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{{short description|Norwegian footballer (born 1961)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Rune Bratseth
| image = Rune Bratseth.jpg
| upright = 
| caption = Bratseth in 2010
| full_name = Rune Bratseth<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fotball.no/fotballdata/person/profil/?fiksId=1934511 |title=Rune Bratseth |publisher=Football Association of Norway |access-date=12 October 2019 |language=no}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|3|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Trondheim]], Norway
| height = 1.93 m
| position = [[Libero (association football)|Libero]]
| youthyears1 = 1971–1980 | youthclubs1 = [[Nidelv IL|Nidelv]]
| years1 = 1981–1982 | clubs1 = [[Nidelv IL|Nidelv]] | caps1 = | goals1 =
| years2 = 1983–1986 | clubs2 = [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]] | caps2 = 83 | goals2 = 2
| years3 = 1987–1995 | clubs3 = [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]] | caps3 = 230 | goals3 = 12
| totalcaps = 313 | totalgoals = 14
| nationalyears1 = 1986–1994 | nationalteam1 = [[Norway national football team|Norway]] | nationalcaps1 = 60 | nationalgoals1 = 4
| manageryears1 = 2006 | managerclubs1 = [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
}}
'''Rune Bratseth''' (born 19 March 1961) is a Norwegian former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[libero (association football)|libero]].

Nicknamed ''[[Elk]]'' due to his stature,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.11freunde.de/artikel/wissenswertes-ueber-norwegen | title = Elch für Elch ein Elch | trans-title = Elk for Elk an Elk | publisher = 11 Freunde | first = Dirk | last = Gieselmann | language = de | date = 11 February 2009 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}</ref> he is best known for his spell with [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.t-online.de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/id_61503032/sid_40803864/si_24/die-legenden-des-sv-werder-bremen-.html | title = Die Legenden des SV Werder Bremen | date = 30 December 2012 |trans-title=The legends of SV Werder Bremen | publisher = [[T-Online]] | language = de | access-date = 13 November 2015}}</ref> also having appeared in the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]] with [[Norway national football team|Norway]].

==Personal life==
Bratseth was born in [[Trondheim]]. His son-in-law is [[Ingar Bratseth-Kiplesund]], Norwegian professional [[long jump]]er.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-16 |title=Med Uskedals-aner i EM-finale i kveld. |url=https://uskedalen.no/nyheter/med-uskedals-aner-i-em-finale-i-kveld/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=Uskedalen |language=NO}}</ref>

==Club career==
Bratseth started his career at local club [[Rosenborg BK]]. There, he would only be a part-time professional until he left for Germany's [[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]] in January 1987, for a mere [[Euro|€]]93.000.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=81983.html | title = Rune Bratseth | publisher = [[UEFA]] | date = 10 July 2003 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 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 [[1987–88 Bundesliga|his first full season]].

Bratseth's finest moment came when Werder won the [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]] in [[1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup|1991–92]], in a 2–0 victory against [[AS Monaco FC|Monaco]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/news/kind=4/newsid=3451.html | title = 1991/92: Bremen shine in Stadium of Light | publisher = [[UEFA]] | date = 1 June 1992 | access-date = 13 November 2015 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100823235140/http://en.archive.uefa.com/competitions/ecwc/news/kind=4/newsid=3451.html | archive-date = 23 August 2010 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> 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 [[1992–93 Bundesliga|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 [[Hanseatic League|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 [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]]: the Belgians led 3–0 with 25 minutes to go, and he helped to the final comeback with the 2–3.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/50438--bremen-vs-anderlecht/ | title = Bremen 5–3 Anderlecht | publisher = [[UEFA]] | date = 8 December 1993 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.11freunde.de/artikel/heute-vor-20-jahren-werders-53-gegen-anderlecht | title = Wunder gibt es immer wieder |trans-title=Let there be wonder | publisher = 11 Freunde | language = de | date = 8 December 2013 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}</ref>

