Solskjaer's testimonial to help set up African charity
Solskjaer celebrates with Alex Ferguson after scoring the winner in the 1999 European Cup finalHe terrorised Premier League defenders for over a decade, now he has a different challenge to face – but none of it is as important to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as building schools in Africa.
After officially retiring from a knee injury 10 months ago, Solskjaer has now been given the job of reserve team manager at Manchester United by Sir Alex Ferguson.
But before those duties begin in earnest, Solskjaer will turn out at Old Trafford for one last time as United play host to Espanyol in his testimonial game.
It is the money the 35-year-old hopes to raise on 2 August which, as a father of three young children himself, Solskjaer will use to greater benefit than anything his career in football could hope to achieve.
"I went to Angola a few months ago and you could see clearly how much things were needed down there," he said.
"The aim through my testimonial is to try and build 10 schools. If I can generate more money through a scheme we have set up in Norway, maybe we can generate enough to build five more.
"As a father, I recognise how helpless these kids are. If it was my children, I would do absolutely anything for them, so it is more important for me to be remembered for helping these people than anything I have done with football.
"It is about building something concrete," Solskjaer added. "It is about changing lives, helping kids get out of the poverty they are in and helping them to become doctors or teachers and able to improve their own communities."
As a fairly private person, Solskjaer did think about keeping quiet about his plan. But he also recognised the benefit added publicity would bring.
"A lot of people worry about money from testimonials," he admitted. "I am certainly not complaining about what I made as a footballer. I just felt doing this was right."
With projects planned for Angola, Uganda and Mozambique, Solskjaer finds it hard to put a figure on exactly how much will be required. Each scheme costs between £30,000 and £150,000, meaning the Norwegian will have to sell most of the 76,000 available tickets for his testimonial.
Not that Solskjaer should have too much trouble. Rarely can a player have so captured the hearts of United's fans, who continued to sing his name during his lengthy stints on the treatment table.
Solskjaer's devotion to the club far outweighs his 1999 injury-time European Cup match-winner against Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, a moment almost frozen in time as he flashed a shot into the roof of Oliver Kahn's net.
"My relationship with the fans has been absolutely fantastic since the first game I came on and no one knew who I was," he said. "The affection cannot only be down to that one goal. There has to be something they liked about me."
The birth of Solskjaer's third child prevented him from making the journey to Moscow last month as United finally added to their triumph of nine years ago by beating Chelsea. In penalty shoot-out hero Edwin van der Sar, Solskjaer finally has someone to share the limelight with.
"I rang Edwin and told him I was offering an invite to move next to me," he laughed. "I am happy for him but he is not the kind of person to let it affect him.
"He is a confident chap and I think he just wants to get on with his career and think about his successes when he has finished.
"Most of all, I am happy for the club. Nine [years] was long enough this time. We have to do it more and more."
The Independent
