Thorbjørn Svenssen
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Thorbjørn Svenssen in 1951
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ole Thorbjørn Svenssen | ||
| Date of birth | 22 April 1924 | ||
| Place of birth | Sandefjord, Norway | ||
| Date of death | 8 January 2011 (aged 86) | ||
| Place of death | Sandefjord, Norway | ||
| Playing position | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1945–1966 | Sandefjord | ||
| National team | |||
| 1947–1962 | Norway | 104 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Thorbjørn Svenssen (22 April 1924 – 8 January 2011) was a Norwegian footballer, who played a then record 104 international games for Norway, and captained the side 93 times. He was one of the first footballers who played 100 international games for their country.
Svenssen was a tall and strong central defender who played his entire career for his hometown team Sandefjord. At club level, Svenssen played 22 seasons for Sandefjord, but never won any major trophies (Sandefjord finished second in the league in 1955–56). However, he did play twice in the Norwegian cup final (1957 and 1959), finishing on the losing side both times. His steady and solid play at the back earned him the nickname "Klippen" ("The Rock").
Svenssen made his international debut on 11 June 1947, in a friendly against Poland. He remained virtually ever-present in the national side throughout the next decade and a half. He was named captain in his 12th international (a friendly against Egypt on Christmas Eve 1948), and kept the captain's armband throughout the rest of his international career.
Svenssen won his 100th cap against Denmark on 17 September 1961. At the time, Svenssen was only the second player in the history of football to reach 100 international appearances. The first was Billy Wright, who reached the milestone in October 1958. Svenssen's 104th and final cap came in a 2-1 win against the Netherlands on 16 May 1962.
When he received his 104th cap, Svenssen was 38 years and 24 days, and is the third oldest player at the Norwegian national team, only beaten by Gunnar Thoresen and Ronny Johnsen.
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