Leo Østigård

Leo Skiri Østigård is a no-nonsense centre-back and one of the cornerstones of Ståle Solbakken's defence at Norway's first World Cup since 1998 — he scored the goal that sealed the 4-1 win over Iraq on the nation's return to the tournament after 28 years. A much-travelled product of Molde (raised in Åndalsnes), his career took him through Brighton and a string of loans (St. Pauli, Coventry, Stoke) before permanent spells at Napoli and Rennes, then back to Genoa, where he has been one of Serie A's standout defenders in 2026 — Gazzetta called him "nearly unbeatable in the air." His tournament carried a brutal personal subplot: with his fiancée Aurora due to give birth during the World Cup, he chose to stay with the squad, telling NRK before the finals, "It can be that I'm not at the birth and don't see my own child for weeks. That's how brutal it is."