Isabell Herlovsen

Isabell Lehn Herlovsen (born 23 June 1988) is a Norwegian former football player.

She last played for Våleranga and Kolbotn after moving home from China and the club Jiangsu Suning. She plays as a midfielder and a striker.

Herlovsen is the daughter of former football player Kai Erik Herlovsen and was born in Germany during his spell at Borussia Mönchengladbach. She is a Norwegian women's international having made her debut at the age of 16. Herlovsen was the youngest player at UEFA Women's Euro 2005 and became the youngest goal-scorer in the tournament's history on 9 June 2005 when she scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against France.

Club career Herlovsen began her career at Kolbotn IL. She made her debut with the club in 2004 and played for five seasons winning two league titles in 2005 and 2006 and winning the women's national cup in 2007. Following the UEFA Women's Euro 2005, Herlovsen drew interest from the women's section of English club Arsenal. The two sides met for negotiations, but were unable to reach an agreement. Later on, Herlovsen scored for her club Kolbotn in the 2007 edition of the women's Norwegian Cup. The players received their championship medals from the King of Norway.

On 28 October 2009, Herlovsen's parent club Kolbotn announced that the player, alongside club and national team teammate Christine Colombo Nilsen, would be joining Olympique Lyonnais of the Division 1 Féminine. She made her debut for the club on 8 November 2009 coming on as a substitute in a 6–1 victory over Juvisy. Herlovsen scored her first goal for the club on 7 March 2010 scoring a brace in a 9–0 victory over Muret in the Challenge de France. She later featured in the final match of the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2010.

In February 2017, Herlovsen signed a contract with the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, at the same time taking a break from playing for the Norwegian national team. In her Chinese debut match she scored a goal.

In 2018, Herlovsen returned to Norway to join Våleranga, then she was loaned out to her former club Kolbotn in 2019. In 2020, she and her club Våleranga agreed to terminate her contract.

She made a brief comeback in 2021 for Fredrikstad FK, to secure promotion to the Second Division.

International career Herlovsen had her first appearance for the Norwegian national team at the age of 16. In her first major tournament, Herlovsen was the youngest player at the competition. She scored two goals; one against France in the group stage and another against Sweden in the semi-finals. Norway won the match 3–2, but lost 3–1 in the final to Germany.

At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, Herlovsen scored one goal in the group stage against Ghana. In the quarter-finals she scored the game-winning goal in Norway's 1–0 victory over the hosts, thus eliminating China from the tournament, in front of 50,000 spectators. In the semi-finals, Norway again lost to Germany. On 9 June 2008, Herlovsen was named to the national team squad to play in the women's tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In August 2009, Herlovsen was selected for the Norway team that had qualified for the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 in Finland. With a steady place in the team for the first time, as a striker, she played all matches and won praise for her energetic and accurate play even at times as the team's single front runner. Norway beat Sweden unexpectedly in the quarter finals only to lose to the champions Germany in the semifinal in which Herlovsen scored Norway's only goal.

Personal life Herlovsen's home is in Fredrikstad. Her father is Kai Erik Herlovsen, a former Norwegian international footballer who also played professionally in Germany for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Isabell has an older sister and a younger brother. In July 2011, Herlovsen came out as a lesbian, having been out to friends and family while in her teens. She has a son with her partner Christine Porsmyr Olsen.

Career statistics

International goals

GoalDateLocationOpponentScoreResultCompetition 1. 9 June 2005 Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England 2005 UEFA Women's Championship 2. 16 June 2005 Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington, England 3. 20 September 2007 Yellow Dragon Stadium, Hangzhou, China 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup 4. 23 September 2007 Wuhan Stadium, Wuhan, China 5. 25 June 2008 City Stadium, Kutno, Poland UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying 6. 19 August 2009 Enavallen, Enköping, Sweden Friendly 7. 29 October 2009 Nadderud stadion, Bærum, Norway 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) 8. 26 February 2010 José Arcanjo Stadium, Olhão, Portugal 2010 Algarve Cup 9. 27 March 2010 AKA Arena, Hønefoss, Norway 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 30 March 2010 Neman Stadium, Grodno, Belarus 16. 19 June 2010 Oosterenkstadion, Zwolle, Netherlands 17. 26 October 2010 Falkenburg, Sweden Friendly 18. 21 September 2011 Nadderud Stadion, Nadderud, Norway UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying 19. 20. 19 November 2011 Mourneview Park, Lurgan, Northern Ireland 21. 29 February 2012 Estádio Municipal, Parchal, Portugal 2012 Algarve Cup 22. 16 June 2012 Sarpsborg Stadion, Sarpsborg, Norway UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 30 August 2012 East End Park, Edinburgh, Scotland Friendly 28. 29. 15 September 2012 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying 30. 7 May 2014 Tønsberg Gressbane, Tønsberg, Norway 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification (UEFA) 31. 14 June 2014 Brann Stadion, Bergen, Norway 32. 18 June 2014 Estádio Marcolino de Castro, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal 33. 13 September 2014 Niko Dovana Stadium, Durrës, Albania 34. 35. 36. 25 November 2014 Randaberg Stadion, Randaberg, Norway Friendly 37. 13 January 2015 La Manga, Spain 38. 39. 9 March 2015 Estádio Municipal, Albufeira, Portugal 2015 Algarve Cup 56. 1 March 2019 Albufeira Municipal, Albufeira, Portugal 2019 Algarve Cup 57. 6 March 2019 Bela Vista Municipal, Parchal, Portugal 58. 2 June 2019 Stade Moulonguet, Amiens, France Friendly 59. 60. 61. 17 June 2019 Stade Auguste-Delaune, Reims, France 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup 62. 22 June 2019 Allianz Riviera, Nice, France 63. 4 October 2019 Borisov Arena, Barysaw, Belarus UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying 64. 65. 8 October 2019 Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands 66. 67.

Honours

Club Kolbotn Toppserien: 2005, 2006 Norwegian Cup: 2007

Lyon Division 1 Féminine: 2009–10 Champions League runners-up: 2010

LSK Kvinner Toppserien: 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 Norwegian Cup: 2014, 2015, 2016

Jiangsu Suning Chinese Women's FA Cup: 2017

Individual Top Scorer, Toppserien: 2012 (25 goals), 2016 (30 goals)