Sander Berge

Sander Gard Bolin Berge (born 14 February 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Sheffield United.

Sander Berge

Personal information
Full name	Sander Gard Bolin Berge[1]
Date of birth	(1998-02-14) 14 February 1998[2]
Place of birth	Bærum, Norway
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[3]
Playing position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Sheffield United
Number	8
Youth career
	Asker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2014	Asker	8	(0)
2015–2017	Vålerenga	36	(0)
2017–2020	Genk	73	(4)
2020–	Sheffield United	14	(1)
National team^‡
2013	Norway U15	4	(1)
2014	Norway U16	8	(4)
2015	Norway U17	4	(0)
2015–2016	Norway U18	6	(0)
2016	Norway U19	1	(0)
2016	Norway U21	2	(0)
2017–	Norway	20	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:11, 26 July 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2019

Club career

Early career

Berge was born in Bærum, Viken.[4] He started his career playing youth football for Asker Fotball, making his senior debut in the end of the 2013 season for the team then playing in the Norwegian 2. divisjon (3rd tier). He joined top flight team Vålerenga before the 2015 season. Berge made his league debut coming off the bench against Sandefjord on 11 July 2015 and his first league start against Rosenborg, quickly establishing himself as a key player for the club.

On 2 January 2017, he signed a four-year contract with K.R.C. Genk. He made his first team league debut on 21 January as a substitute in the 0–1 win away against Eupen. He earned his first start and full match against Royal Excel Mouscron on 17 February in a 1–0 win at home, becoming an integral part of the team for the remaining season, which included an impressive run in the Europa League, ending in the quarter finals against Celta Vigo.[5]

Sheffield United

On 30 January 2020, Berge signed for Sheffield United, becoming their record signing in the process.[6][7] He signed on a four-and-a-half year contract.[8] On 2 July, Berge scored his first goal for Sheffield United in a 3–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur.[9]

International career

Berge made his debut for Norway when he played for the under-15 team against Canada U15 on 2 May 2013. He has later represented Norway at every level up to under-21. He made his senior team debut 23 March 2017 aged 19, coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute of the Euro-qualifier against Northern Ireland.[10]

On 5 September 2019, Sander Berge scored his first international goal for Norway against Malta in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying rounds in the 34th minute.[11]

Personal life

Sander Berge comes from a basketball-playing family, with his father, Swedish mother and older brother all having played basketball at international level. His brother has also played for top flight teams Centrum Tigers and Asker Aliens.[12][13] Berge is also the grandson of Ragnar Berge, who played as a left-back for Vålerenga from 1945 until 1957, and was capped once by Norway (in 1955).[14]

Career statistics

As of 26 July 2020[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		Cup		Europe		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goal	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Asker	2013	2. divisjon	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2014		7	0	1	0	0	0	8	0
	Total		8	0	1	0	0	0	9	0
Vålerenga	2015	Tippeligaen	11	0	2	1	0	0	13	1
	2016		25	0	5	0	0	0	30	0
	Total		36	0	7	1	0	0	43	1
Genk	2016–17	Belgian First Division A	9	0	2	0	6	0	17	0
	2017–18		13	0	1	0	0	0	14	0
	2018–19		28	0	2	0	10	2	40	2
	2019–20		23	4	1	0	6	0	30	4
	Total		73	4	6	0	22	2	101	6
Sheffield United	2019–20	Premier League	14	1	2	0	0	0	16	1
	2020–21		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		14	1	2	0	0	0	16	1
Career total			131	5	16	1	22	2	169	8

International

As of match played on 18 November 2019[15]

Norway
Year	Apps	Goals
2017	7	0
2018	5	0
2019	8	1
Total	20	1

Norway score listed first, score column indicates score after each Berge goal.[15]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	5 September 2019	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Malta	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification

Honours

Genk

• Belgian First Division A: 2018–19[4]
• Belgian Super Cup: 2019[4]

References

1. "Sander Gard Bolin Berge" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
2. "Sander Berge: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
3. "Sander Berge: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
4. "S. Berge: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
5. https://www.whoscored.com/Players/321020/Fixtures/Sander-Berge
6. "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
7. "Record signing arrives at the Lane". www.sufc.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
8. Media, P. A. (2020-01-30). "Sheffield United break club transfer record to sign Sander Berge from Genk". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
9. "Sheffield United 3-1 Tottenham: Blades end losing run to strengthen top six bid". BBC Sport. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
10. Fotballforbund, Norges. "Sander Gard Bolin Berge - Profil". fotball.no - Norges Fotballforbund.
11. "Norway-Malta". UEFA. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
12. AS, TV 2. "- Til tider har jeg pushet Sander litt for hardt".
13. https://www.vg.no/sport/fotball/landslaget/sander-berge-og-storebroren-storspiller-i-hver-sin-idrett/a/24149144/
14. I bestefars fotspor Archived 2016-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, Vålerenga Fotball (10 February 2015) (in Norwegian)
15. "Sander Berge statistics". National Football Teams. Retrieved 6 June 2018.

External links

• Sander Berge at Soccerway