Marcus Pedersen

Marcus Pedersen (born 8 June 1990) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a forward for Norwegian Fourth Division club Løten.

Club career

HamKam Pedersen was born in Hamar, Norway. He grew up in the nearby Stange Municipality, where he played youth football until he joined HamKam at age 11.

He played in his first senior match for HamKam at the age of 14, in a friendly game. In the spring of 2006, he was invited to a trial with Liverpool,

In 2007, he was part of the HamKam squad that was promoted to Tippeligaen. He made his debut for HamKam against Skeid on 9 April 2007 and featured in three other matches that season. Injuries prevented him from getting more than five games in his second senior season.

Strømsgodset On 1 January 2009 Pedersen signed for Strømsgodset on a free transfer, after his contract with HamKam ended. He cited the need for a change in surroundings as part of why he signed for a new club. He scored another two goals on 2 June 2009 in a 2–1 victory against Brann. Altogether, he scored 10 goals in 24 matches in the 2009 season, making him the top goal scorer for his club that year. Only six weeks later, Vitesse manager Theo Bos was sacked, and was replaced by Albert Ferrer. Pedersen made his debut for the club on 24 October 2010, in the 4–1 defeat against Utrect. He scored his first goal only two minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Odense On 31 August 2012, Pedersen was loaned out to Odense Boldklub on a season-long loan deal, with OB having an option to buy. He made his debut against F.C. Copenhagen on 2 September 2012.

Barnsley On 21 August 2013, Pedersen joined English Championship club Barnsley on a season-long loan.

Brann On 11 August 2014, Pedersen was sold to Brann for an undisclosed sum, partly financed by investor Trond Mohn. He scored three goals in ten league matches for the club, but was unable to save them from relegation. During pre-season, on 4 February 2015, Pedersen tore his posterior cruciate ligament, and was injured for over three months, not playing again until 26 May 2015. He then went on to score three goals in his final eight league matches for the club. He made his comeback debut for the club in the 2–1 away defeat against Aalesund on 14 August 2015. He scored a hat-trick against local rivals Mjøndalen IF in a 4–2 away win on 30 August 2015.

He finished his first season having scored 11 goals in ten matches, helping his team secure the runner-up position in the 2015 Tippeligaen.

Later career On 3 June 2020, Pedersen returned to former club HamKam. After a spell in Turkish clubs Ankaraspor and Tuzlaspor, Pedersen returned again to former club HamKam on 11 August 2022.

In February 2023, Pedersen joined Norwegian Fourth Division club Løten, effectively ending his professional career.

International career Pedersen represented Norway at youth level from U15 to U23. He played his first match for the U21 side in August 2009, and he scored two goals for Norway U21 in the match against Hungary U21 on 28 May 2010.

Pedersen made his debut for Norway in the friendly match against South Africa on 8 January 2013, and started the match against Zambia four days later.

He returned to the national team on 12 November 2015, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute in Norway's 1–0 defeat to Hungary in the first leg of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs.

Career statistics

Club

International goals Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first, score column indicates the score after each Pedersen goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Marcus PedersenNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 15 November 2013 MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark 1–1 1-2 Friendly