Inspired by Kevin De Bruyne and described by a team-mate as "completely unique", the 17-year-old is already proving decisive in the biggest of matches
Norway seems to have a knack for producing talented teenagers. Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen was only 18 when she was sought out by Tyreso, a Swedish side doing their best impression of the Galacticos. The club told its players that she had the potential to be one of the best in the world. She’s since won trophies in three different countries, and the Champions League.
Ada Hegerberg, the first ever recipient of the Ballon d'Or Feminin, was 17 when she joined two-time European champions Turbine Potsdam. A year later, she’d sign for Lyon, where she’s gone on to win six of those continental titles herself and become the Champions League's all-time top goal-scorer.
Martin Odegaard may be the most extreme example, becoming Real Madrid’s youngest ever player aged 16 years and 157 days. Today, he’s the captain of an Arsenal team that have led the way for the majority of this season's Premier League title race.
At one point or another, Signe Gaupset has been mentioned in the same breath as all three of those names. These are prodigious footballers who have gone on to achieve incredible things, and many believe that Brann’s 17-year-old midfielder, who was a NXGN 2023 finalist, can follow in their footsteps.
But who is this teenager that has everyone in her homeland so excited? What makes her worth such hype? Let NXGN introduce you to the next wonderkid coming off of Norway’s relentless production line…
Where it all began
Gaupset was just five years old when she began playing football, influenced by her brother who is two years older and already had a love for the game. “I wanted to be like him,” she tells NXGN. “He let me join his training sessions and then I started playing football with the boys in my class.”
Soon, she was playing in the boys’ team of a local club, Rival. “That was a really good boys’ team and many of the players there are now at boys' national teams as well,” she notes.
At 14 years old, Gaupset would join Molde, which is where she was born. She’d play with the women’s team, one of the best in the area, and also with the club’s academy boys’ team, building quite a bit of hype for herself in the process with her performances.
When she left Molde, she was in high demand – and it was well-documented in the media. “It's cool that so many clubs wanted me, but also it was a bit strange,” she recalls. “I didn't think that it would be so many.”
After visiting a few, the teenager decided that Sandviken – now rebranded as Brann – was “the right club” for her. “I got a really good first impression of the club and I knew the trainer, Alexander Straus [now of Bayern Munich], a bit from before because he had some training camps with my national team.
“Their style of playing suits my playing style and I found the club to be really great. I saw a good opportunity to develop in the club. It was actually quite an easy choice for me.”
AdvertisementThe big break
The date was November 5, 2022, and it was Brann vs Stabaek in the Norwegian Cup final. For Brann, having already secured the league title, it was a chance to go one further than 2021 and do the double. After losing the cup final the year prior, they got over the hump in 2022 – and Gaupset was the star of the show.
With two goals and an assist from the 17-year-old, Brann won 3-1, and she was praised to the high heavens in the aftermath.
“She was brilliant,” head coach Olli Harder told . “We had many options as to who would start, and she jumped at the chance. It was a fantastic way to end the season for her.”
“She is a completely unique talent and a wonderful person off the pitch,” full-back Tuva Hansen added. “She works so well. I forget that she is 17 years old, I think she is my age and I am 25. Words cannot describe how good she is.”
If anyone in Norway didn’t know about this talented teenager before that final, they certainly did after it. It was a game that really started to build the hype outside of her homeland, too.
How it’s going
Fast-forward a few months and Gaupset promises to be an even more important player for Brann in 2023. On the international stage, meanwhile, she has long been a valuable asset for Norway's Under-17 teams, and she played three games for the U19s at the end of last year, netting twice.
Of course, there is excitement building about when she will take her first steps outside of Norway, but the teenager is in no rush. Asked if she talks about that with her more experienced team-mates, Gaupset nods. "Something they say – and I think this as well – is that it's not a stress to get out," she explains.
“I think I have a lot to improve here in Norway and Brann. I want to play here until I really find the right club.”
Biggest strengths
Gaupset has lots of different strengths. Physically, she has been no doubt aided by so many years playing in the boys’ teams, something she notes herself. “I've been more tough,” she says. “They're faster and everything happens faster. I had to be more awake and prepared for everything. I think that's helped me a lot to get me where I am today.”
Technically, she has a brilliant shot and is excellent in possession, but it’s her creativity that is her stand-out attribute. That is elevated by her composure, a wonderful understanding of the game and, as team-mates have noted, her maturity.
It’s clear from talking to Gaupset that she likes to learn from those around her as well, which is a fantastic mentality for a young player to have. “We had a lot of good players last year and also now,” she says. “For example, Lisa Naalsund, who just went to Manchester United, is a really good midfielder who I had a lot to learn from. Tuva Hansen and Guro Bergsvand, who also left last year, are really good players who are playing at the national team and know the standards.
"Today, Andrine Hegerberg is a really good reference because she has played in many clubs in Europe. She knows the standards and she knows what to do to become a professional footballer. There are many people in the club that I have a lot to learn from and have learned from.”
