Norway's Alexander Sørloth is one of the most prolific goalscorers playing in Europe today. Here's what you need to know about the Norwegian striker.
Alexander Sørloth is a goal-scoring, tall, left-footed striker who is skilled both with his head and with the ball at his feet. He excels in the role of a supporting striker.
In the world of Norwegian footballers, and especially strikers, few would look past Erling Haaland. But another Norwegian just came within a whisker of finishing the 2023/24 as top scorer in Spain's La Liga. This is the story of Alexander Sørloth.
This goalscoring performance in Spain is the latest answer the Norwegian has provided to his critics. Often criticised for a lack of efficiency, he has now performed well in both Spain and Turkey, a rare feat among Norwegian footballers.
Sørloth is known for making headers to teammates in the box in the supporting striker role, as well as in the role of a breakthrough striker with smart movements, speed, dribbling skills, and physical strength.
If you haven't heard of Alexander Sørloth or you're keen to find out more, here are some facts about the Norwegian footballer.
1. He's performed well everywhere, except England
One of the biggest reasons Sørloth has a reputation as not delivering is his record during his brief spell playing in England.
In 2018, he joined Premier League club Crystal Palace from Midtjylland, and scored on his debut in the League Cup against Swansea. However, in his 16 league games for the London club, Sørloth failed to find the net once.
In a loan spell for Trabzonspor in Turkey, Sørloth found his shooting boots, scoring 24 goals in 34 games. Despite pleas from fans for him to stay, he joined German side RB Leipzig.
Although he scored several times for Leipzig, it was a loan spell for Real Sociedad in Spain where Sørloth next impressed. In Spain, the Norwegian scored 16 goals.
Following a rumoured 10 million Euro permanent move to Villarreal, Sørloth enjoyed one of his most prolific seasons yet. In the 2023/24 season, he scored 23 goals in 33 games.
2. He scored four goals in one game against Real Madrid
As part of his eye-catching 2023/24 season performance in Spain, Sørloth scored all four goals for Villarreal in a 4-4 draw with champions Real Madrid.
That's a stunning achievement in itself. But even more surprising was the fact that all four goals came within just 17 minutes. “He's had an incredible season,” said teammate Gerard Moreno, who set up three of the four goals.
3. Sørloth often leads the line for Norway
Sørloth is a regular feature in Norway's men's national football team. After making his debut in 2016, he was often a substitute, not especially prolific, and scored only two goals in his first 19 matches.
However, Sørloth has gradually found his feet in national colours. Overall, at the time of writing, he's scored 18 goals in 53 games.
4. He has a footballer father
Sørloth is the son of former Rosenborg player Gøran Sørloth. Also a striker, Gøran scored 74 goals in a total of 174 games across two spells at Rosenborg.
5. He was born in Trondheim
As his father played for so long in Trondheim, it's perhaps no surprise that Alexander was born in Trondheim.
Sørloth's career started at the Trondheim club Strindheim, the same club where his father Gøran played before joining Rosenborg. In 2013, Alexander Sørloth followed in his father's footsteps and moved to Rosenborg.
During his Rosenborg career, which lasted until the end of the 2014 season, he mostly played for the club's second team, where he made 48 appearances and scored 18 goals. For the first team, he played a total of six matches without scoring.
