In one week, Manchester City will be on the opposite side of the pitch at Aspmyra. Perhaps the world's best football team is coming north – to an arena that has already written European history. When TV 2 meets Patrick Berg at a training camp in Marbella, it is with one clear feeling: The Glimt captain is not afraid. Not overwhelmed. Just hungry.
– You might call me naive, but at home at Aspmyra I always have the belief that we can perform well against any opponent, says Berg
– Never tired of getting better
After another season at the top – crowned with the award as player of the year in the Eliteserien – Berg is not talking about calming down. Quite the opposite.
– I feel like I can get even better.
For the 28-year-old, it's not about revolutionary changes, but about the mentality of everyday life: showing up to training with a desire to be a little better than yesterday.
– I come to training with a desire to do things one hundred percent every single day. That pays off in the long run.
– Respect for Glimt, no flirting with foreign countries
Berg has already tried life outside Norway, when he went to Lens in 2022. He shares his experience with several in the Glimt wardrobe. Many have been out – and come home.
– I have a great time in Bodø/Glimt. The club has reached a high level by European standards, and I still feel that I can improve here. As long as I am under contract, it would be disrespectful to sit and say that I want to go somewhere else.
The words say a lot about the culture at Glimt. About an environment where development happens because you want to, not because you have to.
– The Aspmyra is our weapon
Manchester City arrive in full combat mode, mid-season, with rhythm and results in their luggage. Glimt comes from the training camp in Marbella. The differences are obvious. But Berg is not intimidated.
– We have extreme confidence in our own skills at home. It gives us the belief that we can be competitive against anyone who comes here.
It's not empty rhetoric. It's a mentality that has grown through European nights that no one outside of Northern Norway believed in. Aspmyra has become a weapon – not just a track.
Continuity before the storm
It is also no coincidence that Glimt enters this match with a rare sense of calm. This winter, Kjetil Knutsen signed a new contract that binds him to the club until 2029.
– I thought I had already confirmed it. We agreed. A word to me is a word. The contract is signed. It was written quite a few years ago.
Thus, there is no longer any doubt:
Bodø/Glimt + Kjetil Knutsen = true also in the years to come.
– We have signed an agreement because we want a long-term perspective, but we are constantly evaluating what we are doing for the best interest of Glimt. Hopefully it will be a long time before the next question, he added with a smile.
When City arrive, they will not only face a team with self-confidence – but a club that stands firmly in its own identity. With a captain who refuses to let go of development. And a coach who has committed to the journey ahead.
– The best in the world visiting
Berg knows what awaits.
– Manchester City is a fantastic football team. I think everyone who has followed football in recent years is aware of that.
But that is precisely why there is also something alluring about the task.
– It will be really fun to test ourselves against such a high level.
Naive?
Maybe.
But in Bodø, that naivety has already written European history.
