Rune Bratseth

A libero, Bratseth was known for his speed, positional play, offensive strength and cleverness in duels.

Bratseth made his debut in the Norway national team on 26 February 1986, playing the first half of a 2–1 friendly win in Grenada. He was a regular in the following eight years, earning a further 59 caps. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, 33-year-old Bratseth was captain of the Norwegian squad. As they exited in the group stage (albeit with four points), their third and last game against Republic of Ireland proved to be his last international.

Bratseth started his career at local club Rosenborg BK. There, he would only be a part-time professional until he left for Germany's Werder Bremen in January 1987, for a mere €93.000. He was immediately cast into the starting XI, making his club debut in a 1–5 loss at 1. FC Nürnberg on 21 February after the winter break; he would also win the first of his two Bundesliga championships in his first full season. Bratseth's finest moment came when Werder won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1991–92, in a 2–0 victory against Monaco. During the campaign he played in eight complete matches out of nine, adding two goals (in both legs against Romania's FCM Bacău). After a second league title with Bremen, Bratseth began suffering knee problems, even needing injections to play. Bratseth retired after playing for Norway in the 1994 World Cup. But after an injury crisis at Bremen he made a comeback for one match in March 1995. Bratseth appeared in 316 games for the Hanseatics all competitions comprised, and scored 20 goals. In the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, he was on the scoresheet at the incredible 5–3 home win over Anderlecht: the Belgians led 3–0 with 25 minutes to go, and he helped to the final comeback with the 2–3. Bratseth was named Norway's Golden Player – the best Norwegian footballer of the past 50 years by the Norwegian Football Association, in November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's jubilee. Subsequently he became chairman and general manager of Rosenborg, forming a successful…

Bratseth was born in Trondheim. His son-in-law is Ingar Bratseth-Kiplesund, Norwegian professional long jumper.