Lars-Christopher Vilsvik

Lars-Christopher Horst Jan Vilsvik (born 18 October 1988) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a defender for the Eliteserien side Strømsgodset. Vilsvik, who has a German mother and a Norwegian father, grew up in Germany where he played for the amateur sides Tennis Borussia Berlin and Lichterfelder FC. In 2010, he made his professional debut in Norway with Strømsgodset. Being eligible to play for both Norway and Germany, Vilsvik made his debut for the Norwegian national team in 2012.

Career

Club career

Vilsvik was born in West Berlin^[2] to a Norwegian father and a German mother,^[3] and began his football career as a 6-year old for the club Tennis Borussia Berlin, where he played with his good friend Jérôme Boateng.^[4]

Lichterfelder FC

When he was 16 years old he began playing for the German fifth-tier club Lichterfelder FC. He played half a season as a junior for the club, before he as the youngest player (17) was promoted to the first team, where he played for four years. He also had trials at Rosenborg BK,^[3] Hamburger SV^[5] and Eintracht Braunschweig.^[6]

Strømsgodset

In November 2009, Vilsvik went on trial for the Norwegian club Strømsgodset, mostly as a favor to his uncle, who was a sponsor. He impressed the coach and sports director, and was given a three-year contract with the club.^[7] He became a regular starter in his first season, with 21 league games, and won the Norwegian Cup the same year.

In 2013, he declined a move to Eintracht Braunschweig because he wanted to win the league with his club.^[8]

By 11 August 2017, when he signed a new 4.5-year-contract, Vilsvik had made 243 appearances for the club, placing him 8th in club history.^[8] He won the cup in 2010, the league in 2013, and runner-up in the league in 2012 and 2014.^[8]

International career

With both a German and Norwegian citizenship, Vilsvik was eligible to represent both his mother's and father's country.^[9]

In November 2011 he was called up in the Norway squad, for their game with Wales as a replacement for Tom Høgli.^[10] Vilsvik made his debut for the national team in January 2012 for the King's Cup in Thailand, where he played his first two international matches. He was again called up for the national team for in June 2012 as a replacement for Jonathan Parr, and with Vilsvik's teammate Kim André Madsen also in the squad, Strømsgodset had two players in the Norwegian squad for the first time since 1970.^[11]

Career statistics

Club

^[12]

Honours

Club

• Strømsgodset:
  • Tippeligaen: 2013
  • Norwegian Football Cup: 2010

Individual

• Eliteserien Defender of the Year: 2013

References

1. ^
2. ^ "Lars-Christopher Vilsvik" (in Norwegian). altomfotball.no. TV 2. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
3. ^ "Realiserte en felles drøm" (in Norwegian). touch.dt.no. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
4. ^ "Godset-Vilsvik barndomsvenn med Tyskland-stjerne" (in Norwegian). vg.no. Verdens Gang. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
5. ^ "Vilsvik zum Probetraining beim HSV" (in German). die-fans.de. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
6. ^ "Bunoza und Vilsvik heute bei Eintracht im Probetraining" (in German). braunschweiger-zeitung.de. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
7. ^ "Vilsvik fra Norge-tvil til landslagsjubel" (in Norwegian). VG. 8 November 2011.
8. ^ "Vilsvik signerer ny langtidskontrakt" (in nb-NO). Strømsgodset. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
9. ^ "Anruf vom Onkel" (in German). tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
10. ^ "Høgli melder forfall - Vilsvik inn i troppen" (in Norwegian). VG. 8 November 2011.
11. ^ Hoff, Jørgen B. (1 June 2012). "Dette har ikke skjedd på landslaget siden 1970" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
12. ^ "Lars Vilsvik" (in Norwegian). altomfotball.no. TV 2. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.

External links

• Profile at Godset.no