Eirik Saunes
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eirik Franke Saunes | ||
| Date of birth | 22 September 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Bærum, Norway | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | KFUM | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2016 | Hødd | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2022 | Hødd | 134 | (21) |
| 2023–2025 | Bryne | 66 | (5) |
| 2026– | KFUM | 4 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 April 2026 | |||
Eirik Saunes (born 22 September 1998) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for KFUM.
Personal life
[edit]He was born in Bærum[1] as a son of football manager Hallstein Saunes, who managed Lyn in the mid-1990s.[2] Hallstein Saunes became manager of IL Hødd in 1999, and Eirik Saunes grew up in Ulsteinvik where he enrolled in Hødd at the age of 6.[3]
He was participating in athletics as a child, and ran the half marathon in 1:21:18 shortly after his 16th birthday.[4] He was involved in a charity project in Brazilian favelas called Karanba.[5][6]
Career
[edit]Saunes made his first-team debut for Hødd in May 2017. He amassed 134 league games and 10 cup games in six seasons, all spent in the 2. divisjon.[7] Having helped Hødd win promotion to the 2023 1. divisjon, he nonetheless left the club to sign for another First Division club ahead of the 2023 season, Bryne FK.[8]
Bryne won promotion to the 2025 Eliteserien, and Saunes subsequently made his first-tier debut in April 2025 against Haugesund.[7] He expressed joy in playing for the club with its underdog and rural farming image.[9] His goal celebration was a reindeer imitation.[10]
Following Bryne's instant relegation,[11] he continued in the Eliteserien with KFUM.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Eirik Saunes at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Fjoråret var en stor opptur for far og sønn". Jærbladet (in Swedish). 1 March 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Heimeavla Hødd-håp". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 15 July 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Beste 16-åring i Oslo". Vikebladet Vestposten (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 25 September 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "– Dei treng det mykje meir enn eg gjer". Vikebladet Vestposten (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Eirik gav 50.000 til favelaborn". Vikebladet Vestposten (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 18 January 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ a b Eirik Saunes at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
- ^ "Eirik Franke Saunes ferdig i Hødd" (in Norwegian Nynorsk). NRK. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Saunes på lamming: – Vi er ikke en gjeng «byaser»" (in Norwegian). TV 2. 19 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Slik forklarer han feringen". Jærbladet (in Norwegian). 1 June 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Bryne-spilleren Eirik Saunes fortvilte etter nedrykket". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ^ "Går frå Bryne til KFUM Oslo". Vikebladet Vestposten (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 3 January 2026. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- 1998 births
- Living people
- People from Ulstein Municipality
- Footballers from Møre og Romsdal
- Norwegian men's footballers
- 21st-century Norwegian sportsmen
- Men's association football midfielders
- IL Hødd players
- Bryne FK players
- KFUM-Kameratene Oslo players
- Norwegian Second Division players
- Norwegian First Division players
- Eliteserien players