Fredrik Sjøvold (21) has been called up to the national team. At Tiller IL, they are proud of the young man’s journey.
Reports from UllevålTuesday, August 27 at 14:54
The Short Version
- Fredrik Sjøvold (21) has been selected for the national team and will face Kazakhstan and Austria with the squad in September.
- Sjøvold has made a name for himself quickly after signing for Glimt from Tiller IL 963 days ago.
- National coach Ståle Solbakken praises Sjøvold’s performance against Red Star in the Champions League qualifiers as crucial for the selection.
- Roar Alstad of Tiller IL is proud and describes Sjøvold as a quiet and proper person who does a solid job on the field.
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– This was very unexpected for me. I am very proud to have the opportunity and look forward to the gathering, says Sjøvold to VG through Bodø/Glimt’s media chief.
He is one of 23 players selected for the national team that will face Kazakhstan and Austria in the Nations League group stage at the beginning of September.
The selection likely came as a surprise to most, especially when considering that it was only 963 days ago that Sjøvold signed for Glimt from the Trønderske Tiller IL in the third division.
Sjøvold scored when Glimt won 3–1 against Odd. See the goal here.
– I am proud that our small club has contributed to giving him the opportunity to take the steps towards achieving that dream. Fredrik must primarily take the credit for this himself, but this was a “lending” for us as a club.
This is what Roar Alstad, chairman of Tiller IL Football, says. To VG’s Eastern journalist, Alstad explains that “lending” is Trøndersk for funny or amusing.
– This is primarily very nice for Fredrik. I followed him in the last match against Red Star where he almost hit the ball in the corner… It is so good to see young boys getting the opportunities and taking the steps they do. This is very nice, and I hope he continues to develop and takes the chances he gets.
National coach Ståle Solbakken also highlighted the 21-year-old’s performance against Red Star in the Champions League qualifiers as one of the reasons behind the selection.
At that time, Solbakken was present at Aspmyra.
– He played against a tricky winger who is good one-on-one, but he completely took him out of the game. That confirmed to me that he can handle it, said Solbakken when the squad was announced.
RBK talent Marius Broholm, also with a background from Tiller IL, has also been on fire recently. See his goals against Odd here.
Roar Alstad at Tiller IL describes Sjøvold as “a fairly quiet and proper person.”
– He doesn’t make a fuss and is not the loudest. You can see it on the field too: He does the groundwork, what is right. He is not so extroverted.
Sjøvold played for Rosenborg’s academy in 2018 and 2019 but then chose to go to Tiller IL. Good performances in the third division made him attractive to several big clubs.
Bodø/Glimt won the battle for the star talent. There he has received more and more playing time, primarily as a right-back, although he has a background as a midfielder.
– He dropped RBK to be with us and develop on a senior team instead of sitting on the bench for a reserve team. He has gone his own way, and maybe done the right thing then, says Alstad.