Portrait of Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Birthday profile

Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager

Born
February 26, 1973
Age in 2026
53
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1973

About Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈûːlə ˈɡʉ̂nːɑr ˈsûːlʂæːr]; born 26 February 1973) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player, who was most recently manager of Beşiktaş. He spent the majority of his playing career with Manchester United and made 67 appearances for the Norway national team. A forward, Solskjær began his career in his native Norway with Clausenengen, where he scored 115 goals in 109 league appearances over five seasons, helping the club earn promotion to the Norwegian Second Division in 1993. He then moved to Molde, newly promoted to the highest league in Norway, Tippeligaen, for the 1995 season. His goals helped Molde finish second and qualify for the UEFA Cup. In July 1996, Solskjær joined Manchester United for a transfer fee of £1.5 million. Nicknamed "the Baby-faced Assassin", he made 366 appearances for United and scored 126 goals during a successful period for the club. Renowned as a "super-sub" for his knack of scoring late goals off the bench, he famously netted the dramatic injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. That goal secured the treble for United, who had trailed 1–0 as the match entered stoppage time. He remained a regular player for the side until a serious knee injury sustained in 2003 began to plague his career. After several attempts to return, he announced his retirement from football in 2007. Solskjær remained at Manchester United after retiring, taking on both a coaching role and ambassadorial duties. In 2008, he was appointed manager of the club's reserve team. He returned to Norway in 2011 to manage his former club, Molde, leading them to their first-ever Tippeligaen titles in his first two seasons. He added a third major honour by winning the 2013 Norwegian Football Cup. In 2014, Solskjær took charge of Cardiff City, though the club was relegated from the Premier League during his tenure. In late 2018, he returned to Manchester United as caretaker manager following the departure of José Mourinho, taking charge for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. On 28 March 2019, after winning 14 of his first 19 matches in charge, Solskjær was appointed manager of Manchester United on a permanent basis with a three-year contract. He led the club to the 2021 UEFA Europa League final, where they were defeated by Villarreal in a penalty shoot-out. Following a poor run of results during the 2021–22 season, he was sacked by the club in November 2021. In January 2025, after three years out of management, Solskjær was appointed manager of Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş, but was sacked in August 2025 after failing to qualify for European football. On 10 August, Solskjær played in his first European competition, the qualification round for UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, against Belarusian team Dinamo-93 Minsk. Molde conceded in the first half but Solskjær managed to equalise in the 85th minute.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was born

Ole Gunnar Solskjær was born in 1973. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1973

  • #1 song"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Tony Orlando & Dawn
  • Top movieThe Sting
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookGravity's Rainbow – Thomas Pynchon

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSecretariat wins the Triple Crown with a record Belmont Stakes
  • Top headlineOPEC oil embargo triggers global energy crisis
  • Technology milestoneFirst mobile phone call (Martin Cooper, Motorola)
  • Defining fadPlatform shoes
  • Notable inventionMobile phone (Motorola prototype)
  • World population3.93 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
  • Sports championOakland Athletics (World Series)
  • Also wonNew York Knicks (NBA)
  • U.S. population211.9M

1973 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ole Gunnar Solskjær's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19732026
Gas$0.39$3.45/gal
Average home$22,100$435,000
Average income$13,500$67,500
Minimum wage$1.60$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.77$11.95
Postage stamp$0.08$0.73
Population211.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, UEFA. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.