Father’s Day came early for Norway at the FIFA World Cup.
On Tuesday in Boston, the Røde, Hvite, Blå fielded three players whose dads all played together for the national team in 1994, when the tournament was last played in the United States.
It completes an extraordinary narrative arc for those families over a 32-year period, and it’s the first such mass respawning at a World Cup. Former goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt admitted to CNN Sports that he had tears running down his cheeks in anticipation of his son, Kristian, taking the field against Iraq.
“It’s like a fairytale that is coming true,” Gøran Sørloth described to CNN about seeing his son lead the line alongside Erling Haaland, whose father Alf-Inge also played in the ’94 tournament.
Back then, Norway’s cruel group stage exit would have left the players with a sense of unfinished business. They beat Mexico, lost to Italy and drew with The Republic of Ireland and every team in their group finished with an identical goal difference and four points.
Norway had only conceded one goal, but unfortunately, they had only scored one goal, and that sealed their fate. They were eliminated because of their goals scored record, the three other teams progressed, and Italy made it all the way to the final.
None of those players could have imagined that several of them would return to the US more than three decades later to cheer for their sons in the same competition. And if that’s not impressive enough, midfielder Patrick Berg is the son of another Norwegian international – Ørjan Berg won 19 caps between 1988 and 2000.
It’s not unusual for soccer players to follow in their father’s footsteps – Algerian goalkeeper Luca Zidane’s father is French legend Zinedine Zidane. But three or four players in the same national team is surely not a coincidence.
From the Winter Olympics to golf, tennis and track and field, Norwegian athletes are dominating on the world stage, reaping the benefits of a society that encourages children to play multiple sports without any pressure to succeed when they’re young.
“We don’t really have to live out our ambitions through our sons,” said Thorstvedt. “We know that to enjoy football and make it the thing you like to do most in life, the most important thing is don’t put too much pressure on the kids.”
Alexander Sørloth played handball and he was in the Norwegian national team as a speed skater at the age of 12; Kristian Thorstvedt almost didn’t turn professional as a soccer player at all. Since there was no interest in him from the Norwegian clubs, he chose to go to university in New Hampshire.
“As a last throw of the dice, I called an old friend of mine who was the coach of my old club, Viking Stavanger, and I asked, ‘Could you take hm on for a trial?’” Erik Thorstvedt explained.
“He said, ‘OK, let him come for a week.’ He did well, he got a contract with them. The margins are so small, these sliding doors moments define our lives. I believe if he’d gone to college in New Hampshire, he would have had a great education, but he would never have had the experiences that he’s gotten now.”
Sørloth says that he prefers watching Alexander to his own experience of playing.
“It’s amazing,” he said to CNN Sports. “I’ve been proud, really proud of him and the team and everyone. I know the trainers, I know everything about it because I’ve been there so many times myself. So, it’s a really good feeling for myself.”
But Thorstvedt, who was Sørloth’s roommate in ’94, admits that he was too anxious to relax and fully enjoy it.
“Of course, it’s a proud moment,” he said, elaborating on his fears of Kristian making a costly mistake. “As a father and ex-goalkeeper, you are aware of the downsides if you make a penalty two minutes from the end or score an own goal. You’re slightly aware of those things as well, but luckily, it turned out really, really good.”
Norway’s 1994 World Cup appearance was their first since 1938, and after the ‘98 tournament in France, they never made it back until now. Erling Haaland is a big reason for their revival; bearing a striking resemblance to a Norse god – and with an aura to match – his goalscoring prowess makes some think Norway could be a dark horse for the tournament.
“He’s scored more than a goal per match for Norway,” explained Thorstvedt. “I mean, if you do that for Man City, it’s incredible, but for Norway, it’s ridiculous. We haven’t been that good and to score more than a goal per match is out of this world. We are so lucky to have him.”
But the dads all know there’s nothing to be gained from getting carried away. “As a former player, I always say, ‘One match at a time’ – that’s the answer for me,” Sørloth told CNN Sports.
For now, they’re just trying to enjoy the moment and hoping their boys can fulfill their dreams.
If not, perhaps they know that they’ll all be back for another go one day in the future, but next time, as granddads.
