Morten Gamst Pedersen

Morten Gamst Pedersen (born 8 September 1981) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ranheim.

Not to be confused with Morten Pedersen (Norwegian footballer, born 1972).

Morten Gamst Pedersen
Pedersen lining up for Norway in 2012
Personal information
Full name Morten Gamst Pedersen[1]
Date of birth (1981-09-08) 8 September 1981[2]
Place of birth Vadsø, Norway
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ranheim
Number 21
Youth career
1997–1998 Norild
1998–1999 Polarstjernen
1999–2000 Norild
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2004 Tromsø 103 (40)
2004–2013 Blackburn Rovers 288 (35)
2013–2014 Karabükspor 10 (0)
2014–2016 Rosenborg 28 (3)
2016–2019 Tromsø 88 (3)
2020–2022 Alta 38 (19)
2022 Åsane 16 (0)
2023– Ranheim 15 (2)
International career
2001–2004 Norway U21 18 (10)
2004–2014 Norway 83 (17)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 September 2023

Pedersen began his career with Tromsø, then played for English side Blackburn Rovers between 2004 and 2013 making a total of 349 appearances. He then played for the Turkish side Karabükspor. Gamst Pedersen signed with Rosenborg in 2014. With Rosenborg he won the 2015 Tippeligaen, and the 2015 Norwegian Cup. In February 2016, Gamst Pedersen re-signed for Tromsø on a 1-year contract.

Since he made his debut in 2004, Pedersen has been capped more than 80 times, and scored 17 goals, for Norway. He was an international regular until August 2012, when he was left off of the national team.

Club career

Tromsø IL

Pedersen was born in Vadsø, Finnmark.[3] He had his breakthrough in the Norwegian top division club Tromsø, 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 by Damien Duff, who had left in July 2003 to go to Chelsea.

Blackburn Rovers
Pedersen playing for Blackburn Rovers in 2009

Pedersen was signed by former Blackburn boss Graeme Souness back in 2004, just in time for the 2004–05 season.[4] The Norwegian international made his Premier League debut in a 1–1 draw against local rivals Manchester 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 by Mark Hughes as the Blackburn manager in September 2004.[4] However, he started the year of 2005 in style, scoring against Cardiff City on his return to 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 has become well known for scoring many spectacular goals, such as a volley against Fulham in August 2005[4] which won BBC Match of the Day's Goal of the Month. The highlight of his Blackburn career came in September 2005, when he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory against Manchester United at Old 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 under Paul Ince in 2008, Pedersen found himself in and out of the team, but when Ince was dismissed in December 2008 and Sam Allardyce was appointed Pedersen regained a regular starting position. He has been frequently used a central attacking midfielder under Allardyce, initially with great success. On 17 April 2010, Pedersen, was poked in the cheek and then the eye from Everton midfielder Mikel 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 at Ewood 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-yard free-kick against Wigan Athletic, in a 2–1 victory at Ewood Park, playing the full 90 minutes. And then four days later, on 10 November, he netted against Newcastle United at St James' Park, scoring in the third minute with his right foot following an assist from teammate Brett Emerton and he also took a punch to the stomach by Joey Barton.[9] This was also coincidentally his 40th goal for the club in all competitions. On 21 November, in the game against Aston 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 off Ryan 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 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Ewood Park in a 2–1 defeat in their opening 2011–12 Premier League fixture. On 20 August 2011, he started against Aston Villa in a 3–1 defeat at Villa Park and scored Rovers' only goal in the 52nd minute. On 24 August 2011, Pedersen captained Blackburn in their 3–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Ewood Park in the second round of the League Cup. Three days later, in a league game with Everton at Ewood Park, he suffered a thigh injury in a 1–0 loss.

Karabükspor
Pedersen playing for Karabükspor in 2013

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 with FC Copenhagen,[11] but after the Norwegian Ståle 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 side Karabükspor on a free transfer, after he had made 288 league appearances for the Ewood Park outfit.[13]

Return to Norway

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.

Carrying on his footballing career into his 40s, Gamst Pedersen moved to Alta in the 2nd division (2. Divisjon) of Norwegian football where he is currently still playing and wears the number 12 shirt.

International career

Gamst Pedersen scored two goals in his debut for Norway against Northern Ireland on 18 February 2004.[14]

On 2 September 2006, in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Hungary, Pedersen, whose favourite player as a kid was Marco van Basten, scored a goal which was very similar to van Basten's famous goal in the final of the 1988 European Football Championship. Major newspapers Aftenposten, Dagbladet and VG all dubbed him van Gamsten as a result of the goal.[15][16] After the match against Hungary, he received the coveted Golden Watch award given to him by the Football 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 against Republic of Ireland, at the Aviva Stadium, scoring with a superb curling free-kick into the top corner in a 2–1 win. On 4 June 2011, Pedersen started the Euro 2012 qualifier against Portugal 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 against Lithuania in a friendly game held in Oslo.

He played his last match so far for Norway against Greece 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 the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches against Iceland and Slovenia 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 in Per-Mathias Høgmo squad for the friendly matches against Denmark and Scotland after Daniel Braaten called absent due to an injury.[19]

Personal life

Morten Gamst Pedersen is the son of Ernst Pedersen, a former footballer who played in the Norwegian Premier League for Bodø/Glimt and Vålerenga in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His father trained Morten to use his left foot rather than his natural right foot in a bid to help him become a professional player, as there is less competition for left-sided roles within the sport. As a result, his left foot has become his dominant foot.

