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There is no doubt that Bodø / Glimt’s Ola Solbakken has made great strides in recent years. But it is only now as a 23-year-old that he has really made an impact.
– It is not unusual to break through in the Elite Series as a 22-23-year-old. It is more unusual if you break through when you are 19 years old, says Solbakken’s former coach in Ranheim, Svein Maalen to TV 2.
– Former Ranheim coach Svein Maalen. Photo: Andersen, Christoffer / NTB Scanpix
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– Ola is an example of the path Norwegian players can take even more often. He was a young talent, but faced adversity in the form of injuries at a young age and spent some time. Ola is a good proof that you can succeed if you stand by it, develop along the way and be patient, he adds.
As part of Rosenborg’s G19 team in 2017, Solbakken was not offered an A-team contract with the Trøndelag team, but there were some others who had followed the talent for a long time.
– In Ranheim we were interested in following Trøndelag football very well and we had a very good overview of young, good players. Ola was one of the players we had followed and in whom we saw great potential, says Maalen.
Triple the number of minutes played
In his first season for Ranheim in 2018, Solbakken had a total of 671 minutes of play in the series and cup. The season after increased the number of minutes to 1967, figures from Transfermarkt. It’s almost tripled in playing minutes from one season to another.
– He had a lot of playing time the first year and even more the second year. It is a nice progression in playing minutes for a player in the Elite Series, Maalen believes.
Although the 2019 season was a big boost for Solbakken, he also experienced a relegation. A season of both good and bad.
– I probably think that Ola experienced 2019 as a pretty tough year as we moved down. It was another tough arena for him to play elite league football so early, but at the same time not too tough because he learned a lot, says Maalen and emphasizes:
– Relegation is a useful experience. You learn to stand in different situations.
– Fitted poorly when Glimt came on the field
In the last two years, more people had opened their eyes to Solbakken, and ahead of the 2020 season, the silver winner in 2019, Bodø / Glimt, came on the field.
– We wanted to keep him, and it did not fit well when Glimt came on the field. We looked at him as a key player who would help us get back up to the Elite Series, says Maalen and adds:
– At the same time, it was an opportunity that suited Ola very well. Thus, we let him go, and it has been very good for him. His development has continued.
There is no doubt about that.
In addition to distinguishing himself in the domestic series, Solbakken has also asserted himself in Europe for Bodø / Glimt. Four goals have been scored so far in the Conference League, two of them when Glimt crushed Roma 6-1. After that match, Solbakken, together with Erik Botheim, hero status.
– It is fun to see that Ola has distinguished himself and offers himself. It is important in developing as a player. The only challenge will be to deal with what then happens in the form of attention and expectations, says Maalen and emphasizes that he has faith in the network around Solbakken in Glimt.
– Ola had challenges like most young players. You expect things to go very fast, and believe that you will be able to master things. This is good, but there will be a reality one day where adversity, prosperity and external pressure will be dealt with. It will probably become more and more relevant in today’s football, he adds.
– Has qualities that few others
The goal is not surprised that Solbakken has performed as well as he has done in the 2021 season.
– Not surprised, because the potential and talent was the reason we picked him up. I am also not surprised because Bodø / Glimt has time and time again managed to develop their players, and there is a good collective in the club where they manage the art of playing each other well. Ola is good, but he is also part of a good collective in Bodø.
The goal points to the culture of the club.
– There are values and a culture in Glimt where they manage to keep each other’s ears, where the best will show the way for the team and no one is concerned with lifting themselves, but rather lifting the team.
The road ahead for Bodø / Glimt, both in the Elite Series and in Europe, will be exciting. It will certainly be exciting to follow Ola Solbakken’s development.
– Ola has some qualities in the offensive game that few others have. He has an ability to pass people by, he has speed and exciting technical skills. These are qualities he just has to develop further, and I really hope he succeeds, Maalen emphasizes.
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