Vegard Forren

Vegard Forren

Forren in 2018 with Molde
Personal information
Full name	Vegard Valgermo Forren[1]
Date of birth	(1988-02-16) 16 February 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Kyrksæterøra, Norway
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
	KIL/Hemne
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2007–2013	Molde	146	(5)
2013	Southampton	0	(0)
2013–2017	Molde	92	(5)
2017	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	(0)
2017–2020	Molde	55	(1)
2020–2021	Brann	36	(0)
2021	Eide og Omegn	5	(0)
2022–2023	Træff	22	(2)
2023	KÍ Klaksvík	17	(1)
International career
2008–2010	Norway U21	14	(3)
2011–2012	Norway U23	2	(0)
2012–2017	Norway	33	(1)
Medal record Molde Winner Tippeligaen 2011 Winner Tippeligaen 2012 Winner Norwegian Football Cup 2013 Winner Tippeligaen 2014 Winner Norwegian Football Cup 2014 Winner Eliteserien 2019
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2023

Vegard Valgermo Forren (born 16 February 1988) is a former Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. He was capped over 30 times for the Norway national team.

Born in Kyrksæterøra, Forren was originally a youth player at local club KIL/Hemne, before starting his professional career with Molde in 2007. After making over 150 appearances for Molde, he joined Southampton in January 2013 for a fee in the region of £4 million, but ended up not playing a single game. He returned to Molde in July 2013 for an undisclosed fee. As of 1 December 2019, Forren has made 384 appearances for Molde, the second-highest number of appearances by any player for the club. Alongside Trond Strande and Mattias Moström, he is the only player to have appearances for Molde in 12 consecutive Eliteserien seasons.

Club career

Molde

Forren was first discovered by Molde FK when they met KIL/Hemne in the first round of the Norwegian Football Cup. KIL/Hemne surprisingly won the match 3–1, with Forren and two other young players impressing highly. They were afterwards invited to trial for Molde in a junior tournament.^[2] Shortly after Forren signed a five-year deal with Molde.^[3] On 26 August 2007, Forren made his Molde debut as a 59th-minute substitute in the club's 12–1 win against Mandalskameratene. He got seven league games in the 2007 season and helped the team promote to the 2008 Tippeligaen. He took the Tippeligaen by storm and European clubs as A.C. Milan, Newcastle,^[4] Liverpool^[5] and Hoffenheim,^[6] have watched him playing for Molde. But Forren stated that he wanted to stay in Molde for a while, even though his dream was to eventually play in a bigger European league. He said that he was still young and had a long career in front of him. He was also linked with Lazio^[7] and F.C. Copenhagen.^[8]

After winning the Tippeligaen with Molde in 2011, Molde rejected two offers from Club Brugge in December 2011.^[9] Forren then won the Norwegian league with Molde in 2012 for the second time in a row and VG and Aftenposten, along with broadcaster TV2, named Forren as the top defender in the Tippeligaen.^[10]

Southampton

On 18 January 2013, Forren signed for Premier League side Southampton on a three-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.^[11] His first game was for the club's under-21 side on 4 March against Liverpool, when he scored the opening goal for the Saints in the 30th minute with a volley.^[12] During his six months at the club, Forren did not make an appearance for the Southampton first team.^[13]

Return to Molde

Rumoured to make a return move back to Molde, Forren insisted he wanted to stay at Southampton to fight for his place.^[14] However, on 11 July 2013, he left Southampton to return to Molde for an undisclosed fee.^[15] Molde won the 2013 Norwegian Cup after rivals Rosenborg was defeated 4–2 in the final. Forren assisted Jo Inge Berget on Molde's 2–2 equalizing goal in the game. He left the club on 1 January 2017, when his contract expired.^[16]

Brighton & Hove Albion

Forren signed for Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on 7 March 2017 until the end of the 2016–17 season.^[17][18] He did not make a single appearance at the club and was released at the end of the season.^[19]

