 Pedersen (left) andThorbjørn Svenssen ahead of the1957 Norwegian Football Cup Final | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arne Knut Pedersen | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-11-01)1 November 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Fredrikstad, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 16 November 2013(2013-11-16) (aged 82) | ||
| Place of death | Fredrikstad, Norway | ||
| Position | Inside forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1945–1950 | Fredrikstad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1950–1966 | Fredrikstad | 231 | (107) |
| International career | |||
| 1957–1966 | Norway | 40 | (11) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1971–1973 | Fredrikstad | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Arne Knut Pedersen (1 November 1931 – 16 November 2013)[1] was a Norwegian footballer. He was a deep-lying inside forward, or offensive midfielder by today's terminology, who spent his entire playing career at his hometown clubFredrikstad FK, where he was a key player during the club's most successful period in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was also capped 40 times byNorway, and scored 11 international goals.
Pedersen was born and raised inFredrikstad, and joinedFredrikstad FK as a youth player in 1945. His older brotherLeif Pedersen (1924–1990) also played for the club at the time. Arne Pedersen made his debut for FFK's first team in 1950, and soon became a regular in the side. During his time with the club, Pedersen won sixNorwegian league titles and threeNorwegian Cup titles, including thedouble in 1957 and 1961 and that makes him the most successful player in the history of Fredrikstad FK.[2]
In 1960, Pedersen scored one of the goals when Fredrikstad defeatedAjax 4–3 in theEuropean Champions Cup, as well as the return leg in Amsterdam which ended in a goalless draw.[3] In total, Pedersen played 231 matches for Fredrikstad in the Norwegian league, scoring 107 goals, between 1950 and 1966.[4] His final match for the club was the1966 Cup Final where he scored the winning goal from the penalty spot as FFK defeatedLyn by a score of 3–2.[5] He played a total of 342 matches for Fredrikstad, which is a club record.[6]
Pedersen made his international debut in a1958 World Cup qualification match againstHungary in November 1957. He scored his first international goal the following year againstFinland, but it was not until 1962 that he became a regular in the national side. In June 1963, he scored one of the goals in Norway's surprising 4–3 win againstScotland, and he also played in Norway's shock 3–0 victory againstYugoslavia in a 1965World Cup qualifier.[1]
After his retirement as a player in 1966, Pedersen coached several clubs in theØstfold region, including Fredrikstad from 1971 to 1973. He also coached lower-league sidesTrosvik,Torp,Tistedalen andKvik Halden. He died in the early hours of 16 November 2013, at the age of 82.[5]
