The making of Ingrid Engen: How she went from sleepy Norwegian town to six Champions League finals
From the ground of the Norwegian side Melhus IL, you can almost see the house where Ingrid Engen grew up. Her best friend and the former player Maiken Bakke drives The Athletic there, but she points out Engen used to run the route every day from 2005-2011. Melhus, a small town in the north of the country, is where Engen is from.
Bakke used to play with the OL Lyonnes midfielder turned centre-back when they were kids. “I used to think that Ingrid and I would go back to playing Melhus at some point and retire here,” Bakke says, staring at the pitch. “But, you know what?
I’m starting to think that’s not going to happen. ” They met while playing for the village’s other team, Gimse, in 2012. They had previously faced each other when Engen played for Melhus IL.
At first, they didn’t get on, but now Engen will be a bridesmaid at Bakke’s wedding. “I think I’ll have to hold it on New Year’s Eve because Ingrid has to be there — and she can only come here twice a year,” she says with a laugh. Saturday’s Women’s Champions League final will be a special occasion for Engen.
It is her sixth appearance in European football’s showpiece event, and OL Lyonnes’ opponents are the team she played for from 2021-2025, Barcelona. The 28-year-old will become the only player apart from Conny Pohlers to feature in the Champions League final for three different clubs (Wolfsburg, Barcelona and Lyon). Her whole family will be there to watch as the game is being played in Oslo, around 290 miles (470 kilometres) from her hometown.
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