Every so often, the Champions League throws up an underdog story that sees football fans almost unilaterally fall in love with a new club.  

In 2018/19 it was the Ajax side of Mathijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Erik ten Hag, in 2016/17 it was Kylian Mbappé and Bernardo Silva’s Monaco that stole our hearts, before Villarreal made it to the semi-finals by beating Bayern München and Juventus along the way in 2021/22. But this year is well and truly the year of Bodø/Glimt.  

With only two games to go in the league phase, the intrepid Norwegian side looked down and out, needing two unlikely wins against relative giants Manchester City and Atlético de Madrid to reach the knockout play-offs.  

But with the rest of Europe seemingly packing Bodø’s bags for them, Kjetil Knutsen’s side put in two sensational performances to stun the 2023 winners and 2014 and 2016 runners-up to smash their way into the next round.

Their reward? The visit of Inter to their home in the Arctic Circle, where – you’ve guessed it – Bodø made it three for three, stunning last year’s beaten finalists to take a 3-1 lead in the tie against all the odds. Now, they are one step away from creating further history in their trip to the San Siro – which can hold the entire population of Bodø with 20,000-odd seats to spare.

Ahead of the return leg in Milan, we spoke to Patrick Berg, captain of the Kjempedreper – or “giantkillers” – about the journey his side have been on, what it means to face so many historic sides, and how openness and friendliness have powered the club to glory.  

Patrick, you come from a Bodø/Glimt dynasty, with your father, grandfather and uncle all playing for the club – what does it mean to you to be leading the club in the Champions League?

It’s been a big dream throughout my career to play in the Champions League, and to be able to do it with Bodø/Glimt means so much to me and to my family. And I think it means an enormous amount to everyone who loves Glimt, and especially those from Norway, who follow us and look forward to us playing against the best teams in the world. So, it’s been fantastic.

How does it feel to be facing a team with the history and pedigree of Inter?

I think it’s a bit surreal. As players, we almost feel like we’re living in a dream. It’s something we’ll look back on in many years and probably think it was a bit surreal that it happened. It’s incredibly fun to be part of it and I think a lot of people are good at enjoying the moment as well, because it seems like many are following us, watching the matches and helping drive the good performances and results we’ve delivered.

How would you describe Bodø/Glimt, and Bodø as a city?

As a club, I think we’re still fairly unknown, but we want to focus on ourselves and our performances and what we can influence. That’s why we’ve succeeded so well and why we’ve reached the level we’re at today. As a city, Bodø is very friendly and welcoming, which is maybe the difference between us and many other clubs at this level, that it’s a bit more open and down-to-earth here than at many other clubs.