Bratseth was named Norway's [[UEFA Jubilee Awards|Golden Player]] – the best Norwegian footballer of the past 50 years by the [[Football Association of Norway|Norwegian Football Association]], in November 2003, to celebrate [[UEFA]]'s jubilee.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.uefa.com/uefa/news/newsid=130150.html | title = Golden players take center stage | publisher = [[UEFA]] | date = 29 November 2003 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Subsequently he became chairman and [[general manager]] of Rosenborg, forming a successful partnership with coach [[Nils Arne Eggen]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=343560.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024113035/http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=343560.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 24 October 2015 | title = The riddle of Rosenborg | publisher = [[UEFA]] | date = 27 September 2005 | access-date = 19 June 2013}}</ref> The club maintained its [[Norwegian top division]] superiority in the following years.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.spox.com/de/sport/fussball/championsleague/0712/Artikel/bratseth-rune-interview.html | title = Heimliche Sehnsucht nach den Russen |trans-title=Secretly longing for the Russians | publisher = Spox | language = de | date = 10 December 2007 | access-date = 13 November 2015}}</ref>

Bratseth was actually registered as a player when he started his job at Rosenborg, and since the club did not have 25 players in its first team squad to be registered for the [[UEFA Champions League]], he was included as a backup. Even though he did not want to play, he agreed to sit on [[Substitute (association football)|the bench]] for one game in case of "emergency".

He was clocked at 4,69 seconds on the 40 metres sprint, which is one of the fastest times ran by a Norwegian football player.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.dagbladet.no/magasinet/mystisk-telefonsamtale-styrket-gudstroen/72038178 | title = Mystisk telefonsamtale styrket gudstroen |trans-title= Mysterious phone call strengthened the faith | publisher = [[Dagbladet]] | editor = Lasse Lønnebotn | language = no |date = 17 January 2020 | access-date = 18 February 2020 | quote = Luggen er litt gråere og han løper neppe 40-meteren på 4,69 sekunder lenger, en av de raskeste tidene notert av en norsk fotballspiller, men han trener jevnlig. }}</ref>

==International career==
Bratseth made his debut in the [[Norway national football team|Norway national team]] on 26 February 1986, playing the first half of a 2–1 [[Exhibition game|friendly]] win in [[Grenada national football team|Grenada]]. He was a regular in the following eight years, earning a further 59 [[Cap (sport)|caps]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/noo-recintlp.html | title = Norway – Record International Players | publisher = [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]] | access-date = 30 January 2011}}</ref>

During the [[1994 FIFA World Cup]], 33-year-old Bratseth was [[Captain (association football)|captain]] of the [[Football World Cup 1994 (squads)#Norway .26 Rep. of Ireland|Norwegian squad]]. As they exited in the group stage (albeit with four points), their third and last game against [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] proved to be his last international.

==Style of play==
A [[libero (association football)|libero]], Bratseth was known for his speed, positional play, offensive strength and cleverness in duels.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hess |first1=Peter |title=Ein bodenständiger und beständiger Libero: Rune Bratseth ist ein Glücksfall für Bremen |trans-title=A down-to-earth and consistent libero: Rune Bratseth is a stroke of luck for Bremen |work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |issue=111 |date=1 May 1994 |page=25 |language=German}}</ref>

