Henning Berg
Born: 01.09.1969 in Eidsvoll
Position: Central Defender
Caps: 100
Goals: 9
Profile
Henning Berg was a mainstay in Norway's central defence for more than a decade, appearing in two World Cups and the 2000 European Championship. Henning began his top flight career in 1988 at Vålerenga, having joined the club from KFUM Oslo, and quickly became a regular at the team and also made the U21 national team. Vålerenga were relegated in 1990, and when the fallen giants failed to win promotion in 1991, Henning joined bitter rivals Lillestrøm - something the VIF fans still remember. It was at this club he would win his first call-up to the senior national team, making his debut in a friendly against the Faroe Islands in 1992. With 100 caps to his name, he is Norway's second-most capped player of all time, behind Thorbjørn Svenssen.
At first, Henning was somewhat of a fringe player, unable to break up the partnership of Rune Bratseth and Tore Pedersen in Norway's central defence, but he got his big break when Pedersen was injured early in the World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley. He was rock-solid alongside Bratseth as Norway got a surprise draw, and his performance in this match helped him get a move to Premiership side Blackburn. Still not first-choice for Norway, he continued to deputise for Bratseth and Pedersen when needed and also played the occational match at right-back, which was his most common position at club level in his first seasons at Blackburn.
In the autumn of 1993, Norway qualified for the World Cup - for the first time since 1938, and with the tournament approaching, Berg got another break, once again at the expence of the unfortunate Tore Pedersen, who tore his cruciate ligaments shortly before the World Cup finals and was ruled out of the tournament. Henning made the most of his opportunity and did an excellent job at the World Cup, where Norway only conceded one goal but were nevertheless knocked out in the group stage. From that moment on, Henning Berg was Norway's first-choice central defender.
At club level, Henning became the first Norwegian in history to win the English league when Blackburn won the Premiership in 1995. He also started every single qualifier for the 1996 European Championship, where Norway failed down the last stretch after a promising start. In 1997, he was transferred to Manchester United where he joined compatriots Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Henning never truly became first-choice at Old Trafford, but he did add two more championship medals and a Champions League medal to his collection. And even though he spent considerable time on the bench, he was still first-choice central defender for Norway, where he now played alongside his teammate Ronny Johnsen.
In 1998, Henning played in the World Cup for a second time, and this time Norway made it past the group stage, thanks to their famous victory against Brazil. They were, however, knocked out by Italy in the second round. Various injuries restricted Berg, by now Norway captain, to seven appearances in Norway's successful Euro 2000 qualifying campaign, and at the tournament finals, he went down with an achilles injury just 15 minutes into the opening match against Spain and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament. It was perhaps just as well, since Norway played poorly and were deservedly knocked out in the group stage. Later that year, he returned to Blackburn after being surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, and helped the team regain promotion to the Premiership.
Berg played all but one game in the unsuccessful campaigns for the 2002 World Cup. In the summer of 2003, he signed a one-year deal with Scottish champions Rangers and announced his intention to retire from the game at the end of the season. If Norway had qualified for Euro 2004 (which they didn't), the European Championship would have been his swansong as a footballer. He picked up a yellow card in the playoff game against Spain, which meant that he would miss the return leg in Oslo, and having announced his international retirement, it looked as if he would end his career with 99 caps. However, Berg would get one last cap as a gesture of gratitude to the longtime captain. On May 27, 2004, in his last-ever match at senior level, Berg became the second Norwegian to reach the century mark, when he played the first 20 minutes of the friendly against Wales, before leaving the field to a standing ovation.
A few months after his retirement, Berg became head coach at Lyn, where he stayed for four years, picking up good results. In late 2008, he quit Lyn, and was subsequently appointed head coach at his old club Lillestrøm.
National Team Appearances
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Goals | Competition |
| Lillestrøm | ||||||
| 1 | 13.05.1992 | Oslo | Faroe Islands | 2-0 | ||
| 2 | 03.06.1992 | Oslo | Scotland | 0-0 | ||
| 3 | 26.08.1992 | Oslo | Sweden | 2-2 | ||
| 4 | 14.10.1992 | London | England | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 5 | 02.12.1992 | Guangzhou | China | 1-2 | ||
| Blackburn (England) | ||||||
| 6 | 30.03.1993 | Doha | Qatar | 6-1 | ||
| 7 | 08.09.1993 | Oslo | United States | 1-0 | ||
| 8 | 22.09.1993 | Oslo | Poland | 1-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 9 | 13.10.1993 | Poznan | Poland | 3-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 10 | 10.11.1993 | Istanbul | Turkey | 1-2 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 11 | 15.01.1994 | Phoenix | United States | 1-2 | ||
| 12 | 09.03.1994 | Cardiff | Wales | 3-1 | ||
| 13 | 20.04.1994 | Oslo | Portugal | 0-0 | ||
| 14 | 22.05.1994 | London | England | 0-0 | ||
| 15 | 01.06.1994 | Oslo | Denmark | 2-1 |
|
|
| 16 | 05.06.1994 | Stockholm | Sweden | 0-2 | ||
| 17 | 19.06.1994 | Washington | Mexico | 1-0 | World Cup | |
| 18 | 23.06.1994 | New York | Italy | 0-1 | World Cup | |
| 19 | 28.06.1994 | New York | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 | World Cup | |
