Helge Haugen

Helge Haugen

Haugen while playing for Tromsø in 2008 Photo taken by Jarle Vines
Personal information
Date of birth	(1982-02-15) 15 February 1982 (age 35)
Place of birth	Bergen, Norway
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team	Sogndal
Number	6
Youth career
	Åsane
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Åsane
2002–2007	Brann	88	(2)
2007–2011	Tromsø	90	(2)
2011	→ Hønefoss (loan)	29	(1)
2012–2013	Hønefoss	53	(1)
2014–	Sogndal	27	(0)
National team
2003	Norway U21	1	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 November 2014.

Helge Haugen (born 15 February 1982) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sogndal. Born in Bergen, Haugen started his professional career in the local Tippeligaen club Brann. During his time at the club, he won the 2004 Norwegian Football Cup and the 2007 Tippeligaen. He has later played for Tromsø and Hønefoss, before he joined Sogndal ahead of the 2014 season. Haugen played one match for the Norwegian under-21 team in 2003.

Haugen was born in Bergen and grew up in Åsane, where he played for Åsane Fotball. He did also compete in orienteering during his youth, becoming a medallist in the Norwegian youth orienteering championship. Haugen represented Norway at youth international level, where he made eight appearances without scoring a goal between 1998 and 2000. He played for Åsane's first team in the 2. Divisjon in 2001, when the team won promotion to the 1. Divisjon. After the season, he transferred to the Tippeligaen team Brann.

Haugen made his debut for Brann against Bodø/Glimt in May 2002, and made two appearances in Tippeligaen in his first season with the club. After the 2002 season, where Brann had to play play-off matches against Sandefjord, the head coach Teitur Thordarson stated that Haugen and five other players did not have a future with the club. While four of the players were released from their contracts, Thordarson wanted to send Haugen on loan to another club. Ahead of the 2003 season, Mons Ivar Mjelde replaced Thordarson as Brann's head coah, and Mjelde wanted to keep Haugen at the club, and he subsequently made his break-through at the first team during the second half of the season and was also called up to the Norwegian under-21 team for the first team. He made his only appearance for the under-21 in the match against Scotland U21 on 19 August 2003. After a poor start to the 2003 season for Brann, Mjelde decided to use Haugen along with Seyi Olofinjana in the central midfield, which was one of the contributing factors to Brann's good performance in the second half of the season when the team kept clear of relegation.