==Career statistics==

===Club===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|Cup
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Other
!colspan="2"|Total
!rowspan="2"|{{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
!Division||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals||Apps||Goals
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Nidelv IL|Nidelv]]
|1979
|rowspan="4"|
|||||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||||
|<ref name="nft">{{cite web |title=Rune Bratseth |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/4272/Rune_Bratseth.html |website=National Football Teams |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
|1980
|||||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||||
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
|1981
|||||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||||
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
|1982
|||||||||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||||
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!||||||||||||||||||
!–
|-
|rowspan="5"|[[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
|1983
|rowspan="4"|[[Eliteserien|1. divisjon]]
|19||1||||||||||colspan="2"|–||19||1
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
|1984
|21||1||||||||||colspan="2"|–||21||1
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
|1985
|21||0||||||||||colspan="2"|–||21||0
|<ref name="nft"/>
|-
|1986
|22||0||||||4||0||colspan="2"|–||26||0
|<ref name="nft"/><ref name="wf">{{cite web |title=Rune Bratseth » Club matches |url=http://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/rune-bratseth/2/ |website=worldfootball.net |access-date=20 July 2018}}</ref>
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!83||2||||||4||0||||||87||2
!–
|-
|rowspan="10"|[[SV Werder Bremen|Werder Bremen]]
|[[1986–87 Bundesliga|1986–87]]
|rowspan="9"|[[Bundesliga]]
|17||1||0||0||0||0||0||0||17||1
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1987–88 Bundesliga|1987–88]]
|31||0||6||1||10||0||0||0||47||1
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1988–89 Bundesliga|1988–89]]
|32||5||6||1||6||0||0||0||44||6
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1989–90 Bundesliga|1989–90]]
|29||2||6||0||10||0||0||0||45||2
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1990–91 Bundesliga|1990–91]]
|31||1||7||1||0||0||0||0||38||2
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1991–92 SV Werder Bremen season|1991–92]]
|34||0||5||1||8||2||1{{efn|One appearance in [[DFL-Supercup]]}}||0||48||3
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1992–93 Bundesliga|1992–93]]
|29||5||5||0||4||1||2{{efn|Two appearances in [[UEFA Super Cup]]}}||0||40||6
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1993–94 Bundesliga|1993–94]]
|26||1||5||0||8||1||0||0||39||2
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
|[[1994–95 Bundesliga|1994–95]]
|1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|<ref name="wf"/>
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!230||15||40||4||46||4||3||0||319||23
!–
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!313||17||40||4||50||4||3||0||406||25
!–
|}

{{notelist}}

==Honours==
'''Rosenborg'''
*[[1. divisjon]]: [[1985 1. divisjon|1985]]{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

'''Werder Bremen'''
*[[Bundesliga]]: [[1987–88 Bundesliga|1987–88]], [[1992–93 Bundesliga|1992–93]]{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
*[[DFB-Pokal]]: [[1990–91 DFB-Pokal|1990–91]], [[1993–94 DFB-Pokal|1993–94]]; runner-up: [[1988–89 DFB-Pokal|1988–89]], [[1989–90 DFB-Pokal|1989–90]]{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
*[[European Cup Winners' Cup]]: [[1991–92 European Cup Winners' Cup|1991–92]]{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

'''Individual'''
*''[[Kicker (sports magazine)|kicker]]'' Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1987–88,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/198788/startseite.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018212339/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/198788/startseite.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2012|title=Bundesliga Historie 1987/88|language=de|publisher=kicker}}</ref> 1988–89,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/198889/startseite.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018185811/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/198889/startseite.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2012|title=Bundesliga Historie 1988/89|language=de|publisher=kicker}}</ref> 1992–93<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/199293/startseite.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018173048/http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/bl50/199293/startseite.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 October 2012|title=Bundesliga Historie 1992/93|language=de|publisher=kicker}}</ref>
*[[Kniksen Award]]: Kniksen of the year in 1991, 1992, 1994, Kniksen's honour award in 1994{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
*[[UEFA Jubilee Awards|UEFA Norwegian Golden Player]]: 2003{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Fussballdaten}}
*{{NFT player}}
*{{FIFA player}}
*{{EU-Football.info|2545}}

{{1987–88 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}}
{{1988–89 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}}
{{1992–93 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season}}
{{Kniksen of the Year}}
{{UEFA Jubilee Awards}}
{{Norway squad 1994 FIFA World Cup}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bratseth, Rune}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Trondheim]]
[[Category:Norwegian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Eliteserien players]]
[[Category:Rosenborg BK players]]
[[Category:Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:SV Werder Bremen players]]
[[Category:Norway men's international footballers]]
[[Category:1994 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Norwegian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Germany]]
[[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Germany]]
[[Category:UEFA Golden Players]]
[[Category:Kniksen Award winners]]
[[Category:Rosenborg BK non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in West Germany]]
[[Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in West Germany]]
[[Category:20th-century Norwegian sportsmen]]