Daniel Braaten

Daniel Braaten

220px Braaten in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Daniel Omoya Braaten
Date of birth	(1982-05-25) 25 May 1982
Place of birth	Oslo, Norway
Height
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Brann
Number	25
Youth career
1988–2000	Skeid
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2004	Skeid	102	(22)
2004–2007	Rosenborg	63	(12)
2007–2008	Bolton Wanderers	6	(1)
2008–2013	Toulouse	157	(13)
2013–2014	F.C. Copenhagen	23	(1)
2015–2016	Vålerenga	22	(1)
2016–	Brann	12	(0)
International career‡
2003–2004	Norway U21	2	(0)
2004–	Norway	52	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 28 May 2016 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 May 2014

Daniel Omoya Braaten (born 25 May 1982) is a Norwegian footballer, who currently plays as a winger for the Norwegian club SK Brann after signing a one-year contract with the club on 21 February 2016. He has previously played for Skeid, Rosenborg and Toulouse, with 157 caps and 13 goals in the latter club. He has been capped 52 times for the Norway national football team.

Career

Early career

File:Daniel Braaten.jpg

Braaten while playing for Rosenborg

Born in Oslo, Norway to a Nigerian father and Norwegian mother, Braaten started his career in the Skeid youth academy at the age of six. He later won the Norwegian Junior Cup with the team in 1999, aged 17. The following year he was promoted to the first team, where he played for four years before joining giants Rosenborg BK in 2004, after 102 caps and 22 goals for Skeid. Before signing for Rosenborg, Braaten had attracted interest from various clubs in Norway and abroad, and had a trial with French side RC Lens in late 2003 with Daniel Fredheim Holm. Braaten had however trained with Rosenborg as early as autumn 2002, but was still in contract with Skeid, before signing in 2004 for approximately £250,000.

Braaten had become one of the most profiled players of the Norwegian Premier League, through his colourful, untraditional and artistic playing style. He had become known especially for his individual technical skills and physical strength, and as a player who did unexpected things on the field, surprising both opposing players as well as the audience. He was famous not only for his pace, but also for his mastery of the seal dribble, an incredibly difficult trick involving running while bouncing (and controlling) the ball on top of the head.

European career

On 3 August 2007, Braaten signed for Bolton Wanderers for a reported fee of £450,000. He scored his first goal in English football just over three weeks later, netting the final goal in Bolton's 3–0 win over Reading. He failed to secure a permanent spot on the team, however, and after a tough season in England, Braaten signed a three-year contract with French side Toulouse on 25 June 2008. He was included as part of the deal which saw Johan Elmander move to Bolton. He scored his first league goal in Toulouse's 4–1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. He performed a unique celebration by spinning on his back while spinning upwards at the same time after scoring his first goal for the club. He was released from his contract in July 2013.

Two months later, in September, Braaten signed a one-year-long deal with Danish side FC Copenhagen, where he was given shirt no. 22. At the end of the season Braaten left Copenhagen without a new contract and returned to Norway.

Return to Norway

On 9 February 2015, Braaten signed a one-year deal with Kjetil Rekdal and Vålerenga in the Norwegian Tippeliga after almost eight months as a free agent. He scored his first, and only, goal for his new club away versus Sandefjord FK on his birthday, 25 May. On 3 December 2015, it was announced that his contract would not be renewed, something that surprised many critics as he had performed well in the previous season. After training with SK Brann during the winter, he signed a one-year contract with the club on 21 February 2016, his fourth club in just as many years.

International career

File:Daniel Braaten defended by Stewart Downing Norway-England.jpg

Braaten (right) playing for Norway in a May 2012 friendly match

After playing four matches for Norway U18 in 2000, and two matches for Norway U21 in 2003, Braaten made his debut for Norway on 22 January 2004 in a friendly match against Sweden, when playing for Skeid in Adeccoligaen, the second-tier league in Norway. His first international goal came against Estonia, in a Friendly match on 20 April 2005, a game Norway won 2–1. As of February 2013, he has been capped 45 times for Norway, scoring three goals.

International goals

Score and Result lists Norway's goals first

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	20 April 2005	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
2.	6 June 2007	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Hungary	2–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualification
3.	11 June 2013	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Macedonia	2–0	2–0	Friendly
4.	15 October 2013	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Iceland	1–1	1–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Source:

Career statistics

Club

Correct as of 28 May 2016

Club	Division	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Skeid	Adeccoligaen	2000	12	0	0	0	—		12	0
		2001	28	3	0	0	—		28	3
		2002	26	4	2	1	—		28	5
		2003	22	6	5	2	—		27	8
		2004	14	9	1	0	—		15	9
		Total	102	22	8	3	—		110	25
Rosenborg	Tippeligaen	2004	10	5	0	0	8	1	18	6
		2005	19	2	0	0	8	1	27	3
		2006	19	3	4	0	2	0	25	3
		2007	15	2	4	0	0	0	19	2
		Total	63	12	8	0	18	2	89	14
Bolton	Premier League	2007–08	6	1	3	0	5	0	14	1
		Total	6	1	3	0	5	0	14	1
Toulouse	Ligue 1	2008–09	30	1	5	1	0	0	35	2
		2009–10	32	4	5	0	7	1	44	5
		2010–11	32	5	1	0	0	0	33	5
		2011–12	31	1	1	0	0	0	32	1
		2012–13	32	2	0	0	0	0	32	2
		Total	157	13	12	1	7	1	176	15
Copenhagen	Superliga	2013–14	23	1	0	0	4	1	27	2
		Total	23	1	0	0	4	1	27	2
Vålerenga	Tippeligaen	2015	22	1	2	0	0	0	24	1
		Total	22	1	2	0	0	0	24	1
Brann		2016	12	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
		Total	12	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Career Total			385	49	33	4	34	4	452	57

National team

(Correct as of 7 February 2013)

National team	Season	Apps	Goals
Norway	2004	2	0
	2005	5	1
	2006	4	0
	2007	4	1
	2008	2	0
	2009	8	0
	2010	2	0
	2011	6	0
	2012	9	0
	2013	3	1
	2014	2	0
Total		45	3

Honours

Club

Rosenborg

• Tippeligaen: 2

2004, 2006

External links

• Daniel Braaten at National-Football-Teams.com
• Daniel Braaten career statistics at Soccerbase
• Bolton Wanderers Profile on Burnden Aces
• Player profile on RBK official site