The giant killer from Norway

“We talk about money, we talk about big names, but nothing can beat a team. If you have a team, you can cause problems for anyone. If you don’t, what good is money? How they attack together, how they defend together… It doesn’t matter who they are or what their names are — they are a team. We need to learn that football is a team sport. That’s how it should be viewed. This is a lesson for everyone. Kids, this is what a team should look like”.

UCL Round of 16 is waiting for Bodo! Humiliated Inter say "Addio" to European elite

Those were the words of Thierry Henry last night, immediately after FK Bodo/Glimt produced yet another miracle. His message was clear. However, in an era when numbers dictate everything, the magnificent achievement of the small Norwegian club is still largely viewed through a “mathematical” lens. Once again, the stories resurfaced: that Bodo were in the second division in 2017 with a budget of 4.2 million euros; that the entire squad assembled by coach Kjetil Knutsen (valued at 57 million euros) is worth almost half as much as Alessandro Bastoni alone; or that the entire urban area of Bodo (around 55,000 people), had it set off yesterday for Giuseppe Meazza stadium, would not have filled its stands.

Week after week, it is hard to find adequate praise for what Bodo are achieving this season in the UEFA Champions League. There is no doubt this is the crown of everything Knutsen has built over eight years. Although they failed to defend their domestic title, the club’s management kept faith in him and handed him a new contract. He repaid them in spectacular fashion — within 35 days defeating Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan twice, securing a place in the Champions League round of 16. The fact that no club outside Europe’s “big five” leagues has achieved four consecutive wins against teams from those leagues in more than half a century — not since AFC Ajax in 1972 — and that Bodo do not even come from the second tier of European football nations (Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium) makes the story truly fairy-tale-like. But back to the numbers, which only deepen the respect for this Norwegian sensation.

North Pole miracle! Bodo/Glimt stun Guardiola's men for their first-ever Champions League win

From last night’s win alone, Bodo earned 11 million euros. Since the start of this Champions League campaign, they have banked 53.1 million euros. One might assume this radically changes the club’s business model — but it does not. CEO Frode Thomassen has already made it clear that Bodo will stay the course:

“The idea is to keep developing through increasing turnover and revenue. Investments will depend solely on how much we earn”. Player salaries are always a fascinating subject. Only two Bodo players earn more than one million euros gross per year — Jens Petter Hauge and Patrick Berg. The only other “millionaire” at the club is coach Knutsen. And because these are gross figures, with income tax reaching up to 35%, the net amounts are significantly lower. Norwegian media recently calculated that their best player, Erling Haaland, earns in ten days what Hauge earns in an entire year.

It is estimated that Bodo spent around 22 million euros on wages last season. That figure would have been higher had they won the league title. The club has a long-standing system in which success is heavily rewarded. Base salaries are modest, but bonuses are substantial — especially for domestic titles and European victories.

“They have built a very attractive pay structure where bonuses are a major component. If they win the league — there’s a big bonus. If they qualify for Europe — an even bigger one. The more successful they are, the more the players earn. That system makes Bodø competitive when battling Belgian or Dutch clubs for a player. That’s why Gundersen chose Bodo when leaving Tromso. That’s why Bjerkan chose Bodø when leaving Odd. They could have gone abroad. This model also creates special motivation in big matches” write the local media.

What stunned many after the win over Inter in Milan was the fact that Bodo’s starting 11 cost just 13.5 million euros to assemble. And even that is not the full story. The real net cost was closer to three million, since three of those players — Berg, Hauge and Evjen — had previously been sold for equal or greater fees before returning. Bodo are not just the story of the season. They are the story of the decade. A blueprint, a roadmap, an example — or at least they should be, especially for the “small and overlooked.” The draw for the Champions League round of 16 takes place on Friday. Knutsen’s men have two possible opponents: Manchester City or Sporting CP. Do you really think it’s all the same to Guardiola?