Joining West Ham United from Borussia Mönchengladbach in summer 2016, Håvard Nordtveit played in our historic first-ever match at London Stadium before eventually ending his career in the Bundesliga with TSG Hoffenheim...
London calling
Growing up in Norway, the Premier League was the only football on television. Nowadays, our kids can watch all the European leagues but back then it was just the ‘Prem’ at the weekend or nothing at all.
My big hero was Norwegian legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær and, although I’ve always followed him throughout his playing and managerial career, don’t worry, I’m not a Manchester United fan!
In 2007, aged 17, I came to London to join Arsenal and, even today, people still tell me that I must’ve made a mistake because I never played for their first-team.
But they just don’t understand how my four years with the Gunners helped me with everything I achieved throughout my career.
Just like at West Ham later on, I was at a good club with good players. Every day, I’d train with top internationals like Robin van Persie, Cesc Fàbregas and Jens Lehmann and I never would’ve got that experience in the kindergarten of a Norwegian team.
It was the correct decision, 100%, to move to England as a teenager because I learned so much and, after leaving Arsenal in 2011, I spent five seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach, making nearly 200 appearances, in Germany.
Then, I got the opportunity to join West Ham United and just couldn’t turn it down…
Håvard the Hammer
Returning to London, I quickly realised 2016/17 was going to be a difficult season at the Football Club. The Hammers had just left the Boleyn Ground and many people weren’t happy with that decision but, although I’d heard all about that old stadium, I didn’t know anything else. I’d never played there.
The players and supporters were complaining that the atmosphere was different to what they’d been used to at Upton Park and everyone appeared to be struggling with the acoustics at the new place.
There were other issues, too, and with West Ham going through so much change it was becoming a difficult period for everyone connected with the Football Club.
But when you see where the Hammers have got to today, I’m sure people can understand why that decision to move was made. It was great to see them win the UEFA Europa Conference League last year, while they’ve had some good recent seasons in the Premier League, too.
In football, everything takes time but, looking back, it’s now very satisfying for me to have been part of that first year.
I’m also very proud of the fact that I played in the first-ever game at London Stadium against NK Domžale in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
We’d lost out in Slovenia (1-2) on my Hammers debut the previous Thursday so we not only needed to turn that result around in that second-leg but we also had to put on a really good performance for the opening match in the Club’s new home.
Thankfully, we won 3-0 to reach the play-off round, before beating Bournemouth (1-0) in the first-ever Premier League match there, too.
I went on to play 21 times and found myself in some different positions, too – central defence, right-back and midfield but I was always willing to play wherever Slaven Bilić wanted me to. It never worried me so long as I was helping the team.
I learned lots at West Ham, where everyone really took care of me and it was a brilliant experience to be there as we grew into our new stadium.
Although we didn’t do as well as we wanted during 2016/17, we still had fun winning a few matches and playing in Europe, too.
Victories always make football so much easier.
But by the end of that first season, I’d figured-out that I could do better in Germany, where I guess my game was more suited to the Bundesliga than the Premier League.
I’d still had some good times at West Ham, though, and always look back on 2016/17 with really fond memories.
Bundesliga-bound
You’ve always got to be honest with yourself, especially when you know what league’s best for your own personality.
I’d previously had a loan spell with FC Nürnberg and decided to go back to my earlier roots in Germany, where I linked-up with Julian Naglesmann at TSG Hoffenheim. I’d be working with one of the best up-and-coming managers in Europe and, although it took a couple of months to settle back in, I didn’t regret my decision for one moment.
The Premier League’s far more physical than the Bundesliga, where the football’s more technical and tactical. The German style is about keeping possession and slow build-up play. Teams also like to defend from high-up the pitch and that’s okay now that another Norwegian, Erling Haaland, has left Borussia Dortmund, where he always seemed to break away and score virtually one goal-per-game!
German clubs often give their reserve and youth squad coaches more opportunities to take over their first-teams, too, and as we’ve seen, managers like Nagelsmann – who’s currently in charge of Germany’s national side – can bring new, modern ideas to the game.
Jürgen Klopp has done well in England after bringing some of his Bundesliga-style from Dortmund into the Premier League at Liverpool.
SC Freiburg’s coach, Christian Streich, is very demanding, too, and as West Ham would’ve seen in last Thursday’s first-leg, his team can run for the full 90 minutes and more.
I played 12 matches against them during my career and only won on three occasions. The Freiburg academy has always been very good at producing youngsters, too, and on their day, they can be a very difficult side to beat.
Streich makes his players train hard every time and I’m told he’ll often put on double-sessions so his team can run further, faster and longer than their opponents. It’s certainly going to be an interesting second-leg…
No-way for Norway
It's been really disappointing that Norway won’t be at this summer’s UEFA European Championships because I’m sure that everyone would’ve liked to have seen the guy with the really big stats – Erling Haaland – playing at Euro 24.
We’ve also got Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard, while Oscar Bobb is breaking through at Manchester City, too. I won 52 caps for my country and, back then, only a few of us actually played outside Norway. Most of the national team were based at home but nowadays it’s totally gone the other way with many Norwegian internationals playing in the big European leagues.
Certainly, Erling and Martin should be featuring in the major tournaments and, when I look through our national team, I still see a very bright future – hopefully, Norway will be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in two years’ time.
Agent Håvard
I played around 70 matches for Hoffenheim – and also had a five-game loan-spell with Fulham in 2018/19 – before badly ripping my hamstring against Eintracht Frankfurt in April 2022.
It was a serious injury and, needing three or four months rehabilitation, I began wondering whether I’d ever play again?
Back home in Norway, my first professional club – FK Haugesund – said I could come and join them whenever I wanted but you need to have the motivation to play.
It was always going to be a lose/lose situation because the expectations of the supporters would’ve been so high, while, in my own thoughts, I knew things never would’ve been the same again out on the football pitch.
Aged 32, it was a really tough decision to retire but thankfully I’ve been able to stay in the game, representing players.
I’d already known for some time that, one day, I wanted to work alongside Jim Solbakken, my agent of 16 years. For me, he’s the greatest in the business and, with Jim’s wide network of contacts, we’re constantly trying to find the next Haaland or Ødegaard to put into an academy in England or Germany where – 100% - they’ll develop far more quickly than they ever will in Norway.
I went through most things in football during my 16-year, 400-game career and can now sit down at the table with these boys and speak with a voice of reason and experience. I’m always trying to make them have a really positive outlook rather than, say, view the negative side of things.
I love being back home in Norway alongside my wife Anna with our three children, Odin, Elva and Aksel but, despite what people may think, it’s hard work being an agent and travelling everywhere.
There are 80 kids at our local club, where Odin and Elva play in the boys’ and girls’ academies. I just try to stay low-key and watch them from the side-lines, although sometimes I find it hard not to step-in and attempt to take control of the sessions!
I’d love to see them go on and enjoy a career of their own in the game but these are such early, early days and I’ll never push them. When they get older, it’ll be entirely their choice as to what they want to do with their lives.
Meanwhile, even though I had to retire early, I’m proud of the fact that the final match of my career was in the Bundesliga and not some obscure game in Norway.
And I certainly don’t sit around moaning that I’m missing this or that. Football’s been a big part of my life and I’m fortunate to still be involved.
I’m always watching out for my old teams in England and Germany and, when I look at that Premier League table, the Hammers are certainly up there where they should be. Like I’ve said, I’ve got fond memories of my season at West Ham United.
