Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Daniel Braaten

Daniel Braaten
Braaten in 2012
Personal information
Full name Daniel Omoya Braaten[1]
Date of birth (1982-05-25) 25 May 1982 (age 42)[2]
Place of birth Oslo, Norway
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1988–2000 Skeid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2004 Skeid 102 (22)
2004–2007 Rosenborg 58 (10)
2007–2008 Bolton Wanderers 6 (1)
2008–2013 Toulouse 157 (13)
2013–2014 Copenhagen 23 (1)
2015–2016 Vålerenga 22 (1)
2016–2018 Brann 51 (3)
2019 Stabæk 18 (2)
2020 Skeid 18 (1)
Total 455 (54)
International career
2000 Norway U18 4 (0)
2003 Norway U21 2 (0)
2004–2014 Norway 52 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 August 2021

Daniel Omoya Braaten (born 25 May 1982) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a winger. He has previously played for Skeid, Rosenborg, Bolton Wanderers, Toulouse, Brann and Stabæk. Of Nigerian descent, he was capped 52 times for the Norway national team, scoring 4 goals.

Club career

Early career

Braaten playing for Rosenborg

Braaten was born in Oslo, Norway.[3] He started his career in the Skeid youth academy at the age of six. He later won the Norwegian Junior Cup with the team in 1999, aged 17. The following year he was promoted to the first team, where he played for four years before joining giants Rosenborg BK in 2004, after 102 caps and 22 goals for Skeid. Before signing for Rosenborg, Braaten had attracted interest from various clubs in Norway and abroad, and had a trial with French side RC Lens in late 2003 with Daniel Fredheim Holm.[4] Braaten had however trained with Rosenborg as early as autumn 2002, but was still in contract with Skeid, before signing in 2004 for approximately £250,000.

Braaten had become one of the most profiled players of the Norwegian Premier League, through his colourful, untraditional and artistic playing style. He had become known especially for his individual technical skills and physical strength, and as a player who did unexpected things on the field, surprising both opposing players and the audience. He was famous not only for his pace, but also for his mastery of the seal dribble, an incredibly difficult trick involving running while bouncing (and controlling) the ball on top of the head.

European career

Braaten playing for Copenhagen in 2013

On 3 August 2007, Braaten signed for Bolton Wanderers for a reported fee of £450,000. He scored his first goal in English football just over three weeks later, netting the final goal in Bolton's 3–0 win over Reading.[5] He failed to secure a permanent spot on the team, however, and after a tough season in England, Braaten signed a three-year contract with French side Toulouse on 25 June 2008.[6] He was included as part of the deal which saw Johan Elmander move to Bolton. He scored his first league goal in Toulouse's 4–1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.[7] He performed a unique celebration by spinning on his back while spinning upwards at the same time after scoring his first goal for the club. He was released from his contract in July 2013.

Two months later, in September, Braaten signed a one-year-long deal with Danish side Copenhagen, where he was given shirt no. 22. During his time in the Danish capital, he scored one goal in the league and a back-heel goal in the UEFA Champions League to secure a 1–0 victory over Galatasaray. At the end of the season Braaten left Copenhagen without a new contract and returned to Norway.

Return to Norway

On 9 February 2015, Braaten signed a one-year deal with Kjetil Rekdal and Vålerenga in the Norwegian Tippeliga after almost eight months as a free agent. He scored his first, and only, goal for his new club away versus Sandefjord on his birthday, 25 May. On 3 December 2015, it was announced that his contract would not be renewed, something that surprised many critics as he had performed well in the previous season.[8] After training with SK Brann during the winter, he signed a one-year contract with the club on 21 February 2016, his fourth club in just as many years.[9] After 55 games for Brann, he left the club at the end of the 2018 season.[10]

International career

Braaten (right) playing for Norway in 2012

After playing four matches for Norway U18 in 2000, and two matches for Norway U21 in 2003,[11] Braaten made his debut for Norway on 22 January 2004 in a friendly match against Sweden, when playing for Skeid in Adeccoligaen, the second-tier league in Norway. His first international goal came against Estonia, in a Friendly match on 20 April 2005, a game Norway won 2–1. As of May 2018, he has been capped 52 times for Norway, scoring four goals.[12]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 12 December 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Skeid 2000[13] 1. divisjon 13 0 1 0 14 0
2001[13] 28 3 3 0 31 3
2002[13] 25 4 4 1 29 5
2003[13] 22 6 5 1 27 7
2004[13] 14 9 3 0 17 9
Total 102 22 16 2 110 24
Rosenborg 2004[13] Tippeligaen 10 4 1 0 8 1 19 5
2005[13] 14 1 0 0 8 1 22 2
2006[13] 19 3 4 0 2 0 25 3
2007[13] 15 2 4 0 0 0 19 2
Total 58 10 9 0 18 2 85 12
Bolton 2007–08[14] Premier League 6 1 3 0 5 0 0 0 14 1
Toulouse 2008–09[13] Ligue 1 30 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 35 2
2009–10[13] 32 4 5 0 7 1 0 0 44 5
2010–11[13] 32 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 33 5
2011–12[13] 31 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 32 1
2012–13[13] 32 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 32 2
Total 157 13 12 1 7 1 0 0 176 15
Copenhagen 2013–14[13] Superliga 23 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 27 2
Vålerenga 2015[13] Tippeligaen 22 1 2 0 24 1
Brann 2016[13] 25 0 0 0 25 0
2017[13] Eliteserien 15 3 1 0 1 0 17 3
2018[13] 11 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 15 1
Total 51 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 57 4
Stabæk 2019[13] Eliteserien 18 2 4 1 22 3
Skeid 2020[13] PostNord-ligaen 18 1 0 0 18 1
Career total 455 54 51 5 34 4 1 0 541 63

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[11]
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2004 2 0
2005 5 1
2006 4 0
2007 4 1
2008 2 0
2009 8 0
2010 2 0
2011 6 0
2012 9 0
2013 8 2
2014 2 0
Total 52 4
Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Braaten goal[12]
List of international goals scored by Daniel Braaten
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 April 2005 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 1–0 2–1 Friendly
2 6 June 2007 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Hungary 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3 11 June 2013 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  North Macedonia 2–0 2–0 Friendly
4 15 October 2013 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Iceland 1–1 1–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Rosenborg

References

  1. ^ "Daniel Omoya Braaten" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Daniel Braaten: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Daniel Braaten". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Lens vil ha Daniel Braaten - 1. divisjon - VG". Vg.no. 5 January 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. ^ Cheese, Caroline (25 August 2007). "Bolton 3–0 Reading". BBC News.
  6. ^ "Hareide glad for Braaten-overgang | adressa.no". Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  7. ^ "Ligue 1 : Toulouse FC / Paris Saint-Germain - 29ème Journée - Feuille de match". Archived from the original on 24 March 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  8. ^ Joachim Baardsen joachim.baardsen@dagbladet.no (3 December 2015). "Braaten ferdig i Vålerenga - sport". Dagbladet.no. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  9. ^ Tekst: Gorm Natlandsmyr, Brann.no. "Nyheter | Brann". Brann.no. Archived from the original on 24 February 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. ^ Daniel Braaten (36) er ferdig i Brann, tv2.no, 15 November 2018
  11. ^ a b "Daniel Omoya Braaten's profil". fotball.no (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  12. ^ a b Søfting, Thomas. "Daniel Braaten" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Daniel Braaten at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Games played by Daniel Braaten in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Mestvinnende spillere" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2012.