Leo Ostigard, Norwegian revelation of the 2026 World Cup, attracts the interest of Inter and Roma
By OnzeActu · · 2 min read
Brilliant during the 2026 World Cup with Norway, Leo Ostigard scored the first goal by a Serie A player in the competition. His meteoric progress and an exceptional season at Genoa now bring him into the sights of Inter Milan and Roma, while his value has clearly increased.
Leo Ostigard has established himself as one of the great revelations at the start of the 2026 World Cup. A solid pillar of the Norwegian defense, he largely contributed to the qualification of his selection for the round of 16 on the first two days of the group stage. Scorer in the clear 4-1 victory against Iraq, the central defender has continued to deliver high-level performances. He also made a remarkable entrance during the 3-2 victory against Senegal, while experiencing the birth of his son from a distance, a moment of strong emotion that he wanted to share publicly: “I am so happy and proud: it’s the most beautiful thing that has happened to me. When I saw my son for the first time, I cried,” he said from the Norwegian gathering.
Ostigard scored the first goal scored by a player playing in Serie A at this World Cup, a symbol of his growing importance. His trajectory has accelerated since his time in Italy, first at Genoa during the 2021/22 season (on loan from Brighton), a club through which he truly revealed himself. His excellent second half of the season will convince Napoli to bet on him in the summer of 2022 for around 8 million euros.
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Despite 32 appearances and 2 goals in Neapolitan colors, Ostigard has failed to establish himself as an undisputed starter. The summer of 2024 marks a new turning point with a transfer to Stade Rennais for 7 million euros then, following a loan in the Bundesliga to Hoffenheim, he finally returns to Serie A, where Genoa recovers him definitively for 2.5 million euros during the winter transfer window.
This return to Liguria paid off: Ostigard had the best season of his career with 30 matches, 5 goals and, above all, solid performances within the Genoese central hinge. Performances that catch the eye of the big clubs: Inter, in search of Stefan de Vrij's successor, as well as Roma, are closely monitoring his development. His price has exploded and today he should be worth between three and four times more than the amount paid by Genoa during his last acquisition. A nice financial blow in perspective for the Rossoblù club and perhaps a new stage in Ostigard's international career.
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