Norway’s current coach lived through one of the toughest episodes of his life on March 13, 2001, when he was still a footballer and training with Copenhagen. In the middle of practice, his heart stopped and he was unresponsive for several minutes.
Stale Solbakken was 33 years old at the time and received emergency treatment before being taken to the hospital. According to reports, he remained unconscious for 26 hours, and it was later discovered that he had been born with a heart condition. After surviving, he received a pacemaker and had to leave professional football.
The most shocking part was the effect the situation had on his family. While he was fighting to recover, those close to him were already fearing the worst, and his mother even began thinking about the funeral. Today, at 58, he manages Norway at the 2026 World Cup.