Second return to Molde

Forren re-signed for Molde FK on 27 July 2017.^[20] On 12 December 2017, he signed a new two-year contract with Molde.^[21] On 25 March 2019, Forren extended his contract to the end of the 2021 season.^[22] On 28 May 2020, Molde announced that Forren would leave the club by mutual agreement on 31 May 2020,^[23] after Forren stole money gathered from players fines to cover gambling debts.^[24][25]

Restart at Brann

On 9 June 2020, Forren signed a one-year contract with SK Brann.^[26] On 13 August 2021, the club and player agreed to terminate the contract following an unsanctioned late-night party at the club's stadium two days prior, where 12 players and 7 women were in attendance. On 26 August 2021, he was formally charged with raping a woman at the party. He denied the charges and the case was dropped on account of insufficient evidence on 20 October 2021.^[27][28]

KÍ

On 11 January 2023, Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag of the Faroe Islands Premier League announced the signing of Forren to a one-year contract.^[29]

International career

Forren made his debut for Norway U21 in the match against Ukraine U21 on 26 March 2008.^[30] He played a total of 14 matches for the under-21 team, scoring three goals, and was later capped twice for the under-23 team.^[31]

Forren made his debut for Norway in the 2012 King's Cup match against Thailand on 18 January 2012.^[32] He also played against South Korea a few days later, but had to wait to October 2012 for his first competitive match when he started the match against Switzerland,^[33] and played five consecutive matches alongside Brede Hangeland in Norway's central defence, until he was left out of the Norwegian squad for the match against Albania in June 2013 due to lack of playing time in Southampton.^[34]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 14 December 2923^[35]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Molde	2007	1. divisjon	7	0	1	0	—		—		—		8	0
	2008	Tippeligaen	25	0	5	1	—		—		—		30	1
	2009		27	3	7	1	—		—		—		34	4
	2010		28	0	3	0	—		4[a]	0	—		35	0
	2011		29	1	2	0	—		—		—		31	1
	2012		30	1	3	0	—		10[b]	1	—		43	2
	Total		146	5	21	2	—	—	14	1	—	—	181	8
Southampton	2012–13	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Molde	2013	Tippeligaen	14	0	2	0	—		6[c]	0	—		22	0
	2014		28	4	6	0	—		4[a]	2	—		38	6
	2015		27	1	3	0	—		11[d]	1	—		42	2
	2016		23	0	1	0	—		2[a]	0	—		24	0
	Total		92	5	12	0	—	—	23	3	—	—	127	8
Brighton & Hove Albion	2016–17	EFL Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Molde	2017	Eliteserien	10	0	2	0	—		—		—		12	0
	2018		26	1	1	0	—		8[a]	0	—		35	1
	2019		18	0	3	0	—		7	1	0	0	28	1
	Total		55	1	6	0	—	—	15	1	—	—	76	2
Brann	2020	Eliteserien	25	0	—		—		—		—		25	0
	2021		11	0	0	0	—		—		—		11	0
	Total		36	0	0	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	36	0
Træff	2022	PostNord-ligaen	22	2	1	0	—		—		—		23	2
	Total		22	2	1	0	—	—	0	0	—	—	23	2
KÍ Klaksvik	2023	Faroe Islands Premier League	17	1	2	0	—		14	0	—		33	1
	Total		17	1	2	0	—	—	14	0	—	—	33	1
Career total			368	14	42	2	—	—	66	5	—	—	47	21

1. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
2. Three appearances in Champions League qualifying rounds and seven appearances in Europa League, including play-offs
3. Four appearances in Champions League qualifying rounds and two appearances in Europa League play-offs
4. Four appearances in Champions League qualifying rounds and seven appearances in Europa League, including play-offs

International

As of match played 11 November 2016

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Norway	2012	5	0
	2013	5	0
	2014	10	0
	2015	9	1
	2016	4	0
Total		33	1

Honours

Molde

• Tippeligaen/Eliteserien: 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019
• Norwegian Cup: 2013, 2014

