Tor Hogne Aarøy

Tor Hogne Aarøy
Born	(1977-03-20) March 20, 1977 Ålesund, Norway
Occupation	Footballer (retired)
Years active	1998–2014
Known for	One of the tallest professional footballers worldwide; forward for Aalesund, Rosenborg, JEF United Chiba

Tor Hogne Aarøy (born 20 March 1977) is a retired Norwegian footballer who played as a forward. Measuring tall, Aarøy is recognized as one of the tallest players in professional football worldwide. In the video game FIFA 15, he is featured as the tallest athlete, standing at 6'8.5.

Early years

Aarøy's football journey started with Spjelkavik IL, followed by short spells at Aalesund and Frigg before returning to Spjelkavik in 1998. In 1999, he signed with Rosenborg, but his progress was hindered by injuries, limiting his impact.

Aalesund tenure

He rejoined second-tier Aalesund in 2001, scoring 11 goals over 26 appearances that season. Aarøy played a key role in Aalesund’s historic promotion to Norway’s top division, finishing as the second highest scorer with 17 goals. Despite his six goals, the team faced relegation in 2003 but bounced back immediately in 2004. After another drop in 2005, Aarøy partnered effectively with Dedé Anderson in 2006, contributing 12 goals to Dedé’s 14. During the 2007 season, he appeared in 20 matches in the top flight and scored six times.

Transition to J. League

In 2011, Aarøy moved to Japan’s J2 League side JEF United Chiba. He opened his scoring account on 6 March 2011 against Giravanz Kitakyushu. His second league goal came on 24 April against FC Tokyo, assisted by a long throw from Australian international Mark Milligan. On 3 October 2012, he announced his intention to leave JEF United Chiba after the season concluded, citing limited playing opportunities under coach Takashi Kiyama. Aarøy then returned to Norway and signed again with Aalesund in 2013, where he completed his final two seasons.

International career

On 27 January 2009, Aarøy was called up to the Norway national football team by caretaker manager Egil Olsen. However, he withdrew from the squad to be present for the birth of his second child.

Club statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Norway			League		Norwegian Cup		Europe		Total
1999	Rosenborg	Tippeligaen	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
2000		Tippeligaen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2001	Aalesund	1. divisjon	26	12	0	0	0	0	26	12
2002		1. divisjon	30	17	4	2	0	0	34	19
2003		Tippeligaen	23	6	4	3	0	0	27	9
2004		1. divisjon	13	6	0	0	0	0	13	6
2005		Tippeligaen	20	4	3	4	0	0	23	8
2006		1. divisjon	27	12	2	0	0	0	29	12
2007		Tippeligaen	20	6	3	1	0	0	23	7
2008		Tippeligaen	26	9	4	4	0	0	30	17
2009		Tippeligaen	27	6	6	3	0	0	33	9
2010		Tippeligaen	30	12	2	0	2	0	34	12
Japan			League		Emperor's Cup		J.League Cup		Total
2011	JEF United Chiba	J2 League	20	5	0	0	–		20	5
2012		J2 League	15	1	1	0	–		16	1
Norway			League		Norwegian Football Cup		UEFA		Total
2013	Aalesunds FK	Tippeligaen	13	0	2	0	0	0	15	0
2014		Tippeligaen	19	1	4	2	0	0	23	3
Total	Norway		274	91	34	21	3	0	311	114
	Japan		35	6	1	0	–		36	6
Career total			309	97	35	21	3	0	347	120

• The statistics for the 2008 season include playoff matches (two games and four goals).
• Empty fields denote no appearances or goals; question marks indicate data not verified.