Sports Nicknames - The Baby-Faced Assassin

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the current manager of Manchester United, has had an interesting career. His playing career consisted of scoring many goals in a rather small amount of appearances, while his managerial career has been mixed.



Solskjaer started his career at Clausenengen in Norway, scoring 115 goals in 109 appearances for the club. This led to his first transfer to Molde in the first division. He didn't win any trophies at Molde (yet), but managed to perform well enough to get spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 1996.

Solskjaer garnered the nickname "The Baby-Faced Assassin" during his playing days at United thanks to his clinical finishing and youthful looks. He was often used as a substitute, gathering the reputation of a "super sub", coming on and changing games with his goals. This would be characterized by his appearance in the 1998-99 Champions League Final, where he scored in the 93rd minute to win the competition and complete a treble for the club. Solskjaer would play for United until 2007.

Solskjaer then began managing clubs, starting with backroom positions at Manchester United. He then took over Molde, winning 2 league titles and the Norweigian Cup competition. After a brief intermission with Cardiff and return to Molde, Solskjaer was appointed Manchester United manager in 2018, where he continues to work. Ole has not won any trophies while at the wheel, though he has overseen 3 semi-final losses and the clubs joint heaviest loss in the league (1-6 to Tottenham in 2020).

Whether or not Solskjaer will be able to lead United back to their glory days is up for debate. What is not debated is Solskjaer's ability as a player to come off the bench and change the game in United's favour, which is why he's so liked by the Red Devil's fanbase.


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