Åge Hareide was the coach of the Danish national football team from 2016–2020 and got to see Christian Eriksen shine from the bench.
The midfielder was also one of many football players who chose to be present in Molde when the legendary coach was buried in Molde Cathedral.
"It's a nice thing and a good way to mark the end of a period with Åge. Also to support his family," says Eriksen, who has fond memories of the coach.
"The strongest memory was when he came in as national team coach; we went on a trip to Japan. There we played football on the pitch but could also have a glass of wine afterwards. Being a human being is also important. He was truly a man who stood for that."
In addition to Eriksen, former Swedish national team captain Jon Dahl Tomasson - who was Hareide's assistant coach for several years - was also at the funeral. John Arne Riise, John Carew and Steffen Iversen, among many others, were also present.
Hareide also coached the national teams of Norway and Iceland. In Sweden, the Norwegian had successful spells with both Helsingborg (Swedish championship in 1999) and Malmö FF (Swedish championship in 2014). He led MFF to two consecutive group stages in the Champions League, in 2014 and 2015.
Åge Hareide died on December 18 of cancer. He was 72 years old.
