Birger Meling
{{short description|Norwegian footballer (born 1994)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Birger Meling
| image = Raków-Kopenhaga- 1 (Birger Meling).jpg
| upright =
| caption = Meling in 2023 with Copenhagen
| full_name = Birger Solberg Meling{{NFF|3722199|access-date=5 January 2024}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|12|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = Stavanger, Norway
| position = Left-back
| currentclub = Copenhagen
| clubnumber = 24
| youthyears1 = 2000–2013
| youthclubs1 = Viking
| youthyears2 = 2013–2014
| youthclubs2 = Middlesbrough
| years1 = 2014–2016
| clubs1 = Stabæk
| caps1 = 59
| goals1 = 5
| years2 = 2017–2020
| clubs2 = Rosenborg
| caps2 = 79
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2020–2021
| clubs3 = Nîmes
| caps3 = 26
| goals3 = 2
| years4 = 2021–2023
| clubs4 = Rennes
| caps4 = 59
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2023–
| clubs5 = Copenhagen
| caps5 = 29
| goals5 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2015–2016
| nationalteam1 = Norway U21
| nationalcaps1 = 6
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 2017–
| nationalteam2 = Norway
| nationalcaps2 = 39
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| club-update = 28 May 2025
| nationalteam-update = 5 January 2024
| height = 1.73 m
}}
Birger Solberg Meling (born 17 December 1994) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Danish Superliga club Copenhagen, and the Norway national football team.
Club career
= Early career =
After playing youth football for Viking and Middlesbrough,{{Cite web|url=https://www.vg.no/i/7eazo|title=Dette er Norges nye englandsproff|website=www.vg.no|date=29 July 2013 }} Meling joined Stabæk before the 2014 season. He made his senior league debut in September 2014 in a 3–0 defeat against Aalesund.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nifs.no/personprofil.php?person_id=123145&sortering=sesong|title=NIFS - Norsk & Internasjonal Fotballstatistikk|website=www.nifs.no}} In February 2017, he signed for Rosenborg.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rbk.no/nyheter/meling-klar-for-rosenborg|title=Meling klar for Rosenborg|website=Rosenborg}}
= Nîmes =
In July 2020, Meling joined Nîmes on a three-year contract. The transfer fee paid to Rosenborg was less than €1 million.{{cite web |title=Ligue 1 : le défenseur Norvégien Birger Meling (Rosenborg) signe trois ans à Nîmes |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Ligue-1-le-defenseur-norvegien-birger-meling-signe-trois-ans-a-nimes/1150280 |website=L'Équipe |accessdate=24 August 2020 |language=French |date=6 July 2020}} On his Ligue 1 debut on the season's first matchday, he contributed an assist and a goal in Nîmes's 4–0 win against Brest.{{cite news |author=Arilas Berg Ould-Saada |title=Birger Meling herjet i fransk drømmedebut: – Fryktelig deilig |url=https://www.vg.no/sport/fotball/i/RRPo68/birger-meling-herjet-i-fransk-droemmedebut-fryktelig-deilig |accessdate=24 August 2020 |work=Verdens Gang |date=23 August 2020 |language=Norwegian}}
= Copenhagen =
On 14 August 2023, Meling signed a contract with the Danish champions Copenhagen until the summer of 2027.
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 29 May 2025}}{{cite web|title=Birger Meling|url=http://www.altomfotball.no/element.do?cmd=player&personId=292177&tournamentId=1&seasonId=340&teamId=313&useFullUrl=false|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413070537/http://www.altomfotball.no/element.do?cmd=player&personId=292177&tournamentId=1&seasonId=340&teamId=313&useFullUrl=false|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 April 2018|website=altomfotball.no|publisher=TV 2|accessdate=14 October 2018|language=Norwegian}}{{cite web|title=B. Meling|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/birger-meling/333830/|publisher=Soccerway|accessdate=13 August 2019}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan="4"|Stabæk
|2014 |2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2015
|Eliteserien |27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 32 | 1 | |||
| 2016
|Eliteserien |30 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | 2{{efn|name=PLY|Appearances in the 2016 Eliteserien playoffs}} | 0 | 37 | 5 | |
| colspan="2"|Total
!59 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 6 | |
| rowspan="5"|Rosenborg
|2017 |20 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11{{efn|Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2018
|Eliteserien |28 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 12{{efn|Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 46 | 2 | ||
| 2019
|Eliteserien |28 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14{{efn|Eight appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 44 | 1 | ||
| 2020
|Eliteserien |3 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 3 | 0 | |||
| colspan="2"|Total
!79 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 37 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 129 | 4 | ||
| Nîmes
|26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 26 | 2 | |||
| rowspan="3"|Rennes
|Ligue 1 |31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6{{efn|name=UECL|Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 37 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23
|Ligue 1 |16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5{{efn|name=UEL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 22 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 59 | 0 | ||
| rowspan="3"|Copenhagen
|19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5{{efn|name=UCL|Appearances in UEFA Champions League}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25
|Danish Superliga |10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8{{efn|name=UECL}} | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 19 | 0 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 43 | 0 | ||
| colspan="3"|Career total
!240 | 8 | 23 | 4 | 63 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 328 | 13 |
{{notelist}}
=International=
{{updated|20 June 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fotball.no/fotballdata/person/profil/?fiksId=3722199 |title=Birger Meling |language=Norwegian |work=football |publisher=NFF |accessdate=30 March 2021}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="7"|Norway
|2017 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total | 37 | 0 |
Honours
Rosenborg
Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2024–25{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediano.nu/oversigt/2025/05/26/mediano-superliga-32-runde|title=Mediano Superliga: Tillykke til FC København|date=25 May 2025|website=Mediano}}
- Danish Cup: 2024–25{{Cite web|url=https://www.bt.dk/content/item/1824551|title=FCK tager tiende pokaltitel med soloridt på hadebanen|date=29 May 2025|website=www.bt.dk}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{F.C. Copenhagen squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meling, Birger}}
Category:Footballers from Stavanger
Category:Men's association football fullbacks
Category:Norwegian men's footballers
Category:Norway men's under-21 international footballers
Category:Norway men's international footballers
Category:Stabæk Fotball players
Category:Nîmes Olympique players
Category:Stade Rennais FC players
Category:F.C. Copenhagen players
Category:Danish Superliga players
Category:Norwegian expatriate men's footballers
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark
Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in France