Official figures from FIFA show that Nyland has covered a remarkably high number of km's in every single match he has played:
Against Iraq: 6,255 metres
Against Senegal: 6,223 metres
Against Ivory Coast: 5,741 metres
Against Brazil: 6,732 metres
No goalkeepers in the World Cup Round of 16 so far have come anywhere near Nyland's figures. These are the numbers:
Orjan Nyland (Norway): 6732 metres
Maxime Crépeau (Canada): 5939 metres
Jordan Pickford (England): 5826 metres
Mike Maignan (France): 5546 metres
Orlando Gill (Paraguay): 5362 metres
Raul Rangel (Mexico): 5288 metres
Yassine Bounou (Morocco) 4579 metres
Hangeland finds it fascinating. "I’ve looked at GPS data for many years of my life. It’s always a bit surprising to see how much goalkeepers move, but covering over six kilometres is exceptional. Four or perhaps five kilometres is typical," says Hangeland.
National team manager Stale Solbakken isn't quite as surprised by the numbers. He has encountered goalkeepers who love to run before.
"Let me tell you a story. When I was coaching in Cologne, my goalkeeper, Stefan Reisinger, ran a kilometre more than Lukas Podolski," Solbakken says with a smile.
The national team manager, who describes Nyland’s World Cup performance so far as "close to perfect," considers it natural for the goalkeeper to record high running distances.
"He wants to stay mobile and keep moving all the time. He often moves up to the halfway line. And sometimes he runs over to the sideline when we have a corner kick and need to exchange information or something like that. That automatically adds 100 meters if he runs out to us and back," says Solbakken.
When NRK asks Nyland about the numbers, he responds:
"Well, there are a few water breaks we have to run out for. No, seriously, I’ve actually been close to that number before. It just goes to show that goalkeepers move around too," Nyland tells NRK.
He explains that a goalkeeper, whom many might assume stays mostly within the penalty area for the entire match, has far more responsibilities in modern football.
"We need to offer an option to the players in front of us. I have to be involved when the defence pushes up. That means I have to push up too. It’s just part of the game," he says.
Nyland will be in action for Norway again in the quarter-final against England on Saturday.
