Sander Berge

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Sander Berge
FC Salzburg gegen KRC Genk (UEFA Championsleague 17. September 2019) 16 (cropped).jpg
Berge training with Genk in 2019
Personal information
Full name Sander Gard Bolin Berge [1]
Date of birth (1998-02-14) 14 February 1998 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth Bærum, Norway
Height 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) [3]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Fulham
Number 16
Youth career
Asker
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2013–2014 Asker 8 (0)
2015–2017 Vålerenga 36 (0)
2017–2020 Genk 84 (4)
2020–2023 Sheffield United 97 (13)
2023–2024 Burnley 37 (1)
2024– Fulham 15 (0)
International career
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 52 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:56, 18 January 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024

Sander Gard Bolin Berge (born 14 February 1998) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Fulham and the Norway national team.

Contents

Club career

Early career

Berge was born in Bærum, Akershus. [4] He started his career playing youth football for Asker, making his senior debut in the end of the 2013 season for the team then playing in the Norwegian 2. divisjon. He joined top flight team Vålerenga before the 2015 season and made his debut at the age of 17, scoring the opening goal of an 8–0 win over Lokomotiv Oslo in the first round of the Norwegian Cup. [5]

Berge made his league debut for Vålerenga as a substitute against Sandefjord on 11 July 2015 and his first league start against Rosenborg on 16 August. [6] He became established as a regular starter in the 2016 season and was named as the Norwegian league's young player of the year. [7]

On 2 January 2017, he signed a four-year contract with Genk. He made his first team league debut on 21 January as a substitute in the 1–0 win away against Eupen. He earned his first start and full match against 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. [8]

During the 2018–19 season, Berge made 28 appearances as Genk won the Belgian championship. [9]

Berge made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 6–2 loss to RB Salzburg on 17 September 2019. [10] On 30 December, he was named by UEFA in the Champions League breakthrough team for 2019. [11]

Sheffield United

On 30 January 2020, Berge signed for Premier League club Sheffield United, becoming the club's record signing. [12] [13] He joined on a four-and-a-half-year contract. [14] On 2 July 2020, Berge scored his first goal for Sheffield United in a 3–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. [15]

On 17 December 2020, Berge suffered an injury in a 3–2 loss to Manchester United [16] which led to him missing the majority of the 2020–21 Premier League season as Sheffield United were relegated to the EFL Championship. [17]

During the 2022–23 season, Berge contributed six goals as Sheffield United were promoted back to the Premier League. [18]

Burnley

On 9 August 2023, Berge signed for Premier League club Burnley. [19] Two days later, he made his debut for the team in their 3–0 loss to Manchester City in the opening game of the 2023–24 season. [20] His first goal for the club came in a 4–0 EFL Cup win over Salford City on 26 September 2023. [21]

Berge scored his first Premier League goal for Burnley in a 2–0 win at Fulham on 23 December 2023. [22]

Fulham

On 22 August 2024, Berge signed for Premier League side Fulham on a five-year deal for £20 million plus £5 million in add-ons. [23] The club has the option to extend his contract by 12 months within the deal. [24]

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 since represented Norway at every level up to the senior national team. He made his senior international debut on 23 March 2017, aged 19, coming on as a substitute in the 76th minute of the Euro-qualifier against Northern Ireland. [25]

On 5 September 2019, Berge scored his first senior international goal in the 34th minute of a game against Malta in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying rounds. [26]

Personal life

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. [27] [28] 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). [29] [30]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 January 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Asker 2 2013 [1] 3. divisjon 100100
2014 [1] 3. divisjon5050
Total15000000000150
Asker 2013 [1] 2. divisjon 100010
2014 [1] 2. divisjon701080
Total801000000090
Vålerenga 2 2015 [1] 2. divisjon110110
Vålerenga 2015 [1] Tippeligaen 11021131
2016 [1] Tippeligaen25050300
Total36071000000431
Genk 2016–17 [4] Belgian Pro League 190206 [c] 0270
2017–18 [4] Belgian Pro League14010150
2018–19 [4] Belgian Pro League2802010 [c] 2402
2019–20 [4] Belgian Pro League234106 [d] 01 [e] 0304
Total8446000222101136
Sheffield United 2019–20 [31] Premier League 14120161
2020–21 [32] Premier League1510010161
2021–22 [33] Championship 31510002 [f] 1346
2022–23 [34] Championship3765110437
Total97138120002110915
Burnley 2023–24 [35] Premier League3710031402
Fulham 2024–25 [36] Premier League1500020170
Career total30318212712223135724