Individual

• Tippeligaen Defender of the Year: 2012^[36]

References

1. "Vegard Valgermo Forren" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
2. (in Norwegian)"KIL/Hemnes cuphelter skal trene med MFK". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
3. (in Norwegian)"KIL/Hemnes cuphelt signerte for MFK". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 23 June 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2008.
4. (in Norwegian)"Storspilte med Milan og Newcastle på tribunen". VG (in Norwegian). 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
5. (in Norwegian)"Liverpool så Molde-spiller". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). 21 June 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
6. (in Norwegian)"Forren kobles til Bundesliga-klubb". VG (in Norwegian). 2 July 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2008.
7. (in Norwegian)"Lazio vil ha Forren". TV 2 Sporten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
8. (in Norwegian)"Forren vil vurdere FC København-tilbud". TV 2 Sporten (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
9. "Molde avviste to Brugge-bud på Forren". db.no (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
10. "Meet Southampton's new signing Vegard Forren: The Norway defender 'good enough to play for Manchester United'". Goal (website). 18 January 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
11. "In Profile – Vegard Forren". Southampton FC. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
12. "Saints U21s 1–1 Liverpool U21s: Report". Southampton F.C. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
13. Lønning, Simen (17 June 2013). "Uviss framtid for Vegard Forren" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
14. "Southampton defender Forren rejects Molde loan return". Goal (website). 29 June 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
15. "Southampton release Richard Chaplow and Vegard Forren". BBC Sport. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
16. "Alle Eliteserie-overgangene i januar" (in Swedish). m.nettavisen.no. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
17. Camillin, Paul (7 March 2017). "Albion boost defenmsive options". Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
18. "Vegard Forren: Brighton sign Norway defender until end of season". BBC Sport. March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
19. "Albion Offer New Deals To Four". Brighton & Hove Albion Official Site. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
20. "FORREN TILBAKE I MOLDE FK". moldefk.no (in Norwegian). Molde FK. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
21. "FORREN MED TO NYE ÅR". moldefk.no (in Norwegian). Molde FK. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
22. "Forren klar for flere år i Molde" [Forren ready for more years in Molde]. moldefk.no (in Norwegian). Molde FK. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
23. "MOLDE FK OG VEGARD FORREN ER ENIGE OM FRATREDELSE". moldefk.no/ (in Norwegian). Molde FK. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
24. "FORREN INNRØMMER GAMBLINGPROBLEM – TOK OPP LÅN FOR Å DEKKE SPILLEGJELD". vg.no/ (in Norwegian). VG. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
25. "Stjal fra kassa - saken henlagt". 26 August 2021.
26. "FORREN HAR SIGNERT FOR BRANN". brann.no/ (in Norwegian). SK Brann. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
27. "Mannen ble siktet for voldtekt etter skandale-nachspielet på Brann stadion - nå er innstillingen klar". 20 October 2021.
28. "Vegard Forren snakker ut om voldtektsiktelsen". 14 February 2022.
29. "Vegard Forren til KÍ". ki.fo (in Icelandic). Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
30. "Gullballen til Vegard Forren" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Norwegian News Agency. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
31. "Vegard Forren's profil". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
32. "Reginiussens deilige landslagsrevansj". fvn.no (in Norwegian). Fædrelandsvennen. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
33. Saltbones, Fredrik (12 October 2012). "Søderlund og Forren starter for Norge" (in Norwegian). Adresseavisa. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
34. Hustad, Trond (22 May 2013). "- Overrasket og skuffet" (in Norwegian). Romsdals Budstikke. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
35. "Vegard Forren". altomfotball.no. alt om fotball. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
36. "Molde-dominans på årets Kniksenpriser". aftenposten.no (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2018.

External links

• Vegard Forren at Soccerbase
• Player profile on official club website (in Norwegian)
• From working at REMA to playing for the national team (in Norwegian)
• Vegard Forren – UEFA competition record (archive)