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Aug 28 (Reuters) - Factbox on Manchester United and Norway striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who retirement from football aged 34.
- Born Feb 26, 1973 in Kristiansund, Norway
- Began his career with Norwegian lower-league side Clausenengen at 17 and struck 115 goals in 109 matches before joining Molde in the Norwegian top flight in 1994. He hit 31 goals in 42 games there and made his international debut against Jamaica on Nov. 26, 1995, scoring in a 1-1 draw.
- Joined Manchester United in the close season of 1996 and stepped off the bench for his first appearance against Blackburn Rovers in August that year, scoring within six minutes. He went on to net 19 goals in a debut campaign that ended with the first of six Premier League winner's medals.
- Rejected a proposed move to Tottenham Hotspur in 1998 and went on to score 18 times as United won the treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League in 1998/99. Among his feats that season were the four goals he scored in just 19 minutes on the pitch in an 8-1 victory at Nottingham Forest.
- Scored injury-time winner in United's 2-1 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich -- a close-range finish struck, in trademark style, nine minutes after taking the field as a substitute for Andy Cole.
- Suffered a cartilage injury shortly after scoring in a 5-0 win over Panathinaikos in September 2003 and subsequently underwent surgery three times. Signed a new two-year contract in March 2006, with a view to assuming an ambassadorial role at Old Trafford in the future.
- Made what proved his final appearance for Norway against Croatia in February -- finishing with a record of 23 goals in 67 appearances. He managed 11 goals for United in his last season and retired having registered 126 in 365 appearances.
