Adelaide United recruit Kristian Opseth joins fellow Scandinavian Michael Jakobsen at the Reds, reveals career-defining hurdle
A debilitating condition sidelined Adelaide United recruit Kristian Opseth for three years and threatened his soccer career. But the Norwegian never gave up and on Friday night will make his A-League debut at Hindmarsh Stadium.
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A debilitating condition once sidelined Kristian Opseth for three years and threatened the striker’s career, just as it was taking off in an isolated village deep in Norway’s largest fjord.
The Adelaide United recruit is set to make his A-League debut in Friday night’s season-opener against reigning champion Sydney FC at Hindmarsh Stadium.
But Opseth was forced to take an indefinite break from the game as a teenager a decade earlier, when his psoriatic arthritis worsened leaving joints all over his body swollen and stiff.
“It was a tough period,” recalled Opseth, who grew up in Kaupanger on the shore of the spectacular Sognefjord in south western Norway.
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“I was bit of a late bloomer (in football), but I was doing well before I got the injury.
“Then it set me back and I had to start all over again.
“I love playing football so that part was easy, but it was all about getting back into shape.
“I always believed I would play again … I just had to be patient and work hard.”
Opseth, who started out at hometown club Kaupanger IL, gradually treated the condition with medication he takes to this day and relaunched his career at fourth-tier Forde.
The 188cm target man smashed in 36 goals in 40 games to earn a move to then top-flight Sogndal, before stints at Bodo Glimt and Turkish side Erzurumspor led him to the Reds.
Fellow Scandinavian Michael Jakobsen said Opseth’s remarkable journey demonstrated the resilience of Nordic players.
“Our mindset is really strong,” Adelaide’s Danish captain Jakobsen said.
“We fit in pretty well and we just adapt quickly.
“He (Opseth) is a good bloke, but it doesn’t matter who comes in here because everybody is very social.
“It’s been very easy for Kristian to adapt to the group.”
The duo had formed a close bond since Opseth arrived in SA in August.
Despite both speaking fluent English, they communicate in a mix of their native tongues.
“Norwegian, Swedish and Danish are quite similar, so we can say whatever we want and no one else (at United) knows what you’re talking about,” Jakobsen laughed.
The centre back, who had a loan spell with Norwegian outfit Lillestrom in 2016 but never faced his new teammate, praised Opseth’s growing influence on United’s attack.
But the 29-year-old forward said some off-field aspects of Adelaide life were tough to get used to, having been raised in a town of 931 people, more than 300km from the capital Oslo.
“For me it (Kaupanger) was perfect,” said Opseth, whose brilliant flick teed up Riley McGree’s FFA Cup semi-final winner over Central Coast last week.
“I spent most of my childhood outdoors playing and now I really enjoy hiking and exploring.
“I like it quiet and I don’t like too many people.
“Everyone says Adelaide is small, but for me it’s a lot of traffic and a lot of people.
“But it’s been very easy settling in with the guys here and everyone is so welcoming.
“The way they play football here is a high tempo and not that much possession play.
“But I’m feeling more confident now.”
Meanwhile, Adelaide United has secured a one-year shirt sponsorship deal with Flinders University.
The agreement will enable student placements with the Reds in areas such as sports science, physio, nutrition, marketing and business.
United players will also be used for elite athlete testing in the university’s research projects.