By Zach Lowy
It has been a phenomenal season for Jens Petter Hauge. After steering Bodø/Glimt to an improbable run to the UEFA Europa League semifinals, Hauge led his boyhood club to their maiden Champions League qualification after bagging four assists in two qualifiers vs. Sturm Graz. He’s taken things up a notch by scoring a brace vs. Tottenham Hotspur before scoring in two of their last three league matches against Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, followed by a goal and an assist against Inter and an assist vs. Sporting. Hauge has cemented his status as one of the most exciting Scandinavian players in Europe alongside the likes of Jesper Karlström, and there’s reason to believe that he will be involved in Norway’s upcoming World Cup squad after returning to the national team following a year-long absence. GBC Ghana spoke to Hauge about a number of topics, including:
You’ve already plied your trade in Germany, Italy, Belgium and Norway, but do you see your long-term future being in Bodø/Glimt?
“After signing my new deal here, Bodø is the place where I want to be for the next few years, but I still want to go out again and live in another European city and play at a higher level. I think every player wants that, and it hasn’t changed for me, despite the fact that I came back to Bodø.”
Where does Martin Ødegaard rank amongst the most talented players that you’ve played with?
“He’s definitely up there. He’s such a big talent, and now he’s also become a mature adult. To see him from his early days at Strømsgodset, the way he went to Real Madrid and then debuted for the Norwegian national team at 15, it’s so inspirational. With him and Erling Haaland, they are leading the way for the other Norwegian players like me, because they already show that it’s possible to come from Norway and dominate the top level of football.”
Having already played in quite a few Western European leagues, just how different is it having such a long winter break in Norway? And now that you’re back, what are your main objectives?
“Yeah, it’s a little bit different from the other top 5 European leagues. But now, when we are back underway, it’s a good feeling for us, and I think we have to be fair and say that we are the favorites we we should keep developing and winning the league also this year. We are very much aiming for that. For me as a person, I don’t have so many goals other than I want to keep improving and helping the team every day.”
Lastly, just how crucial have the Bodø fans been in this sensational journey?
“Of course, they are really important, and the way that they are supporting us and spending money on away games and just using their time to follow us, it’s a big motivation for us. And yeah, it’s really important to have them here and feel that we are playing for maybe somebody other than just ourselves.”
