‘My mother had started planning my funeral’: The Norway coach who cheated death 25 years ago

Norway's coach Ståle Solbakken, a heart attack survivor, led his team to the World Cup quarter-finals, reminiscing on his journey since 2001.

At a pre-tournament press conference, Norway’s head coach Ståle Solbakken paused proceedings. He felt an unusual sensation because the pacemaker implanted in his chest started to vibrate. As it turned out, the vibrations were triggered by the microphones at the meeting.

Stale Solbakken, Head Coach of Norway, attends a training session. (Getty Images via AFP)

It was a minor scare. Nothing really compared to what happened on March 13, 2001.

Solbakken, then 33, was a key midfielder for FC Copenhagen. What should have been a routine practice session on a bright morning ended with