Hege Riise (born 18 July 1969) is a Norwegian football coach and former midfield player. She is considered one of the best footballers of her generation, having won the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Olympic Games, and the UEFA Women's Euro with the Norway women's national football team.
Playing career
Club
As a child, Riise practised football, handball, cross-country skiing and ski jumping. She started playing football at age six in Momoen, albeit on a boys' team until the age of 14. She then played on a girls' team in Høland IL, followed by the competitive senior team Setskog/Høland from 1989.
She won the Norwegian Cup competition with Setskog/Høland in 1992. In late 1995 along with four other Norwegians she joined Nikko Securities Dream Ladies football club in Japan. Nikko won the Japanese league and cup competitions in 1996 and the cup in 1997, after which Riise moved back to Norway to play again with Setskog/Høland.
She joined Asker, in 2000, and again won the cup competition with Asker the same year. Drafted by the Carolina Courage in the Women's United Soccer Association 2000 foreign draft, Riise was the team's MVP two times and led the Courage to a WUSA Founders Cup title in 2002, before her involvement was curtailed by an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
International goals
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
|-
| 1. || 29 July 1990 || Winnipeg, Canada || || align=center|2–? || align=center| 2–4 || Friendly
|-
| 2. || 14 November 1990 || Kristiansand, Norway || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 2–1 || UEFA Women's Euro 1991 qualifying
|-
| 3. || 26 May 1991 || Skien, Norway || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 2–0 || rowspan=2| Friendly
|-
| 4. || 1 September 1991 || Medford, United States || || align=center|1–? || align=center| 2–1
|-
| 5. || 19 November 1991 || Guangzhou, China || || align=center|4–0 || align=center| 4–0 || 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup
|-
| 6. || 23 May 1992 || Modum, Norway || || align=center|5–0 || align=center| 6–0 || UEFA Women's Euro 1993 qualifying
|-
| 7. || 14 August 1992 || Medford, United States || || align=center|2–1 || align=center| 3–1 || Friendly
|-
| 8. || rowspan=2| 26 September 1992 || rowspan=2| Kolbotn, Norway || rowspan=2| || align=center|6–0 || rowspan=2 align=center| 8–0 || rowspan=4| UEFA Women's Euro 1993 qualifying
|-
| 9. || align=center|8–0
|-
| 10. || 10 October 1992 || Oslo, Norway || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 3–0
|-
| 11. || 7 November 1992 || Raalte, Netherlands || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 3–0
|-
| 12. || 18 March 1994 || Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal || || align=center|2–1 || align=center| 6–1 || 1994 Algarve Cup
|-
| 13. || 4 June 1994 || Budapest, Hungary || || align=center|4–0 || align=center| 4–0 || UEFA Women's Euro 1995 qualifying
|-
| 14. || 10 February 1995 || Kristiansand, Norway || || align=center|6–? || align=center| 6–2 || Friendly
|-
| 15. || 17 March 1995 || Portimão, Portugal || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 2–0 || 1995 Algarve Cup
|-
| 16. || 25 April 1995 || Oslo, Norway || || align=center|1–? || align=center| 2–1 || Friendly
|-
| 17. || 6 June 1995 || rowspan=2| Karlstad, Sweden || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 8–0 || rowspan=5| 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup
|-
| 18. || 8 June 1995 || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 2–0
|-
| 19. || 10 June 1995 || Gävle, Sweden || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 7–0
|-
| 20. || 13 June 1995 || Karlstad, Sweden || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 3–1
|-
| 21. || 18 June 1995 || Solna, Sweden || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 2–0
|-
| 22. || rowspan=4| 2 August 1995 || rowspan=4| Philadelphia, United States || rowspan=4| || align=center|2–0 || rowspan=4 align=center| 12–1 || rowspan=4| 1995 Women's U.S. Cup
|-
| 23. || align=center|9–?
|-
| 24. || align=center|11–?
|-
| 25. || align=center|12–?
