Solskjær’s invisible fortune

Ole Gunnar Solskjær had more than 6 million pounds in a wealth management company in Luxembourg. Several million pounds of his income has also been transferred to Guernsey. It’s unlikely the Norwegian tax authorities are aware of these assets.


By Lars Johnsen and Håvard Melnæs

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær had an illustrious and enriching career as a player for the same club. According to reports in the British and Norwegian press, he made close to 30 million pounds during his time at Old Trafford.

Not only in football does Ole Gunnar Solskjær prefer to be red – it also applies to politics. In 2011, after he had moved back to his hometown Kristiansund, he was guest speaker at the national convention of the Norwegian Labour party, where he affectionately spoke of the Nordic social democratic model. He has also co-signed several op-eds in Norwegian papers in favour of social-democratic wealth distribution.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjær moved back after 15 years in England to become the new manager of Molde FK, he became tax-domiciled to Norway. All residents of Norway are required to declare all their assets to the Norwegian tax authorities, regardless of where in the world the assets are located, and whether it’s cash in the bank, property investments, stock and so on.

Once every year, the Norwegian tax authorities publicly release summarised versions of the tax returns for all the country’s taxpayers. This information consists of a person’s taxable income, the size of his/her wealth and how much tax he/she paid the previous fiscal year.
How could it be – according to his tax return – that Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s wealth amounted to only 22 million Norwegian kroners –...

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