Arild Berg
Personal information
Date of birth (1975-07-17)17 July 1975
Place of birth Bodø, Norway
Date of death 22 June 2019(2019-06-22) (aged 43)
Place of death Bodø, Norway
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
–1993 Bodø/Glimt
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 Bodø/Glimt 44 (7)
1997 Gevir Bodø
1998–2000 Bodø/Glimt 66 (16)
2002–2004 Lyn 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Arild Berg (17 July 1975 – 22 June 2019) was a Norwegian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Career

A member of a noted footballing family, he was a son of Harald Berg and younger brother of Ørjan and Runar Berg, all Norway internationals who played in foreign leagues.[1] Making his Bodø/Glimt league debut in 1993,[2] Arild Berg was officially drafted into the first team in 1994;[3] regarded as one of Norway's greatest talents and perhaps more so than his older brothers,[4] he chose to never represent Norway as a youth or under-21 international. After the 1995 season he retired, citing a desire to structure his everyday activities more freely.[5] Ahead of the 1997 season he rejected an offer from Rosenborg BK and signed for lowly FK Gevir Bodø.[6][4]

In 1998, 1999 and 2000, Berg enjoyed a second spell with Bodø/Glimt. Amassing 110 league games,[2] he fell ill and chose to leave Bodø/Glimt.[4] A complicated process ended in a 2002 transfer to Lyn, though he was not able to train much.[7] Lyn sponsor Atle Brynestad paid for various treatments. Mercury poisoning was believed to be Berg's diagnosis,[8][9] with chronic fatigue syndrome later being stated as the cause.[10][4] Berg stayed with Lyn for the remainder of his contract, throughout the 2004 season, without ever playing a game and barely training.[11] Due to his condition he was advised to cut all ties with football, and he later stated that even watching matches on television would cause him great stress.[4] On 22 June 2019, Berg died at the age of 43. According to a statement from his family, "Arild chose to leave us", indicating that he committed suicide.[1][4]

References

  1. 1 2 Strøm, Ole Kristian (22 June 2019). "Arild Berg er død". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  2. 1 2 Arild Berg at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
  3. ↑ "Fotball: Eliteseriens spillerstaller" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 7 April 1994.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The rise and tragic fall of Arild Berg, Norway’s lost footballing soul, Michael Yokhin, The Guardian, 27 July 2019
  5. ↑ Svegaarden, Knut Espen (17 January 1996). "Supertalentet Arild Berg (20) slutter". VG (in Norwegian). pp. 32–33.
  6. ↑ "Arild Berg valgte Gevir" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 3 December 1996.
  7. ↑ Grønvold, Tom (22 January 2002). "Arild Berg går fra Glimt til Lyn". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). p. 32.
  8. ↑ Berntsen, Per Angell (11 April 2002). "Syk Berg får hjelp av Lyns rike onkel". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). p. 26.
  9. ↑ Grønvold, Tom (14 March 2003). "Blir ikke trodd". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). p. 22.
  10. ↑ Jensen, Geir Are (13 December 2004). "Jeg vant over ME etter 12 år". VG (in Norwegian). pp. 10–11.
  11. ↑ "Arild Berg tviler på comeback" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 15 August 2004.


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