When Southampton face Norway on the World Cup stage, Saints fans have a perfect excuse to look back at one of the club’s most memorable Norwegian connections: Egil Østenstad.

Born in Haugesund, Norway, Østenstad arrived at Southampton in October 1996 from Viking FK, signed by Graeme Souness for a reported £800,000. It did not take him long to make an impact. In fact, within weeks he had written himself into Saints folklore.

On 26 October 1996, Southampton beat Manchester United 6–3 at The Dell — one of the great Premier League results of the 1990s. Østenstad was at the heart of it, scoring what every Saints fan remembers as a hat-trick. The record books later tried to take one away and mark it down as a Phil Neville own goal, but for those who were there, and for those who have watched it back ever since, it will always be remembered as Egil’s day.

That match had everything: Eyal Berkovic pulling strings, Matt Le Tissier producing magic, and Østenstad giving United’s defence a torrid afternoon. For a player still settling into English football, it was some way to announce yourself.

Østenstad’s best Southampton years came at The Dell, where his intelligent movement, calm finishing and link-up play made him a dangerous forward. He was not just a target man or a poacher — he had a cleverness to his game, often finding space where defenders did not expect it. Alongside players like Le Tissier and Berkovic, he became part of an exciting, unpredictable Saints side.

But Østenstad’s story is not just a Southampton one. In 1998, while still a Saints player, he was part of Norway’s squad at the FIFA World Cup in France. He featured in Norway’s 1–1 draw with Scotland on 16 June 1998, coming on as a substitute in the group stage. That makes him a rare piece of Saints trivia: a Norwegian-born Southampton player who played at a World Cup.

Norway’s 1998 side would go on to famously beat Brazil in the group stage, one of the great results in their football history. Østenstad’s role in that tournament may have been brief, but simply being there placed him among an elite group of Southampton players to represent their country on the biggest stage.

After leaving Saints, he went on to play for Blackburn Rovers and Rangers before returning to Viking, where he remained a respected figure in Norwegian football. But for Southampton supporters, his name will always bring back memories of The Dell, the red and white stripes, and that unforgettable afternoon when Manchester United were put to the sword.

Egil Østenstad may not always be the first name mentioned when people talk about Southampton’s Premier League history, but he deserves his place in it.

A Norwegian international. A World Cup player. And forever part of one of the greatest days The Dell ever witnessed.