8 Great Moments in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United Career

Thursday marks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 42nd birthday. Of all the stars in the firmament of Manchester United legends, the birthday of the man who gave many United fans their most memorable sporting moment should surely be honoured. 

To do so, we take a look at eight wonderful moments from his wonderful career and remember the joy that the Baby-Faced Assassin brought to so many of us.

Scoring 6 Minutes into His United Career

Solskjaer scored a lot of goals for United, and he did not take much time to start the ball rolling. 

He made his debut appearance for the Red Devils against Blackburn Rovers in August 1996. He entered the fray as a substitute after 64 minutes and scored after 70. 

The super sub had made a super start.

A Red Card That Deserved Its Applause

The phenomenon of crowds giving rousing applause to a player who has been sent off can be a frustrating one. The view from the stands quite often gives a misleading impression of the violence or necessity of a challenge.

If ever a red-card offence deserved a standing ovation, though, it was Solskjaer's highly intelligent hacking of Rob Lee at Old Trafford on 18 April 1998.

At 1-1, with not all that long left, Solskjaer knew that a Newcastle United win would be disastrous for United's title hopes. In order to prevent that, he chased back half the length of the pitch and executed a precision scythe on Lee, which earned both a well-deserved dismissal and a well-deserved round of applause.

A 4-Goal Haul vs. Nottingham Forest

United were 4-1 up by the time Ole took the field against Nottingham Forest on February 6, 1999. 

Thus, the result was not significantly impacted by the enormous shift Solskjaer effected on the scoreline. Three points were going to be United's anyway, but the joy of the Norwegian scoring four goals after only being brought on in the 72nd minute will not soon be forgotten by anyone who experienced it. 

He simply tore Forest's tired and demoralised defenders apart.

Solskjaer's reputation as a super sub was well-earned, and this was perhaps its most definitive example.

A 1999 Injury-Time Winner (But Not THAT One)

1999 was special because United won the Champions League and the League, for sure. It was made even more special, though, by being a treble with the FA Cup also being in the mix. 

And it might not have been were it not for Solskjaer's injury-time winner in the fourth round against Liverpool. It was a goal that summed up the '99 side's relentless will to win, as well as their ability to keep their composure under pressure.

Of course, it was also a goal that foreshadowed what was to come later that year.

Returning to Action

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It is easy to forget, given how much impact he had on United's history, that the latter part of his time at the club saw him miss most of three seasons with a knee injury.

His return to action as a substitute against Birmingham City during the festive fixtures in the 2005-06 season—he had been out since the 2004 FA Cup final—felt like a Christmas present.

He struggled to make an impact during the rest of that season, but he did manage to get himself back into the side with reasonable regularity before his retirement.

1st Goal After Injury

Better than his return to action was his return to goalscoring. 

The moment is enshrined into United legend—not just because of the emotional resonance of Solskjaer rediscovering his ability to do what he did best but because of his wonderful reaction. 

Turning to the crowd and bowing, he seemed to be offering his thanks for the support the United faithful had given him during his injury. Showing his class, in that moment he demonstrated why that support had been so well deserved.

Securing a Semi-Final Berth Against Deportivo

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This one is a slight cheat, given that it is an excuse to remember Juan Sebastian Veron's sublime through ball for Solskjaer's second in the 2002 Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie between United and Deportivo La Coruna. Revenge for previous defeats to Depor was served up in an exciting tie. 

Although Veron's pass and Ryan Giggs' brilliance may have stolen headlines, two of United's three goals were scored by Ole, who was in typically fine super-sub form. United had so many attacking options at the time, and Solskjaer was always among the most deadly.

'And Solskjaer Has Won It'

The most memorable moment of them all, of course.

It was a moment of almost unimaginable magic, like the final moments of the most obviously overwrought sports movie ever written.

Teddy Sheringham's equaliser was incredible to experience, as United's fabled never-say-die spirit was yet again demonstrated.

But that was a mere prologue. If you were a United fan, then Ole's winner was a moment so transcendent, so out of step with the humdrum of day-to-day life, so life affirming and filled with joy that words simply cannot do it justice.

It seemed to sum up everything that was brilliant about United, but more than that, it was a beautiful metaphor, containing as it did the promise that the unattainable could be attained and that victory would eventually be yours if you simply refused to give up.

So thank you, Ole, for my and many other people's favourite sporting moment.

Happy birthday. Have a brilliant one.