When Norway takes on England in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal, head coach Ståle Solbakken will stand on the touchline with a story unlike any other in world football. More than two decades ago, the former midfielder was declared clinically dead after suffering a cardiac arrest during a training session. Today, he is leading Norway back onto football’s biggest stage.
The remarkable journey from a hospital intensive care unit to the World Cup knockout rounds has become one of football’s most inspiring stories.
Ståle Solbakken was clinically dead for seven minutes
On March 13, 2001, Solbakken collapsed during a training session with FC Copenhagen after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating, and he stopped breathing.
Solbakken recalled that he has no memory of what happened. “I remember nothing,” he said.
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The first shock delivered by a defibrillator failed to restart his heart. Club doctor Frank Odgaard immediately began chest compressions before administering another shock, which eventually revived him.
Solbakken remained without breathing for seven minutes and was declared clinically dead. While doctors fought to save his life, his parents travelled from Norway to Denmark. He later revealed that his mother had begun preparing for the possibility of his funeral during the flight because nobody knew whether he would survive or if his brain had suffered irreversible damage.
He regained consciousness around 30 hours later in intensive care before being sedated again.
‘They take your life… and then they send you back.’
Doctors later implanted a pacemaker and deliberately stopped Solbakken’s heart during testing to ensure the device functioned properly.
Reflecting on that experience, he shared a haunting memory. “In the end, you disappear. They take your life, and then they send you back to life.” He also described seeing what appeared to be a tunnel filled with light. “It was a lovely light blue,” he said.
Doctors later explained that the vision was most likely caused by residual brain activity.
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Why did Solbakken decide to retire from football?
At just 33, Solbakken believed he still had several years left as a professional footballer. However, after surviving cardiac arrest, he decided not to return to playing.
The decision was not driven by fear for his own health alone. Instead, he worried about the emotional burden it would place on teammates and opponents if he collapsed again during a match. He later explained that he did not want others wondering every time he fell to the ground whether he would get back up.
Within a year of retiring, Solbakken began his coaching career with Norwegian club HamKam, guiding the side to a remarkable revival that earned him the nickname “Ståle Salvatore.”
Pacemaker setbacks never stopped Norway’s coach
Solbakken’s pacemaker has intervened more than once since his retirement. In 2009, he collapsed while running across a pitch before recovering within an hour.
Earlier this year, while speaking to reporters before announcing Norway’s World Cup squad, a journalist’s microphone unexpectedly interfered with his pacemaker.
After undergoing precautionary medical checks, he was cleared and even kept his scheduled appearance on a live podcast. “There was full service,” he said sarcastically.
From personal tragedy to Norway’s World Cup return
Another emotional challenge arrived last year when Solbakken’s mother passed away just weeks before Norway’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
He admitted that his grief had to wait until international duty ended, describing the delayed emotions with one Norwegian word: “Overfallet.”
Months later, Norway secured a place in the World Cup knockout stage after defeating Senegal. Solbakken celebrated by climbing into the stands to kiss his wife, Anniken Solbakken, while the players marked the moment on the pitch.
Now, with a pacemaker keeping the rhythm of a heart that once stopped beating, Solbakken prepares to lead Norway into one of the biggest matches in the nation’s football history against England at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
FAQs
Why did Ståle Solbakken retire from professional football?
Solbakken retired after surviving a cardiac arrest in 2001 and being fitted with a pacemaker.
How long was Ståle Solbakken clinically dead?
Ståle Solbakken was clinically dead for seven minutes before being revived with a defibrillator.