| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roger Albertsen | ||
| Date of birth | 15 March 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Odda, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 2 March 2003(2003-03-02) (aged 45) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Odda IL | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1975 | Odda IL | ||
| 1975–1979 | FC Den Haag | 117 | (16) |
| 1979–1980 | Feyenoord | 28 | (1) |
| 1980–1981 | FC Den Haag | 18 | (6) |
| 1981–1982 | KFC Winterslag | 39 | (3) |
| 1982–1985 | Olympiacos | 65 | (7) |
| 1985–1987 | Rosenborg | 35 | (5) |
| International career | |||
| 1976–1984 | Norway | 25 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1986-1987 Sistranda IL 1989–1992 | Orkanger IF | ||
| 1993–1996 | Sokna IL | ||
| 1997–2001 | Kongsberg IF | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roger Albertsen (15 March 1957 – 2 March 2003) was aNorwegianfootballmidfielder.
At the age of 17 he travelled abroad, playing professionally for Dutch teamFC Den Haag. He later played forFeyenoord Rotterdam,KFC Winterslag andOlympiakos, before he returned to Norway in 1985, making his debut in theNorwegian Premier League forRosenborg.
Albertsen began his career with local lower-division sidesTyssedal andOdda. He was regarded as a promising talent, and represented Norway several times at youth level. Nonetheless, it came as something of a shock when he left the country at age 17 to try his luck in theNetherlands, joining his compatriotHarald Berg's old club Den Haag. Albertsen made his debut for the club in 1975, and soon became a regular in the Den Haag lineup, earning praise for his tireless running and no–nonsense physical play. His performance in theEredivisie at Den Haag didn't go unnoticed back home and he made his debut for Norway in 1976.
In the summer of 1979, Albertsen was transferred to Feyenoord, where he became a valuable player in the side that finished fourth in the league and won thecup. However, at the end of the season, after just one year inRotterdam, he returned to Den Haag.
He played one more season for Den Haag, and then he was on the move again – this time to Belgian side Winterslag (now known asRacing Genk following a 1988 merger). Albertsen quickly became a fan favorite at the Belgian club, and his performances earned him a recall to the national team for the World Cup qualifier against England – the game that would provide Albertsen's finest moment in a Norway shirt.
Midway through the 1982/83 season, Albertsen was signed byGreek giantsOlympiacos, where he won aleague championship medal. He spent three years at the club, doing the dirty work in midfield, before his old friend Arne Dokken persuaded him to return home and play forRosenborg
So, in the summer of 1985, after a decade abroad, Albertsen played his first-evertop division game in the Norwegian league. He was a member of the Rosenborg side that won the title in dramatic fashion in 1985, and played two more years at theTrondheim club before retiring because of injury at the end of the1987 season.
He was capped 25 times[1] forNorway, having debuted in 1976. Many remember him from the famous match againstEngland in 1981, where he was awarded the 1–1 goal, despite that television replays have later shown that Albertsen did in fact not touch the ball, andTom Lund's cross went straight into the net.
He made his international debut in aWorld Cup qualifier againstSwitzerland in1976. He is credited with scoring the equaliser in Norway's win over England in1981. Bryan Robson gave the visitors the lead after 15 minutes. In the 35th minute, Albertsen went after a cross from Tom Lund and the ball went into the net. Albertsen was credited with the goal, but television replays seem to indicate that Albertsen did not make contact with the ball before it crossed the line.Hallvar Thoresen scored Norway's second goal four minutes before half-time and Norway went on to win the game 2–1.
Albertsen now got an extended run in the national side, and scored two more goals in a pair of summer friendlies. This time there was no doubt about Albertsen being the scorer. He was also a member of the team that defeatedYugoslavia 3–1 in aEuro 84 qualifier. Shortly after that match, he was on the move again.
Roger Albertsen was a hard-working and hard-tackling midfielder who never truly established himself as a first-choice in the Norway lineup, but he was a dependable player who did a fine job whenever he got the chance. He wasn't a finesse player, but his work-rate and determination made him a fan favorite at every club he played.
After retiring from the game, Albertsen worked in the computer business, and also held coaching jobs for lower-division sides Sistranda, Orkanger, Sokna and Kongsberg. In late 2002, he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died from the disease in March 2003.