Tom Sundby
Born: 15.12.1960 in Larvik
Position: Midfielder
Caps: 39
Goals: 6
Profile
The son of Reidar Sundby, a former international and a member of the great Larvik Turn team in the 1950s, Tom Sundby was one of Norway's best players in the 1980s. Tom began his career at his father's old club, which was now playing in the third division, living on past glories. In 1981, he moved to the capital to play for Lyn, another club living on past glories. Sundby soon became a regular at Lyn and the Norwegian U21 side, but it was a rough debut season in the top flight, as Lyn were eventually relegated. He stayed one more season at Lyn, but when the club failed to win promotion, Sundby decided it was time to move on.
In 1983, Sundby was signed by Lillestrøm, and the young midfielder was left with the daunting task of replacing the now-retired Tom Lund in the lineup. It must have been a huge challenge replacing a legend, but Sundby quickly proved himself worthy of wearing the #10 jersey at Åråsen. Sundby may not have been quite as technically brilliant as Lund, but he made up for it with his work-rate and his ability to score important goals, and it didn't take long before he was called up to the Olympic team. The Olympic tournament was now open to all players who hadn't played in any World Cup qualifiers, and even though the Olympic side was essentially a "B" team, the NFF considered the Olympic qualifiers to be full internationals.
Sundby made his international debut in the Olympic qualifier against Finland, and although his early years at the national team can best be described as inconsistent, he would play in all the remaining Olympic qualifiers that year. Norway finished third in the group, behind Poland and East Germany, but when the Eastern Bloc countries decided to boycott the Los Angeles Olympics, Norway accepted one of the vacant spots in the football tournament. It was Norway's first appearance in the finals of a major international tournament since the 1938 World Cup, and Sundby was one of the key players in the side. Norway dominated the opening match against Chile, but were unable to find the net. Then they lost the second game against France, and when France and Chile drew in their final group match, Norway's victory against Qatar was meaningless - Norway were knocked out in the group stage.
After the Olympics, Sundby played one more international in 1984, but he was still not considered good enough for the senior side. That would change the next year. Sundby was outstanding in the domestic league that season, and was a key player as Lillestrøm finished second behind Rosenborg. In the autumn of 1985, he was recalled to the national team, and this time he made the most of his opportunity. He was the best player on the field in Norway's shock away win against reigning world champions Italy, and from then on, he was a regular in the side. Three weeks after the win against Italy, Sundby scored his first international goal in the otherwise forgettable 1-5 defeat against Denmark.
In 1986, Sundby had another outstanding season for Lillestrøm, who went one better than last year and won the league. Sundby was named Player of the Year. And unlike his predecessor Tom Lund, who played his entire career at Åråsen despite receiving lucrative offers from abroad, Sundby decided to move on. He signed for Iraklis Saloniki in Greece, and quickly became a star at the rather unfashionable Greek club. By now, Sundby was one of Norway's key players, and was being groomed as the replacement for another of Norway's stars, Hallvar Thoresen. Things were going well at club level too, and he was linked with a move to Italian giants Fiorentina. But all that came to a sudden end in the World Cup qualifier against Scotland in September 1988. Just a few minutes into the match, Sundby was hacked down by Scotland's Steve Nicol and suffered a career-threatening knee injury. He would spend the next two years on the sidelines, and was never the same player. He was eventually released by Iraklis, and returned to Norway.
In 1991, having undergone several operations to his knee, the injury had healed sufficiently for Sundby to attempt a comeback. He returned to his old club Lyn, who were now back in the top flight, and played well enough to become a key player for the club, even at one stage being considered for an international recall. He was still bothered by the injury, though, and retired from the game at the end of the 1992 season.
National Team Appearances
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Goals | Competition |
| Lillestrøm | ||||||
| 1 | 15.06.1983 | Lahti | Finland | 1-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 2 | 30.06.1983 | Oslo | Poland | 0-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 3 | 17.08.1983 | Oslo | Denmark | 1-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 4 | 12.10.1983 | Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 1-2 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 5 | 26.10.1983 | Moss | Finland | 4-2 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 6 | 29.10.1983 | Stavanger | East Germany | 1-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 7 | 09.11.1983 | Poznan | Poland | 0-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 8 | 12.11.1983 | Babelsberg | East Germany | 0-1 | Olympic Games Qual. | |
| 9 | 23.05.1984 | Szekesfehervar | Hungary | 0-0 | ||
| 10 | 06.06.1984 | Trondheim | Wales | 1-0 | ||
| 11 | 20.06.1984 | Reykjavik | Iceland | 1-0 | ||
| 12 | 29.07.1984 | Boston | Chile | 0-0 | Olympic Games | |
| 13 | 31.07.1984 | Boston | France | 1-2 | Olympic Games | |
| 14 | 02.08.1984 | Boston | Qatar | 2-0 | Olympic Games | |
| 15 | 29.08.1984 | Drammen | Poland | 1-1 | ||
| 16 | 22.05.1985 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 0-1 | ||
| 17 | 10.09.1985 | Oslo | Egypt | 3-0 | ||
| 18 | 25.09.1985 | Lecce | Italy | 2-1 | ||
| 19 | 16.10.1985 | Oslo | Denmark | 1-5 |
|
World Cup Qualifier |
| 20 | 30.10.1985 | Moscow | Soviet Union | 0-1 | World Cup Qualifier | |
| 21 | 13.11.1985 | Luzern | Switzerland | 1-1 |
|
World Cup Qualifier |
| 22 | 26.02.1986 | St. George's | Grenada | 2-1 |
|
|
| 23 | 30.04.1986 | Oslo | Argentina | 1-0 | ||
| 24 | 13.05.1986 | Oslo | Denmark | 1-0 | ||
| 25 | 04.06.1986 | Bucharest | Romania | 1-3 |
|
|
| 26 | 20.08.1986 | Oslo | Romania | 2-2 | ||
| 27 | 09.09.1986 | Oslo | Hungary | 0-0 | ||
| 28 | 24.09.1986 | Oslo | East Germany | 0-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 29 | 29.10.1986 | Simferopol | Soviet Union | 0-4 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| Iraklis (Greece) | ||||||
| 30 | 24.03.1987 | Wroclaw | Poland | 1-4 |
|
|
| 31 | 28.05.1987 | Oslo | Italy | 0-0 | ||
| 32 | 03.06.1987 | Oslo | Soviet Union | 0-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 33 | 16.06.1987 | Oslo | France | 2-0 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 34 | 23.09.1987 | Oslo | Iceland | 0-1 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 35 | 14.10.1987 | Paris | France | 1-1 |
|
European Champ. Qual. |
| 36 | 28.10.1987 | Magdeburg | East Germany | 1-3 | European Champ. Qual. | |
| 37 | 28.07.1988 | Oslo | Brazil | 1-1 | ||
| 38 | 09.08.1988 | Oslo | Bulgaria | 1-1 | ||
| 39 | 14.09.1988 | Oslo | Scotland | 1-2 | World Cup Qualifier | |
NOTE: Matches in red are not recognized as full internationals by FIFA.