Frank Strandli
Frank Strandli (born 16 May 1972) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a striker.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 May 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Kristiansand, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1989–1992 | IK Start | 81 | (29) |
| 1993–1994 | Leeds United | 16 | (2) |
| 1993 | → IK Start (loan) | 8 | (7) |
| 1994 | → SK Brann (loan) | 20 | (7) |
| 1995 | SK Brann | 23 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Lillestrøm SK | 38 | (15) |
| 1997–1999 | Panathinaikos | 39 | (11) |
| 1999–2001 | Aalborg Boldspilklub | 53 | (24) |
| National team | |||
| 1989–1990 | Norway u-18 | 6 | (1) |
| 1990–1993 | Norway u-21 | 26 | (12) |
| 1992–1999 | Norway | 24 | (3) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 September 2007 | |||
Club career
Strandli was recognised as a fast and physically strong striker. After success in IK Start, he signed for league champions Leeds in 1993 and scored on his debut, coming off the bench against Middlesbrough. Still, he was not able to hold down a regular first team place.
He had been loaned to IK Start from May to July 1993, and in 1994 he was loaned to SK Brann, signing a permanent deal ahead of the 1995 season.[1] After this earned success in Lillestrøm SK, scoring 15 times in 38 league games.[2] This earned him a move to the Greek top club Panathinaikos.
His last professional club was AaB before he was forced to retire due to a groin injury.[3] During his injury spell he received guidance from mental coach Christian M. Larsen. The coaching techniques Strandli learned at this stage of his career is believed to have helped him come back from injury. He made a return in 2009 with fellow footballer Andreas Lund when both joined FC Lund, a club in the Norwegian sixth tier[4] as a central defender.[3][4]
International career
He played 24 matches for the Norway national football team, thus being one cap away from earning the Norwegian Football Association Gold Watch.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 January 1994 | Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, United States |  United States | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2 June 1996 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway |  Azerbaijan | 4–0 | 5–0 | 1998 WCQ |
| 3 | 25 February 1998 | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France |  France | 1–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
References
- Hagen, Vegard Jansen (6 October 1994). "Jubel for 3-årskontrakt". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). p. 19.
- Frank Strandli at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
- Leon Wobschall (2015-01-26). "Leeds United nostalgia: Debut goal as good as it got for Strandli". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- Jostein Drange (2014-01-31). "Eks-englandsproffer gjør comeback". Aftenposten. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
