In the 1980s, Norway did not have Erling Braut Haaland. It had Hallvar Thoresen. When Hallvar Thoresen arrived in Eindhoven in the summer of 1981, PSV knew one thing for sure: they had signed a special talent. What no one could have guessed was that the blond Norwegian would become the highest-scoring foreign player in the club’s history. With 106 league goals in 179 games, Thoresen is one of the most prolific strikers PSV has ever had. Yet he played his best years at a time when the competition from Ajax and Feyenoord was often just too strong.
From Larvik to Enschede
Thoresen was born on April 12, 1957, in Larvik, Norway, where, as the son of former international Gunnar Thoresen, he grew up with football in his blood. Because top European clubs hardly ever looked to Norway, the young Hallvar decided to take his future into his own hands. He wrote a letter to FC Twente, was invited for a trial, and signed. Under coach Spitz Kohn, he quickly developed into a modern, hard-working professional footballer.
His performances soon attracted the interest of top Dutch and American clubs, but in 1981 Thoresen chose PSV: a choice that would define his career.
The explosive start in Eindhoven
His entrance in Eindhoven was immediately decisive. In the same week that he signed his PSV contract, he scored the winning goal for Norway in Oslo in a historic 2-1 victory over England. This not only earned him national fame, but also a permanent place in the PSV starting line-up, where he played an important role from day one.
Thoresen was neither a classic winger nor a pure striker. He preferred to operate from the left, where he repeatedly created danger with his characteristic move inside. His signature move: threatening to go outside, then accelerating inside and striking hard with his right foot. He formed a deadly duo with Jurrie Koolhof in particular. “We were fantastic,” he said later. “If we had won trophies in those years, everyone would have seen us as top European strikers.”
The peak season of 1983/84
The 1983/84 season was the highlight of his PSV career. Thoresen scored 23 league goals and provided ten assists — figures that meant he was second only to Ruud Gullit in the rankings of the Netherlands’ most valuable attackers.
His name was circulating among foreign clubs, and even Hollywood came knocking: Thoresen played a small role in the soccer movie Escape to Victory, alongside world stars such as Pelé and Sylvester Stallone. But the Norwegian remained loyal to PSV.
Bruises, knees, and farewell
In 1986, Thoresen was given the captain’s armband, but at the same time, problems with his right knee began to catch up with him. A damaged, shattered meniscus made playing increasingly difficult. A year later, complaints in his left knee followed, and slowly but surely, Thoresen had to acknowledge that his body was no longer cooperating.
His heart was still partly in Norway. Manager Kees Ploegsma managed to convince him to stay for one more season in 1987, but after that Thoresen longed to go home. PSV granted him a free transfer and he eventually ended his career in his homeland, with third division club Frigg.
The legacy of Halvarr Thoresen
Although he won only one national title (in 1986) Hallvar Thoresen’s impact in Eindhoven remains significant. A hard worker, a team player, a stylish striker with a phenomenal shot, and the embodiment of Scandinavian pragmatism. He came to the Netherlands as an unknown Norwegian, but left PSV as a club icon.