The long-time Norwegian football coach Åge Hareide is dead. He died in the evening with his family at home at the age of 72, as his son Bendik announced to several Norwegian media, including the radio station “NRK”.
“He has now played his last game. We are eternally grateful for all the love we received during the time he was ill,” he wrote in the message. “A legend of Norwegian football has passed away,” said Norwegian Football Association NFF President Lise Klaveness.
Hareide was diagnosed with a brain tumor in July, as he and his son announced just three and a half weeks ago in an interview with the newspaper “Verdens Gang”.
Accordingly, he was recently only able to speak to a limited extent and also had motor problems. He had hoped to be able to experience the World Cup next summer, for which Norway qualified for the first time since 1998 thanks to its star striker Erling Haaland.
Hareide is considered one of Scandinavia’s greatest coaching legends. He coached several top clubs such as Brøndby IF, Viking Stavanger, Rosenborg Trondheim and Malmö FF. He and his clubs became champions in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
He was also national coach several times, first from 2003 to 2008 in his native Norway, then from the end of 2015 to 2020 in Denmark and later for almost a year and a half on the North Atlantic island of Iceland, his last coaching position.
He announced the end of his career several times and celebrated his comeback several times thanks to his lifelong love of football. Hareide most recently worked as a football expert for NRK.