Norway manager Stale Solbakken, who leads his team against England in the World Cup quarter-final in Miami, once died for seven minutes during a training session in March 2001 before being miraculously revived. The 33-year-old midfielder at the time, just six months into his stint at Danish club Copenhagen, suffered a heart attack that left him clinically dead until club doctor Frank Odgaard administered cardiac massage and paramedics revived him in the ambulance.
Heart attack during training
Solbakken, who had played for Norway at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, collapsed in front of his shell-shocked teammates. Odgaard rushed to his side and performed cardiac massage until an ambulance arrived. Upon the ambulance's arrival, Solbakken's heart had stopped for seven minutes, and he was pronounced clinically dead. Incredibly, he was revived in the ambulance and placed on a life-support machine for 26 hours before gradually regaining consciousness.
It later transpired that Solbakken had been born with a heart defect. He was fitted with a pacemaker, which he still wears to this day, and subsequently announced his retirement from football.
Family trauma and recovery
Solbakken remembers nothing of the events of March 13, 2001, saying, 'It was simply as if the lights went out.' He added, 'For those who saw all this, what they went through must have been a trauma. My wife still cannot talk about it, even though so many years have passed. At that moment she was left alone with two children — four and one years old. Anniken was only 23–24, and I was amazed at how she managed to cope with this difficult situation at such a young age. My parents flew to Denmark straight away. I was told that on the plane my mum started planning my funeral. At first they worried whether I would survive. Then — whether my brain would be damaged. Those were the thoughts that tormented my family and teammates, who witnessed me collapsing, dying and being brought back to life.'
Second heart incident in 2009
Solbakken turned to coaching after retiring, but his health problems continued. During his first spell as Copenhagen manager in 2009, his heart stopped again. His life was only saved by the pacemaker that had been fitted eight years earlier. 'I was running across the pitch and suddenly felt my body go weak. What the hell is going on? I thought. And then I was simply knocked to the ground. It was like a real kick up the backside. But after that I was fine,' he said.
World Cup scare with microphone interference
On the eve of the 2026 World Cup, during an interview, Solbakken felt something in his chest. 'My pacemaker suddenly started vibrating. That had not happened since 2009. I had everything checked, now everything is fine and I am calm,' he said. It turned out one of the journalists' microphones had inadvertently interfered with his pacemaker.
Life with a pacemaker
Despite the scares, Solbakken no longer regards his defective heart as an issue. He has forged a successful coaching career, aside from a brief stint at Wolves in 2012. 'I live perfectly well with the pacemaker, which kicks in as soon as the heart starts beating incorrectly. I do not feel any pain, I have no consequences except for the scar on my chest where the device is placed. I consider myself to have got off very lightly,' he said.
Solbakken has transformed Norway's fortunes since taking the job in 2020, aided by stars like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard. This World Cup is Norway's first major tournament in 26 years, and their world ranking of 19th is among the highest in the country's history.
