Morten Thorsby #2

Profile

Thorsby is a midfield warrior and opponents should not be fooled by his gentle appearance. In football, the No 2 shirt is traditionally worn by the right-back but Norway’s No 2 is by no means traditional. Thorsby has dedicated most of his adult life to the fight against climate change and global heating. His shirt number refers to the international goal of limiting the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees celsius. In 2022 Thorsby was appointed a European Climate Pact ambassador. He normally takes his bike to training and, if possible, travels by train rather than plane. When at Heerenveen, Thorsby convinced the club to invest in solar panels on the stadium roof. When asked about his thoughts of Norway’s tough World Cup group, he responded by focusing on the locations in Boston and New York: “I’m happy because we don’t have to fly so much.” If you see Norway arriving at the World Cup stadium by electric bus, you now know why.

Key stats