International

As of match played 17 November 2024 [37]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Norway 201770
201850
201981
202040
202280
2023100
2024100
Total521
As of match played 13 October 2024. Norway score listed first, score column indicates score after each Berge goal. [37]
List of international goals scored by Sander Berge
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
15 September 2019 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway15Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 1–02–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification [38]

Honours

Genk

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sander Gard Bolin Berge: Klubbstatistikk" [Sander Gard Bolin Berge: Club statistics] (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. "Sander Berge: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  3. "Sander Berge: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "S. Berge: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  5. "En kjempetabbe og et supertalent". TV2 (in Norwegian). 3 October 2018.
  6. "Rosenborg nådeløse mot Vålerengas ti menn". Aftenspost (in Norwegian). 16 August 2016.
  7. "Sander Berge kan havne i Belgia". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). 23 December 2016.
  8. "Sander Berge". Whoscored.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  9. "What is Berge's best position and how can Wilder get the best out of him?". The Athletic. 28 April 2020.
  10. "Berge om Haaland-ydmykelsen: – Pinlig". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 9 October 2019.
  11. "Champions League breakthrough team of 2019". UEFA. 30 December 2019.
  12. "Twitter". Sheffield United F.C. Retrieved 30 January 2020 via Twitter.
  13. "Record signing arrives at the Lane". Sheffield United F.C. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  14. "Sheffield United break club transfer record to sign Sander Berge from Genk". The Guardian. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  15. "Sheffield United 3-1 Tottenham: Blades end losing run to strengthen top six bid". BBC Sport. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  16. "Sheffield United: Sander Berge injury a 'huge blow' but Lundstram expected to stay". BBC Sport. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  17. "Sheffield United would struggle to replace Sander Berge – and that's their dilemma". The Athletic. 15 August 2022.
  18. "Adrian Clarke analyses the attributes of a pair of stars who will be vital to the Blades' ambitions this season". Premier League. 1 August 2023.
  19. "Clarets secure Berge signing". Burnley F.C. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  20. "Burnley 0-3 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened". The Guardian. 12 August 2023.
  21. "BERGE PRAISES SQUAD'S SALFORD PERFORMANCE". Burnley F.C. 27 September 2023.
  22. "Fulham 0-2 Burnley: Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge secure third Premier League win for Clarets". BBC Sport. 24 December 2023.
  23. "Fulham sign Burnley midfielder Berge for £25m". British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  24. "Berge Joins Fulham". Fulham FC. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  25. "Sander Gard Bolin Berge - Profil". Norwegian Football Federation.
  26. "Norway-Malta". UEFA. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  27. AS, TV 2 (24 March 2017). "- Til tider har jeg pushet Sander litt for hardt".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. "Sander Berge og storebroren storspiller i hver sin idrett". Vg.no.
  29. I bestefars fotspor Archived 1 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine , Vålerenga Fotball (10 February 2015) (in Norwegian)
  30. "Happy Constitution Day Norway! My grandfather played for Norway 65 years ago, proud to follow in the footstep of him and represent this beautiful country today🇧🇻 Stay Safe! #hurra". instagram. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  31. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  32. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  33. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  34. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  35. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  36. "Games played by Sander Berge in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  37. 1 2 "Sander Gard Bolin Berge: Landslagstatistikk" [Sander Gard Bolin Berge: National team statistics] (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  38. "Norway vs. Malta 2–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 30 May 2021.