{{short description|Norwegian footballer (1957–2003)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Roger Albertsen | image = | full_name = | birth_date = 15 March 1957 | birth_place = [[Odda Municipality]], Norway | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2003|3|2|1957|3|15}} | height = | position = [[Midfielder]] | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = [[Odda FK|Odda IL]] | years1 = 1973–1975 | clubs1 = [[Odda FK|Odda IL]] | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1975–1979 | clubs2 = [[FC Den Haag]] | caps2 = 117 | goals2 = 16 | years3 = 1979–1980 | clubs3 = [[Feyenoord]] | caps3 = 28 | goals3 = 1 | clubs4 = [[FC Den Haag]] | years4 = 1980–1981 | caps4 = 18 | goals4 = 6 | clubs5 = [[KFC Winterslag]] | years5 = 1981–1982 | caps5 = 39 | goals5 = 3 | clubs6 = [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]] | years6 = 1982–1985 | caps6 = 65 | goals6 = 7 | years7 = 1985–1987 | clubs7 = [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]] | caps7 = 35 | goals7 = 5 | totalcaps = 299 | totalgoals = 38 | nationalyears1 = 1976–1984 | nationalteam1 = [[Norway national football team|Norway]] | nationalcaps1 = 25 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | manageryears1 = 1986-1987 | managerclubs1 = [[Orkanger IF]] | manageryears2 = 1989–1992 | managerclubs2 = Sistranda IL | manageryears3 = 1993–1996 | managerclubs3 = [[Sokna IL]] | manageryears4 = 1997–2001 | managerclubs4 = [[Kongsberg IF]] }}
'''Roger Albertsen''' (15 March 1957 – 2 March 2003) was a Norwegian former professional [[association football|football]]er who played as a [[midfielder]]. At the age of 17 he travelled abroad, playing professionally for Dutch team [[FC Den Haag]]. He later played for [[Feyenoord Rotterdam]], [[KFC Winterslag]] and [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]], before he returned to Norway in 1985, making his debut in the [[Tippeligaen|Norwegian Premier League]] for [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]].
==Club career==
===Netherlands=== Albertsen began his career with local lower-division sides [[Tyssedal]] and [[Odda (town)|Odda]]. He was regarded as a promising talent, and represented Norway several times at youth level. Nonetheless, it came as something of a shock when he left the country at age 17 to try his luck in the Netherlands, joining his compatriot [[Harald Berg]]'s old club Den Haag. Albertsen made his debut for the club in 1975, and soon became a regular in the Den Haag lineup, earning praise for his tireless running and no–nonsense physical play. His performance in the [[Eredivisie]] at Den Haag did not go unnoticed back home and he made his debut for Norway in 1976.
In the summer of 1979, Albertsen was transferred to Feyenoord, where he became a valuable player in the side that finished fourth in the league and won the [[KNVB Cup|cup]]. However, at the end of the season, after just one year in [[Rotterdam]], he returned to Den Haag.
===Winterslag=== Albertsen played one more season for Den Haag, and then he was on the move again – this time to Belgian side Winterslag (now known as [[Racing Genk]] following a 1988 merger), reportedly because the municipality of The Hague argued Albertsen behaved unsportsmanlike due to his yellow and red cards that season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.omroepwest.nl/sport/4955880/druk-vanuit-het-stadhuis-toen-ado-den-haag-een-speler-verplicht-moest-laten-gaan|title=Druk vanuit het stadhuis: toen ADO Den Haag een speler verplicht moest laten gaan|website=Omroep West|language=nl|date=17 April 2025|access-date=11 April 2026}}</ref> Albertsen quickly became a fan favorite at the Belgian club, and his performances earned him a recall to the national team for the World Cup qualifier against England – the game that would provide Albertsen's finest moment in a Norway shirt.
===Olympiacos=== Midway through the 1982–83 season, Albertsen was signed by Greek giants [[Olympiacos F.C.|Olympiacos]], where he won a [[Alpha Ethniki|league championship]] medal. He spent three years at the club, doing the dirty work in midfield, before his old friend Arne Dokken persuaded him to return home and play for [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
===Rosenborg=== So, in the summer of 1985, after a decade abroad, Albertsen played his first-ever [[Norwegian Premier League|top division]] game in the Norwegian league. He was a member of the Rosenborg side that won the title in dramatic fashion in 1985, and played two more years at the [[Trondheim]] club before retiring because of injury at the end of the [[Norwegian First Division 1987|1987 season]].