| 20 | 07.09.1994 | Oslo | Belarus | 1-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 21 | 12.10.1994 | Oslo | Netherlands | 1-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 22 | 16.11.1994 | Minsk | Belarus | 4-0 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 23 | 14.12.1994 | Valetta | Malta | 1-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 24 | 08.02.1995 | Nicosia | Cyprus | 2-0 | ||
| 25 | 29.03.1995 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 26 | 26.04.1995 | Oslo | Luxembourg | 5-0 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 27 | 25.05.1995 | Oslo | Ghana | 3-2 | ||
| 28 | 07.06.1995 | Oslo | Malta | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 29 | 22.07.1995 | Oslo | France | 0-0 | ||
| 30 | 16.08.1995 | Oslo | Czech Republic | 1-1 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 31 | 06.09.1995 | Prague | Czech Republic | 0-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 32 | 11.10.1995 | Oslo | England | 0-0 | ||
| 33 | 15.11.1995 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 0-3 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 34 | 07.02.1996 | Las Palmas | Spain | 0-1 | ||
| 35 | 27.03.1996 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | 2-0 | ||
| 36 | 24.04.1996 | Oslo | Spain | 0-0 | ||
| 37 | 02.06.1996 | Oslo | Azerbaijan | 5-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 38 | 01.09.1996 | Oslo | Georgia | 1-0 | ||
| 39 | 09.10.1996 | Oslo | Hungary | 3-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 40 | 10.11.1996 | Bern | Switzerland | 1-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 41 | 29.03.1997 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates | 4-1 | ||
| 42 | 30.04.1997 | Oslo | Finland | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 43 | 30.05.1997 | Oslo | Brazil | 4-2 | ||
| 44 | 08.06.1997 | Budapest | Hungary | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| Manchester United (England) | ||||||
| 45 | 20.08.1997 | Helsinki | Finland | 4-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 46 | 06.09.1997 | Baku | Azerbaijan | 1-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 47 | 10.09.1997 | Oslo | Switzerland | 5-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 48 | 25.02.1998 | Marseille | France | 3-3 | ||
| 49 | 25.03.1998 | Brussels | Belgium | 2-2 | ||
| 50 | 22.04.1998 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 2-0 | ||
| 51 | 20.05.1998 | Oslo | Mexico | 5-2 |
|
|
| 52 | 27.05.1998 | Molde | Saudi Arabia | 6-0 | ||
| 53 | 10.06.1998 | Montpellier | Morocco | 2-2 | World Cup | |
| 54 | 16.06.1998 | Bordeaux | Scotland | 1-1 | World Cup | |
| 55 | 23.06.1998 | Marseille | Brazil | 2-1 | World Cup | |
| 56 | 27.06.1998 | Marseille | Italy | 0-1 | World Cup | |
| 57 | 06.09.1998 | Oslo | Latvia | 1-3 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 58 | 10.10.1998 | Ljubljana | Slovenia | 2-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 59 | 14.10.1998 | Oslo | Albania | 2-2 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 60 | 18.11.1998 | Cairo | Egypt | 1-1 | ||
| 61 | 27.03.1999 | Athens | Greece | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 62 | 18.08.1999 | Oslo | Lithuania | 1-0 | ||
| 63 | 04.09.1999 | Oslo | Greece | 1-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 64 | 08.09.1999 | Oslo | Slovenia | 4-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 65 | 09.10.1999 | Riga | Latvia | 2-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 66 | 31.01.2000 | La Manga | Iceland | 0-0 | ||
| 67 | 02.02.2000 | La Manga | Denmark | 4-2 |
|
|
| 68 | 23.02.2000 | Istanbul | Turkey | 2-0 | ||
| 69 | 29.03.2000 | Lugano | Switzerland | 2-2 | ||
| 70 | 26.04.2000 | Oslo | Belgium | 0-2 | ||
| 71 | 27.05.2000 | Oslo | Slovakia | 2-0 | ||
| 72 | 13.06.2000 | Rotterdam | Spain | 1-0 | European Championship | |
| 73 | 16.08.2000 | Helsinki | Finland | 1-3 | ||
| Blackburn (England) | ||||||
| 74 | 02.09.2000 | Oslo | Armenia | 0-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 75 | 07.10.2000 | Cardiff | Wales | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 76 | 11.10.2000 | Oslo | Ukraine | 0-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 77 | 28.02.2001 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | 4-0 | ||
| 78 | 24.03.2001 | Oslo | Poland | 2-3 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 79 | 28.03.2001 | Minsk | Belarus | 1-2 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 80 | 02.06.2001 | Kiev | Ukraine | 0-0 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 81 | 06.06.2001 | Oslo | Belarus | 1-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 82 | 15.08.2001 | Oslo | Turkey | 1-1 | ||
| 83 | 01.09.2001 | Chorzow | Poland | 0-3 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 84 | 05.09.2001 | Oslo | Wales | 3-2 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 85 | 13.02.2002 | Brussels | Belgium | 0-1 | ||
| 86 | 27.03.2002 | Tunis | Tunisia | 0-0 | ||
| 87 | 17.04.2002 | Oslo | Sweden | 0-0 | ||
| 88 | 14.05.2002 | Oslo | Japan | 3-0 |
|
|
| 89 | 22.05.2002 | Bodø | Iceland | 1-1 | ||
| 90 | 21.08.2002 | Oslo | Netherlands | 0-1 | ||
| 91 | 07.09.2002 | Oslo | Denmark | 2-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 92 | 12.10.2002 | Bucharest | Romania | 1-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 93 | 16.10.2002 | Oslo | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 94 | 02.04.2003 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 95 | 11.06.2003 | Oslo | Romania | 1-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| Rangers (Scotland) | ||||||
| 96 | 20.08.2003 | Oslo | Scotland | 0-0 | ||
| 97 | 06.09.2003 | Zenica | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 0-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 98 | 11.10.2003 | Oslo | Luxembourg | 1-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 99 | 15.11.2003 | Valencia | Spain | 1-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 100 | 27.05.2004 | Oslo | Wales | 0-0 | ||