Pedersen is of partial Sami origin. In a 2007 interview with Sami newspaper Ságat, Pedersen said he has Sami blood from both parents, though mostly from his mother's side. However, he admits his knowledge of the Sami language is very limited.[20]

Pedersen fronted Norwegian boyband The Players, alongside fellow footballers Freddy dos Santos, Raymond Kvisvik, Kristofer Hæstad and Øyvind Svenning. Released in aid of the Soccer Against Crime campaign, their first single became a hit across Scandinavia.[21]

Pedersen is a distant relative of Norwegian musician Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.

Pedersen used nicotine patches for the last 5 years of his career.

Career statistics

Club
As of 15 October 2023[22][23][24][25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Season Club League Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Tromsø 2000 Tippeligaen 10310––113
2001 Tippeligaen 26540––305
2002 1. divisjon 231853––2821
2003 Tippeligaen 26755––3112
2004 Tippeligaen 18733––2110
Total 103401811——12151
Blackburn Rovers 2004–05 Premier League 1947311–278
2005–06 Premier League 3492061–4210
2006–07 Premier League 366521070498
2007–08 Premier League 374102161466
2008–09 Premier League 3311030–371
2009–10 Premier League 3331052–395
2010–11 Premier League 3542020–394
2011–12 Premier League 3331031–374
2012–13 Championship 2815000–331
Total 2883525523613134947
Karabükspor 2013–14 Süper Lig 10030––130
Rosenborg 2014 Tippeligaen 24321–61325
2015 Tippeligaen 4010–0050
Total 28331—61375
Tromsø 2016 Tippeligaen 8010––90
2017 Eliteserien 24121––262
2018 Eliteserien 27120––291
2019 Eliteserien 29130––321
Total 88381——964
Alta 2020 2. divisjon 13700––137
2021 2. divisjon 251230––2812
Total 381930——4119
Åsane 2022 OBOS-ligaen 16020––180
Total 16020——180
Ranheim 2023 OBOS-ligaen 15232––184
Total 15232——184
Career total 5871026520236192693130

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[26]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Norway 2004104
2005111
200662
2007101
200880
2009104
201092
201172
201230
201320
201471
Total8317
Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gamst Pedersen goal[26]
List of international goals scored by Morten Gamst Pedersen
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
118 February 2004Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland1–04–1Friendly
22–0
313 October 2004Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Slovenia2–03–02006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
416 November 2004Craven Cottage, London, England Australia2–22–2Friendly
53 September 2005Arena Petrol, Celje, Slovenia Slovenia3–23–22006 FIFA World Cup qualifier
616 August 2006Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Brazil1–01–1Friendly
72 September 2006Ferenc Szusza Stadium, Budapest, Hungary Hungary3–04–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
821 October 2007Ta' Qali Stadium, Attard, Malta Malta4–14–1UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier
928 March 2009Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa South Africa1–11–2Friendly
101 April 2009Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Finland3–23–2Friendly
1112 August 2009Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Scotland2–04–02010 FIFA World Cup qualifier
124–0
1329 May 2010Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Montenegro2–12–1Friendly
1417 November 2010Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland Republic of Ireland1–12–1Friendly
157 June 2011Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Lithuania1–01–0Friendly
1611 October 2011Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Cyprus1–03–1UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier
175 March 2014Eden Arena, Prague Czech Republic2–22–2Friendly

Honours

Tromsø

Rosenborg

Individual

References
  1. "Morten Gamst Pedersen: Klubbstatistikk" [Morten Gamst Pedersen: Club statistics] (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  2. "Morten Gamst Pedersen: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  3. "Morten Pedersen". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. "Pedersen warms up Norway". UEFA, 11 November 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. "Morten Gamst Pedersen signs new deal with Blackburn". BBC Sport. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  6. "Gamst solgt for 31 mill." (in Norwegian). NRK. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  7. "Pedersen pushes United back into the pack". The Guardian. 25 September 2005. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  8. "Everton's Mikel Arteta points finger at Morten Gamst Pedersen". The Daily Telegraph. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  9. "Banned Joey Barton 'sorry' for Pedersen punch". BBC Sport. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  10. "Gamst Pedersen får forlate Blackburn gratis" (in Norwegian). NRK. Norwegian News Agency. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  11. Qureshi, Michael (20 August 2013). "FCK jager norsk stjerne" (in Danish). Berlingske Tidende. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  12. Johannessen, Sturla (21 August 2013). "Solbakken vil ikke hente Gamst til FCK" (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  13. "Championship – Pedersen leaves Blackburn for Turkey". Eurosport. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  14. Søfting, Thomas. "Morten Gamst Pedersen" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  15. "Morten van Gamsten" (in Norwegian). VG. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  16. "Marco van Gamsten" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 10 April 2013
  17. "Scoret praktmål" (in Norwegian). Nordlys.no. 2 September 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  18. Hugsted, Christian M.; Kvamme, Sigve (27 August 2012). ""Gamsten" vraket til VM-kvalifiseringen" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  19. Henriksen, Jon Martin; Askeland, Øyvind; Holden, Lillian (11 November 2013). "Gamst Pedersen tilbake på landslaget". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  20. "Ja, jeg er same!" (in Norwegian). NRK. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  21. Dart, James (8 August 2007). "Which footballers have released a record?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  22. Pedersen's Norwegian stats Archived 3 July 2013 at archive.today (in Norwegian). NFF. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  23. Pedersen's career stats (in Norwegian). AltomFotball.no. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  24. Pedersen English stats. Football Database.eu. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  25. Pedersen Blackburn stats. 11v11.com. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  26. "Morten Gamst Pedersen". eu-football.info. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
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