Football | The 20-year-old is referred to as a revelation in Denmark:
JESSHEIM (Nettavisen): – It has been very good. I have been well received and it is other Norwegians who help. I have got a very good impression, says Henrik Heggheim (20) to Nettavisen about the first period in Danish Brøndby.
The former Viking player meets Nettavisen during a national team gathering outside Oslo on a late autumn day in 2021. The team has been 45 minutes out of the capital, past Jessheim, in search of optimal conditions on natural grass.
The midfielder talks about various things he has noticed in his first months at the Copenhagen club after the transfer from Viking.
– We train with a slightly higher pace and intensity. You press more. These are the biggest differences I think. Then everything takes place on grass and not artificial grass. I’m happy about it. Everything of international football is played on grass. It is almost only in Norway that we do not. It is also an important thing, says Heggheim.
– Do you think that artificial grass inhibits development in Norway in any way?
– I grew up on artificial turf. For younger people it is very good, but when you get on the grass you are not quite used to how the ball spreads. It’s a habit. You should definitely have more grass, is the clear message from the 20-year-old.
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Trainer about Heggheim: – A revelation
Brøndby put a double-digit number of millions of kroner on the table to secure Heggheim in this summer’s transfer window. After wasting from the start in the Europa League against Lyon and Rangers, as well as in the big city against FC Copenhagen in the autumn, the siddis has garnered praise for his efforts in the yellow and blue jersey.
– Henrik is on his way to the team and contributes something very good in phase one, ie the build-up game. There I really think has been a revelation to us. He can “put” the game forward in the field and is good at finding his teammates in the next link. I think he has been good there, said the club’s assistant coach Martin Retov to Danish Tipsbladet.
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The Norwegian himself is honest that the months after the transition have been rich in content.
– It was an insanely cool experience. These are really big teams in really big arenas and very good players you meet, says Heggheim even about the weeks where he got several big games in his belt.
– What differences do you notice from Viking to Brøndby?
– There are a lot of supporters there and it shows. It’s a very different pressure than what was in Viking, but I like it, he says.
– To different worlds
One might think that in principle it is not the big difference between two clubs like Viking and Brøndby. However, Heggheim has a clear idea that the transition is a big step in his career.
– I feel it is almost to different worlds. The stadium is a lot bigger and in general there are many more fans and many more “hard core” fans as well. I like that, he says to Nettavisen.
– Why did you choose Brøndby?
– I wanted to take a step, which I felt was a step up, but at the same time was not too big. I felt that I found it in Brøndby. At the same time, Copenhagen is a cool city to live in. The impression I have got is that the club focuses on the young and we are several of the same age. That was quite important.
The former Viking player is open about the fact that he had several options, but that Brøndby eventually stood out as the right destination for him.
– I talked to them and my agent did the same. I got the impression that I was someone they wanted to bet on. That was really the most important thing.
In recent years, football has taken great strides internationally, at the same time the clubs are developing talents that are sold for significant Danish big summers than Norwegian clubs do.
– What makes Denmark an attractive place and an attractive league?
– It’s a better showcase I would say. They had fire layers in the various European Cups, including us. That’s a pretty big difference. They are also a country that has gained a lot more focus now because of how well the national team is doing well. It is also a good thing, says Heggheim and continues:
– It feels like a player on a more international stage. It is a major happening around the matches and I have experienced in Norway. At home it feels like it’s a little more random, here it’s something everyone should be a part of. There is a difference.
On Sunday, Heggheim and his Brøndby will play their first league match after the winter break in Denmark, when they meet FC Nordsjælland with Norwegian Andreas Schjelderup in the squad.
– A reason why players go from Norway to Denmark
Heggheim explains that he thinks that it has been run well in Viking over a long period and points out that the Stavanger club has produced more players who have made it through in recent years.
Kristian Thorstvedt, Zymer Bytyqi, Adrian Pereira and Julian Ryerson are some of the names that have taken the step further out in recent years.
In Denmark, Heggheim still feels greater interest from a larger club in Europe, and what he experienced in Norway.
– It helps that they have layers in Europe. If you perform well there, you prove that you can do it at a higher level than in the domestic league. I also think the level is generally higher in the Super League and in the Elite Series. This is one reason why players go from Norway to Denmark. They can also push the sum a little more when they have to sell again because they have shown that they perform well in the Europa Cup. That has a lot to say.
– Where do you envision any new step for your part if you do well in Brøndby?
– It is always difficult to say, but for my part maybe Italia or France. We’ll see, he concludes to Nettavisen.
On the last day of the transfer window, Heggheim was visited by his former teammate Joe Bell, who was picked up from Viking in the «last second».