Benfica ace's dad on Solskjaer chat that shaped son's future: meant a lot | OneFootball

Fredrik Aursnes is currently one of Benfica's most important players, but the Norwegian international’s path could have been very different. The midfielder’s father, Gunnar Aursnes, revealed that a conversation with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was decisive in convincing his son to leave his hometown for Molde in 2016.

"There were ups and downs, and he had to talk to Ole Gunnar before he was convinced that Molde was the right place," he explained to the Norwegian newspaper 'Dagbladet'. "We traveled at night, in the dark, and met him at the stadium the next day. After a good conversation, we ended up signing the contract. So yes, Solskjaer meant a lot."

The coach’s decision proved to be spot on. Shortly afterward, Aursnes made his debut in European competitions for Molde and made an immediate impression. "He knocked over a player who was 30 kilos heavier. When Solskjaer saw that, he realized what he had signed," Gunnar Aursnes said.

Before moving to Molde, Benfica’s current midfielder was already standing out in Norwegian football. At 16, he became the youngest player ever to start a Norwegian Cup final, but his reserved personality even led him to turn down some call-ups to the youth national teams. "It’s a bit of the reserve he has always had. He’s like his father and is quite introverted," the player’s father admitted.

This trait was also confirmed by André Nevstad, former sporting director of Hodd, who recalled that the player felt everything was happening "too fast." Even so, on the pitch, he showed a "completely different" personality, marked by "competitiveness" and a "desire to win".

In 2024, Aursnes even asked to be excused from the Norway national team in order to manage physical fatigue and have more time with his family, but he ultimately returned to the national team setup to play in the World Cup. Head coach Stale Solbakken was relaxed about the midfielder’s decision: "I don’t think he will cause any problems, so it will be fine.".

Despite his career progress, the titles he has won, and his international experience, Gunnar Aursnes assures that his son is still practically the same as the young man who first started taking his early steps in football. "He has changed and grown, obviously. He is more self-confident, but as a person, I don’t think he has changed all that much," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.