Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: I am a Liverpool supporter!

Suraj Radia

• 14 Feb 2023 17:09 GMT
• 2 min read

Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has admitted he grew up supporting the club’s bitter rivals Liverpool as a youngster.

Solksjaer spent 11 years at Old Trafford as a player, winning six Premier League titles and two FA Cups as well as enshrining himself into United folklore by scoring a famous late winner in the 1999 Champions League final to seal the trophy and a historic treble for the club.

The Norwegian also had a four-year spell with the Red Devils as a coach before being appointed manager of United in 2018, leading his side to the Europa League final in 2021, however he was sacked a few months later, ending his long-time association with the club.

THROWBACK: How the football world responded to Solskjaer sacking

Despite previously remaining tight-lipped over his Liverpool connections, insisting he ‘bleeds red’ when asked in 2016, Solskjaer finally admitted he followed the Reds in the 80s due to the strength of their team at the time.

"I must have been environmentally damaged because when you follow football, we had Match of the Day on every Saturday in Norway and of course, Liverpool were the better team in the 80s," Solskjaer told James Richardson’s Kings of Europe podcast.

"They had Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and all of those, so yes I followed Liverpool. I was one of the supporters who followed because they won everything, Hard enough to say as a Man United player but they were the better team in the 80s."

Solksjaer not alone in supporting rival club

Solskjaer is not the only footballing icon to have grown up supporting the rivals of the team they are best associated with, such is the nature of the job.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was an Everton fan in his younger days while his Reds teammate Steven Gerrard was pictured in a Toffees shirt as a child but he has insisted he did not support the club.

Harry Kane will go down as Tottenham’s greatest ever goalscorer after breaking Jimmy Greaves’ record earlier this month but the striker has had to clarify that he does not support Arsenal despite being pictured at their 2003/04 title celebrations in a Gunners jersey.

Real Madrid star Luka Modric was actually a Barcelona fan growing up and was even pictured holding up their shirt while playing in Croatia in the hopes it would encourage a transfer to Barca but he has since gone on to establish himself as one of Los Blancos most important players this generation.