On 24 August 2011, Pedersen captained Blackburn in their 3–1 win overSheffield Wednesday at Ewood Park in the second round of theLeague Cup. Three days later, in a league game withEverton at Ewood Park, he suffered a thigh injury in a 1–0 loss.
Gamst Pedersen was told in August 2013 by Blackburn Rovers that he was allowed to find himself a new club.[10]Berlingske Tidende reported that Gamst Pedersen was in talks withFC Copenhagen,[11] but after the NorwegianStåle Solbakken was hired as manager of the Danish side, he stated that he did not want to sign Gamst Pedersen.[12] On 30 August 2013, he joined the Turkish sideKarabükspor on a free transfer, after he had made 288 league appearances for the Ewood Park outfit.[13]
After leaving Turkish football, Gamst Pedersen returned to his native Norway to continue his football career. He signed for Rosenborg and made 28 league appearances scoring 3 goals over 2 seasons. At the end of his Rosenborg contract he remained in the top division of Norwegian football returning to his first senior club, Tromsø. Whilst representing Tromsø, Gamst Pedersen made 88 league appearances scoring 3 goals.
Gamst Pedersen scored two goals in his debut forNorway againstNorthern Ireland on 18 February 2004.[14]
On 2 September 2006, in aEuro 2008 qualifier againstHungary, Pedersen, whose favourite player as a kid wasMarco van Basten, scored a goal which was very similar to van Basten's famous goal in the final of the1988 European Football Championship. Major newspapersAftenposten,Dagbladet andVG all dubbed himvan Gamsten as a result of the goal.[15][16] After the match against Hungary, he received the covetedGolden Watch award given to him by theFootball Association of Norway on the occasion of his 25th appearance for his country.[17]
On 12 August 2009, he scored two goals for Norway in a world cup qualifier against Scotland, scoring in stoppage time in both the first and second half. On 17 November 2010, Pedersen scored in the 34th minute to equalise, playing the full 90 minutes againstRepublic of Ireland, at theAviva Stadium, scoring with a superb curlingfree-kick into the top corner in a 2–1 win. On 4 June 2011, Pedersen started theEuro 2012 qualifier againstPortugal in Lisbon, where he played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 defeat. On 7 June 2011, he completed the full 90 minutes and was Norway's matchwinner when he scored in the 83rd minute from a rebound after he missed a penalty againstLithuania in a friendly game held in Oslo.
He played his last match so far for Norway againstGreece on 15 August 2012 in a 2–3 loss, and he has been capped 74 times scoring 14 goals.[14] Gamst Pedersen was left off of the squad for the2014 World Cup qualifying matches againstIceland andSlovenia in September 2012,[18] and was not called up for the national team for over a year when on 11 November 2013 he was included inPer-Mathias Høgmo squad for the friendly matches againstDenmark andScotland afterDaniel Braaten called absent due to an injury.[19]
Morten Gamst Pedersen is the son of Ernst Pedersen, a former footballer who played in the Norwegian Premier League forBodø/Glimt andVålerenga in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Pedersen is of partialSami origin. In a 2007 interview with Sami newspaperSágat, Pedersen said he has Sami blood from both parents, though mostly from his mother's side. However, he admits his knowledge of theSami language is very limited.[20]
Pedersen fronted Norwegian boybandThe Players, alongside fellow footballersFreddy dos Santos,Raymond Kvisvik,Kristofer Hæstad andØyvind Svenning. Released in aid of the Soccer Against Crime campaign, their first single became a hit across Scandinavia.[21]
| Season | Club | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tromsø | 2000 | Tippeligaen | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2001 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 5 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 5 | |||
| 2002 | 1. divisjon | 23 | 18 | 5 | 3 | – | – | 28 | 21 | |||
| 2003 | Tippeligaen | 26 | 7 | 5 | 5 | – | – | 31 | 12 | |||
| 2004 | Tippeligaen | 18 | 7 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 21 | 10 | |||
| Total | 103 | 40 | 18 | 11 | — | — | 121 | 51 | ||||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2004–05 | Premier League | 19 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | – | 27 | 8 | |
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 34 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | – | 42 | 10 | ||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 36 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 49 | 8 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 46 | 6 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | – | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 39 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 33 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 37 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Championship | 28 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 33 | 1 | ||
| Total | 288 | 35 | 25 | 5 | 23 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 349 | 47 | ||
| Karabükspor | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | ||
| Rosenborg | 2014 | Tippeligaen | 24 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | 32 | 5 | |
| 2015 | Tippeligaen | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 28 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | 37 | 5 | |||
| Tromsø | 2016 | Tippeligaen | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | Eliteserien | 24 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2018 | Eliteserien | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 | |||
| 2019 | Eliteserien | 29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 1 | |||
| Total | 88 | 3 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 96 | 4 | ||||
| Alta | 2020 | 2. divisjon | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | 2. divisjon | 25 | 12 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 12 | |||
| Total | 38 | 19 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 19 | ||||
| Åsane | 2022 | 1. divisjon | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | ||
| Ranheim | 2023 | 1. divisjon | 19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 22 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 591 | 102 | 65 | 20 | 23 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 697 | 130 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 2004 | 10 | 4 |
| 2005 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2007 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 83 | 17 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 February 2004 | Windsor Park,Belfast, Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 13 October 2004 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Slovenia | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 4 | 16 November 2004 | Craven Cottage, London, England |  Australia | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3 September 2005 | Arena Petrol,Celje, Slovenia | Slovenia | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 6 | 16 August 2006 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Brazil | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 2 September 2006 | Ferenc Szusza Stadium,Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 3–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 8 | 21 October 2007 | Ta' Qali Stadium,Attard, Malta |  Malta | 4–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier |
| 9 | 28 March 2009 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium,Rustenburg, South Africa |  South Africa | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 10 | 1 April 2009 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Finland | 3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 11 | 12 August 2009 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Scotland | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 12 | 4–0 | |||||
| 13 | 29 May 2010 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Montenegro | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 17 November 2010 | Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 15 | 7 June 2011 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Lithuania | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 11 October 2011 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Cyprus | 1–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier |
| 17 | 5 March 2014 | Eden Arena,Prague |  Czech Republic | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Tromsø
Rosenborg
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |