Norwegian footballer, Adrian Lillebekk Ovlien, Died at 20

  Sports

Adrian Lillebekk Ovlien was born on August 3, 1997, and died on March 16, 2018.

He was a Norwegian footballer.

Ovlien played as a central defender for Kongsvinger.

Ovlien played more than 100 competitive first-team matches for Kongsvinger, including the 2016 Norwegian Cup Final.

Adrian Lillebekk Ovlien has also capped a total of 50 times by Norway on various youth levels from U15 to U19.

He grew up in Eidskog, and made his senior debut for local third divisjon side Eidskog FK in 2012, when he was still only 14 years old.

Ovlien played 16 league matches for Eidskog before joining the Glåmdal region’s biggest side Kongsvinger ahead of the 2013 season.

Ovlien made his debut in the Norwegian First Division on 5 May 2013 as a substitute against Fredrikstad, aged 15 years and 275 days.

Ovlien is the youngest player to have ever played for Kongsvinger’s first team in a competitive match.

He played regularly for Kongsvinger over the next five years, playing a total of 114 competitive matches for the first team, scoring five goals.

This includes 62 matches (two goals) in the Norwegian First Division.

Lillebekk Ovlien also played all seven matches when Kongsvinger reached the final of the Norwegian Cup in 2016, for the first time in club history. He started in the final against Rosenborg, where Kongsvinger lost by a score of 4–0.

Despite interest from clubs in Eliteserien, he decided to sign a new contract with Kongsvinger in the autumn of 2017, stating: “KIL is a safe place for me, and I feel this is the place where I can develop the most. I am allowed to try and fail at this club.

He got his debut on an international level when he was selected for Norway’s Under-15 team in a match against Sweden on 18 September 2012.

Lillebekk Ovlien had played in a pre-season friendly against Chinese side Sichuan Longfor only four days earlier in La Manga, Spain.

According to a press release from the club he died as a result of an acute infection which likely caused septic shock (blood poisoning).

He died suddenly on the morning of 16 March 2018, at 20 years old.