==International career== Albertsen was capped 25 times<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/noo-recintlp.html Norway – Record International Players] – RSSSF</ref> for [[Norway national football team|Norway]], having debuted in 1976. Many remember him from the famous match against [[England national football team|England]] in 1981, where he was awarded the 1–1 goal, despite that television replays have later shown that Albertsen did in fact not touch the ball, and [[Tom Lund]]'s cross went straight into the net.
He made his international debut in a [[FIFA World Cup qualification|World Cup qualifier]] against [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] in [[1978 FIFA World Cup qualification|1976]]. He is credited with scoring the equaliser in Norway's win over England in [[1982 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|1981]]. Bryan Robson gave the visitors the lead after 15 minutes. In the 35th minute, Albertsen went after a cross from Tom Lund and the ball went into the net. Albertsen was credited with the goal, but television replays seem to indicate that Albertsen did not make contact with the ball before it crossed the line. [[Hallvar Thoresen]] scored Norway's second goal four minutes before half-time and Norway went on to win the game 2–1.
Albertsen now got an extended run in the national side, and scored two more goals in a pair of summer friendlies. This time there was no doubt about Albertsen being the scorer. He was also a member of the team that defeated [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]] 3–1 in a [[1984 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying|Euro 84 qualifier]]. Shortly after that match, he was on the move again.
==Style of play== {{Unsourced section|date=May 2026}} Albertsen was a [[midfielder]] known for his physical style of play and consistent work rate. Although he did not become a regular first-choice selection for the Norway national team, he contributed reliably when called upon. While not primarily recognized for technical flair, he was valued for his determination and commitment at club level.
==Retirement and death== After retiring from the game, Albertsen worked in the computer business, and also held coaching jobs for lower-division sides Sistranda, Orkanger, Sokna and Kongsberg. In late 2002, he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died from the disease in March 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/noorse-exfeyenoorder-albertsen-overlijdt|title=Noorse ex-Feyenoorder Albertsen overlijdt|website=Voetbal International|language=nl|date=3 March 2003|access-date=11 April 2026}}</ref>
==Honours== '''Feyenoord''' * [[KNVB Cup]]: 1979–80
'''Olympiacos''' * [[Super League Greece]]: [[Alpha Ethniki 1982-83|1982–83]]
'''Rosenborg''' * [[Norwegian Premier League]]: [[Norwegian First Division 1985|1985]]<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_trondelag/sport_nrk_trondelag/rbk/1.1065148|title = Mestvinnende| date=19 October 2006 |accessdate =3 November 2009|publisher = [[Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation]]|language = Norwegian}}</ref>
'''Individual''' * [[Norwegian Football Association Gold Watch]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{in lang|no}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807131505/http://geocities.com/dagtho/noproff-a.html |date=7 August 2009 |title=Career bio }} *{{in lang|no}} [http://fotball.bt.no/stats/player.jhtml?leagueID=1&playerID=1382 Career bio, Bergens Tidende] * {{NFT player|pid=22198}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albertsen, Roger}} [[Category:1957 births]] [[Category:2003 deaths]] [[Category:People from Odda Municipality]] [[Category:Footballers from Vestland]] [[Category:Men's association football midfielders]] [[Category:Norwegian men's footballers]] [[Category:Norway men's international footballers]] [[Category:ADO Den Haag players]] [[Category:Feyenoord players]] [[Category:K.F.C. Winterslag players]] [[Category:Olympiacos F.C. players]] [[Category:Rosenborg BK players]] [[Category:Eredivisie players]] [[Category:Belgian Pro League players]] [[Category:Super League Greece players]] [[Category:Eliteserien players]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Belgium]] [[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Greece]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Greece]] [[Category:Norwegian football managers]] [[Category:Orkanger IF managers]] [[Category:Kongsberg IF managers]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in Norway]] [[Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen]]