THE England game is going to be a very special occasion. I remember a time when the TV would show one Premier League match every Saturday on TV back in Norway, and we would all watch it. English football on Norwegian TV has been a thing for a very long time. So the reputation and the history of English football in Norway is so strong. And if you come to Norway and ask people ‘who they support’, they will always say the name of an English club. Even otherwise, the game will be special because it’s the biggest dream for a lot of young Norwegian players to play in the Premier League. And, of course, this team has a lot of players playing in the Premier League. That’s why the game is going to be so special. We beat them before, and we can hopefully beat them again.
About the current Norway side, it’s a new generation who have come through, and they have been doing so well. They stick together; it’s good to see that they are just a good bunch of boys that have fun and play football together. It’s one of the reasons why the people in Norway are so happy.
That happiness and excitement were there even when the team went to the US to begin their World Cup journey. We were all so excited because we hadn’t been in a tournament for 26 years (Euro 2000) or in a World Cup for 28 years (1998). Everyone has been behind them from the opening game. I think there was always this feeling and belief that on a good day, we could beat anybody. During the qualifying tournament, we didn’t lose a single game (they beat Italy home and away and scored 37 goals in eight games). I think the squad was free of expectations, but if everything worked well, we could beat anyone (smiles).
Of course, Erling Haaland is mega big and Martin Odegaard as well, but Alexander Sorloth plays for Atletico. We have players in the big European leagues, and after a great World Cup qualification, Norwegian players are well known now. In the past, we didn’t have so many players abroad. Going forward, there will be more players because we have Norwegian teams doing well in Europe and the national team is doing ever so well. It’s just going to strengthen Norwegian football’s standing in Europe as well as across the world. It always helps when you have a young generation like this coming through.
On Bodo/Glimt itself (when asked to talk about Patrick Berg’s influence in midfield), my mum and dad live in Bodo. My dad played for Bodo/Glimt before he was a director there. I know Patrick well. They had an amazing run in Europe, it just shows that if you have a strong sense of the collective, you can go very far. That was their biggest strength. What can I say about Patrick. He’s an unbelievable footballer but a fantastic person off the pitch as well, he’s the ideal role model for kids. He has done so well but it’s not a surprise, no. He showed his capacity in the Champions League as well (they beat Man City and Atletico in the league phase before beating Inter Milan in the knockouts; Norway has three players from Bodo/Glimt in their 26-man squad).
Lastly, what can I say about the Viking Row (smiles)? It has become a worldwide phenomenon over the last month. It’s unbelievable to be in the Stadium and to see 1000s of people do it. Everybody now knows it’s a Norwegian thing. So, it’s quite cool.
(As told to Swaroop Swaminathan)
Pedersen, who represented Norway 83 times from 2004 till 2014, played 259 times in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers (34 goals and 41 assists).