|-
| 26. || 19 September 1995 || Ulefoss, Norway || || align=center|15–0 || align=center| 17–0 || UEFA Women's Euro 1997 qualifying
|-
| 27. || 2 February 1996 || Tampa, United States || || align=center|2–2 || align=center| 2–3 || rowspan=3| Friendly
|-
| 28. || rowspan=2| 4 February 1996 || rowspan=2| Jacksonville, United States || rowspan=2| || align=center|1–0 || rowspan=2 align=center| 2–1
|-
| 29. || align=center|2–1
|-
| 30. || 11 March 1996 || Silves, Portugal || || align=center|3–1 || align=center| 4–1 || rowspan=2| 1996 Algarve Cup
|-
| 31. || 13 March 1996 || Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 3–0
|-
| 32. || 25 May 1996 || Espoo, Finland || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 2–0
|-
| 33. || 6 July 1996 || Kolbotn, Norway || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 7–0
|-
| 34. || 23 July 1996 || Washington, D.C., United States || || align=center|3–2 || align=center| 3–2 || 1996 Summer Olympics
|-
| 35. || 16 February 1997 || Sundsvall, Sweden || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 2–0 || Friendly
|-
| 36. || 12 March 1997 || Olhão, Portugal || || align=center|6–0 || align=center| 6–0 || rowspan=2| 1997 Algarve Cup
|-
| 37. || 16 March 1997 || Loulé, Portugal || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 1–0
|-
| 38. || 28 May 1997 || || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 3–0 || Friendly
|-
| 39. || 1 October 1997 || Oslo, Norway || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 6–1 || 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
|-
| 40. || 21 January 1998 || Guangzhou, China || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 2–1 || 1998 Four Nations Tournament
|-
| 41. || 17 March 1998 || Loulé, Portugal || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 1–0 || rowspan=2| 1998 Algarve Cup
|-
| 42. || 19 March 1998 || Lagos, Portugal || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 4–1
|-
| 43. || 17 June 1998 || Ulefoss, Norway || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 3–2 || 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
|-
| 44. || 23 June 1999 || Landover, United States || || align=center|4–1 || align=center| 7–1 || rowspan=3| 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
|-
| 45. || 26 June 1999 || Chicago, United States || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 4–0
|-
| 46. || 30 June 1999 || San Jose, United States || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 3–1
|-
| 47. || 6 February 2000 || Fort Lauderdale, United States || || align=center|1–0 || align=center| 3–2 || rowspan=2| Friendly
|-
| 48. || 9 February 2000 || Boca Raton, United States || || align=center|2–1 || align=center| 2–1
|-
| 49. || 17 September 2000 || Canberra, Australia || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 3–1 || 2000 Summer Olympics
|-
| 50. || 19 June 2001 || Hønefoss, Norway || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 9–1 || Friendly
|-
| 51. || 11 September 2001 || Kongsvinger, Norway || || align=center|4–0 || align=center| 5–0 || 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
|-
| 52. || 1 March 2002 || Ferreiras, Portugal || || align=center|3–1 || align=center| 3–1 || rowspan=2| 2002 Algarve Cup
|-
| 53. || 5 March 2002 || Lagos, Portugal || || align=center|1–1 || align=center| 3–2
|-
| 54. || 17 February 2003 || rowspan=2| La Manga, Spain || || align=center|2–1 || align=center| 3–3 || rowspan=2| Friendly
|-
| 55. || 20 February 2003 || || align=center|2–0 || align=center| 4–0
|-
| 56. || 14 March 2004 || Guia, Portugal || || align=center|2–1 || align=center| 4–1 || rowspan=3| 2004 Algarve Cup
|-
| 57. || 16 March 2004 || Olhão, Portugal || || align=center|3–0 || align=center| 3–0
|-
| 58. || 20 March 2004 || Faro, Portugal || || align=center|1–1 || align=center| 1–4
|}
Coaching career
Riise retired as a player at the end of the 2006 season with 188 international caps to her credit, the record for all Norwegian footballers. In 2007, she became the chief trainer at Team Strømmen, in the Norwegian women's premier league, the Toppserien. In the 2008 season, Team Strømmen were runners-up in both the league and the Cup competitions.
On 28 January 2009, Riise was appointed Assistant Trainer to the U.S. women's national team. Due to the reduced international schedule as a result of the COVID-19, Riise only took charge of three friendlies: defeating Northern Ireland 6–0 in her debut before losing to France and Canada. On 10 March 2021, she was also announced as the manager for Team GB at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team progressed as group winners with seven points in three games before being eliminated in the first knockout round by Australia 4–3 in extra-time.
After her stint in the United Kingdom, Riise fulfilled a prior agreement to take charge of the Norway women's national under-19 football team. In the 2022 UEFA Under-19 Championship, Norway won their group and came second overall, after being defeated 2-1 in the final by Spain.
On 3 August 2022, Riise was officially appointed as Norway head coach replacing Martin Sjögren. The rest of the coaching team consists of the assistant coaches Monica Knudsen and Ingvild Stensland, and the goalkeeping coach Jon Knudsen.
Honours
Player
;Norway
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 1995
- UEFA Women's Championship: 1993
- Summer Olympics gold medal: 2000
- Summer Olympics bronze medal: 1996
;Individual
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 1995
- UEFA Women's Championship Golden player: 1993
Manager
;LSK Kvinner
- Toppserien: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Norwegian Women's Cup: 2016, 2018, 2019
Norway Under-19
- UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship silver medal: 2022