Nils Arne Eggen, the most successful club manager in Norwegian football history and manager of Rosenborg’s golden era, he died at 81 years of age.
“Today we receive with great sorrow the message that the club’s greatest legend has died. Nils Arne passed away last night surrounded by his closest relatives,” states in a Rosenborg statement.
Nils Arne Eggen er tidenes største norske fotballtrener og Rosenborgs aller største navn og stjerne.
Natt til onsdag sovnet han stille inn, 80 år gammel.https://t.co/XQjhe2tHPf
— Rosenborg Ballklub (@RBKfotball) January 19, 2022
Although Eggen won three leagues as a player with Rosenborg and Vålerenga and was capped 29 times by the senior team, he is remembered above all for his coaching career.
Between 1971 and 2010, in four different stages, led Rosenborg to win 14 leagues, 11 of them in a row, and he qualified for the Champions League eight consecutive times, apart from achieving six cups and as many doubles.
It was in the top European competition where Eggen achieved some of his most notorious triumphs, like the 2-0 in 1997 against Real Madrid (the only loss in that tournament for the team that won his seventh European Cup) or those achieved in subsequent seasons and at home against Milan (1-2) or Borussia Dortmund (0-3).
One of the greatest legend of Norwegian football ever, Nils Arne Eggen, has died.
The “Sir Alex” of Rosenborg who had success in the Champions League with nearly only “home-made” players.
A fantastic personality that I loved to be around
RIP 🙏❤️ https://t.co/FFvwuoZITl— Jan Aage Fjørtoft 🏳️🌈 🇳🇴 (@JanAageFjortoft) January 19, 2022
Eggen, who he was also Norwegian coach, conquered yet another league in 1987 as Moss FK technician.
Retired since 2016, he was an icon of Norwegian football who had a statue of his own in front of Lerkendal, Rosenborg Stadium.
“Few people have meant more for norwegian sport that he and few have shown so many that the impossible is possible”, said the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstüen.
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