Arild Berg

Arild Berg (17 July 1975 – 22 June 2019) was a Norwegian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Arild Berg

Personal information
Date of birth	(1975-07-17)17 July 1975
Place of birth	Bodø, Norway
Date of death	22 June 2019(2019-06-22) (aged 43)
Place of death	Bodø, Norway
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
–1993	Bodø/Glimt
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1995	Bodø/Glimt	44	(7)
1997	Gevir Bodø
1998–2000	Bodø/Glimt	66	(16)
2002–2004	Lyn	0	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

A member of a noted footballing family, he was a son of Harald Berg and younger brother of Ørjan and Runar Berg, all Norway internationals who played in foreign leagues.^[1] Making his Bodø/Glimt league debut in 1993,^[2] Arild Berg was officially drafted into the first team in 1994;^[3] regarded as one of Norway's greatest talents and perhaps more so than his older brothers,^[4] he chose to never represent Norway as a youth or under-21 international. After the 1995 season he retired, citing a desire to structure his everyday activities more freely.^[5] Ahead of the 1997 season he rejected an offer from Rosenborg BK and signed for lowly FK Gevir Bodø.^[6][4]

In 1998, 1999 and 2000, Berg enjoyed a second spell with Bodø/Glimt. Amassing 110 league games,^[2] he fell ill and chose to leave Bodø/Glimt.^[4] A complicated process ended in a 2002 transfer to Lyn, though he was not able to train much.^[7] Lyn sponsor Atle Brynestad paid for various treatments. Mercury poisoning was believed to be Berg's diagnosis,^[8][9] with chronic fatigue syndrome later being stated as the cause.^[10][4] Berg stayed with Lyn for the remainder of his contract, throughout the 2004 season, without ever playing a game and barely training.^[11] Due to his condition he was advised to cut all ties with football, and he later stated that even watching matches on television would cause him great stress.^[4] On 22 June 2019, Berg died at the age of 43. According to a statement from his family, "Arild chose to leave us", indicating that he committed suicide.^[1][4]