Oscar Bobb
Bobb playing for Manchester City in 2023
Personal information
Full name Oscar Bobb[1]
Date of birth (2003-07-12) 12 July 2003 (age 20)
Place of birth Oslo, Norway[2]
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Right winger
Team information
Current team
 Manchester City
Number 52
Youth career
0000–2015 Lyn
2017–2019 Vålerenga
2019–2023 Manchester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Manchester City 7 (1)
International career‡
2019 Norway U16 12 (0)
2020 Norway U17 1 (0)
2021 Norway U18 9 (3)
2022 Norway U19 4 (1)
2022– Norway U21 8 (2)
2023– Norway 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:39, 13 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2023

Oscar Bobb (born 12 July 2003) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team.

Club career

Early career and move to Portugal

Born in Oslo, Bobb played for Lyn at youth level. In 2013, he began being linked with Portuguese club Porto, after performing well at a youth tournament in Algarve.[3] Porto reached out to Bobb's mother, Turid Gunnes [no], to convince the young footballer to sign with them, even going as far as to pay for the two of them to visit the club in Porto.[3] In October 2015, Gunnes moved to Portugal on her own, before signing documentation in November of the same year for Bobb to be enrolled in the Portuguese Football Federation.[3]

Despite the documentation being rejected by FIFA in January 2016, Bobb and his mother remained in Porto, and in January 2017 he attempted to sign with Escola de Futebol Hernâni Gonçalves.[3] However, FIFA were neither convinced that Bobb's mother had moved to Portugal of her own volition, to pursue an acting career, nor that the Escola de Futebol Hernâni Gonçalves were independent from Porto, and consequently refused Bobb an international transfer certificate.[3][4]

The case reached the Court of Arbitration for Sport, who sided with FIFA, and Bobb was told to return to Norway.[3] He would go on to sign for fellow Oslo-based club Vålerenga.[3]

Manchester City

Bobb joined Premier League side Manchester City in July 2019.[5] In October of the same year, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as the best young talent at Manchester City of his age group.[6]

After a relatively slow start, compared to other youth players brought in at the same time, Bobb cemented his place in Manchester City's under-23 side, notching a number of assists in his first full season.[7] As a reward for his fine form for the reserve side, Bobb was named on the Manchester City bench for the first time, in an FA Cup third round tie against Swindon Town on 7 January 2022, though he did not feature.[8][9]

On 2 September 2023, Bobb was given his Premier League debut against Fulham coming on as an 88th minute substitute for Phil Foden, where he was involved in the buildup leading to the 5th goal scored by fellow Norwegian Erling Haaland.[10] On 19 September, he made his Champions League debut against Red Star Belgrade, replacing Phil Foden in the 83rd minute in a 3–1 win.[11] On 13 December also against Red Star Belgrade, Bobb scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–2 victory.[12] On 13 January 2024, he scored his first Premier League goal in the 91st minute, securing a 3–2 comeback away win over Newcastle United.[13]

International career

Born in Norway, Bobb is of partial Gambian and Norwegian descent.[14] He is a youth international for Norway, having played up to the Norway U21s.[15]

Bobb received his first call-up for the Norway men's team for the October 2023 international fixtures.[16] He made his senior debut as a 63rd minute substitute in the team's 4–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying win over Cyprus on 12 October.[17]

On 16 November 2023, Bobb scored his first goal for Norway in a friendly match against the Faroe Islands.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 January 2024[19]
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Manchester City 2023–24 Premier League 7 1 2 0 1 0 3[a] 1 2[b] 0 15 2
Career total 7 1 2 0 1 0 3 1 2 0 15 2
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

As of match played 19 November 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Norway 2023 4 1
Total 4 1
Norway score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bobb goal.
List of international goals scored by Oscar Bobb
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 November 2023 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway 3  Faroe Islands 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

Manchester City

References

  1. ^ "Premier League clubs publish 2020/21 retained lists". Premier League. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b Oscar Bobb at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Pereira, Micael; Prado, Miguel; Christiansen, Anders. "Como o FC Porto perdeu o talentoso Oscar Bobb" [How FC Porto lost the talented Oscar Bobb]. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ Brennan, Terence D. (3 June 2020). "Not Exceptional Enough: Oscar Bobb's Uselessly Close Article 19 Case". terryblaw.medium.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Oscar Bobb". mancity.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  6. ^ Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry (9 October 2019). "Next Generation 2019: 20 of the best talents at Premier League clubs". theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. ^ Bajkowski, Simon (22 December 2021). "Oscar Bobb is reaping the rewards of Man City step up in summer". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. ^ Wood, Liam (7 January 2022). "Who is Oscar Bobb? Profile on Man City youngster included on bench vs Swindon". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Lyn og VIF-talentet Oscar Bobb på benken til Manchester City" [Lyn and VIF talent Oscar Bobb on the bench for Manchester City]. dagsavisen.no (in Norwegian). 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Manchester City 5–1 Fulham". Sky Sports. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Bobb on Champions League debut: 'I'm very grateful'". Manchester City. 20 September 2023.
  12. ^ Paul Brown (13 December 2023). "Academy aces Hamilton and Bobb score in City win at Red Star". Manchester City.
  13. ^ "Newcastle United 2–3 Manchester City". BBC Sport. 13 January 2024.
  14. ^ AS, TV 2 (26 March 2023). "Nå er «Moi» den eneste: – Håper virkelig det blir annerledes". TV 2.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Bray, Joe (27 June 2023). "Man City forward Oscar Bobb could get two senior debuts next season". Manchester Evening News.
  16. ^ "BOBB CALLED UP TO NORWAY'S SENIOR SQUAD FOR EURO 2024 QUALIFIERS". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  17. ^ "HAALAND HITS BRACE ON BUSY NIGHT OF INTERNATIONAL MATCHES". Manchester City F.C. 12 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Norway 2–0 Faroe Islands". Soccerway. 16 November 2023.
  19. ^ Oscar Bobb at Soccerway
  20. ^ "Manchester City 1–1(5-4p) Sevilla". 17 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Manchester City 4–0 Fluminense". BBC Sport. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oscar Bobb.
Manchester City F.C. – current squad
Categories