The Norway midfielder with the cellist father who overcame Liverpool rejection

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8 minutes agoMarc Gaier, andPaul Burnell,North WestGetty ImagesThelo Aasgaard (pictured with Erling Haaland) has been a regular in the Norway squad since March 2025Twelve years ago Thelo Aasgaard's dreams were in tatters when he was released by Liverpool FC's academy.His father Jonathan recalled: "I remember him being obviously a bit upset and I remember sitting him down and I said, 'Are you sure this is what you want to pursue?'"He didn't budge at all. He was clear that that was not a question at all.

"Then we helped him to get on to the next step of his learning curve, which ended up being at Wigan Athletic."Aasgaard is now in Norway's World Cup squad, with the Rangers midfielder training alongside his celebrated teammates including Manchester City's Erling Haaland, and Martin Odegard, one the key players behind Arsenal's Premier League title success.He played for Wigan and Luton before heading to Ibrox Park, also lining up for Norway's Under 16 and Under 21 sides."It was when he played for Luton Town that he got a call up for the first time, in March last year. "He kept his place in the squad ever since," said Jonathan.His family waited in suspense in Liverpool as the King of Norway announced which of the country's players would be travelling to the finals.'Fantastic players'"The King was broadcast live - via my brother in Oslo - and the family was here in Mossley Hill, and watched it as it happened."It was a very exciting moment in the house that's for sure," said Jonathan.'Absolutely manic'Aasgaard is one of four players in the tournament who once played for Liverpool schoolboys, the others being England's Anthony Gordon, Tony Barry, who is part of the England coaching team, and Ipswich striker Ali Al-Hamadi, who is in the Iraq squad.It is possible Al-Hamadi and Aasgaard could face each other when Norway play Iraq on Tuesday in an opening group game.Jonathan, who was principal cellist with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, will have to watch the game in a London hotel at 23:00 BST, because he is playing a concert in the capital."Then I am flying over for the second game against Senegal.

But my wife and my other children, they will be there for the first two games, so that's very exciting," he said.He added: "It's absolutely manic at the moment in Norway. My brother, Oliver, in Oslo, he made a little film from the supermarket and he was kind of just filming all the products they sell, and every single product in the whole shop will have the face of one of the Norway players in the squad."So the expectations are very, very high.