Motivation is More than a Trophy for Magnus Flaatedal

We are going back to the Sesame Street days and playing “guess which thing is not like the others.” Here we go.

Spain, Italy, Portugal, Wisconsin.

Do you have your answer? If you guessed Wisconsin, you were right.

The true meaning of the answer is not because Wisconsin is a state and the rest are countries.

Out of all the places in the world Magnus Flo Flaatedal has traveled, he decided to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Flaatedal is finishing off his sophomore year at UWM. The six foot, 174 pound, midfielder hails from Oslo, Norway.

Norway is known primarily for its strong tradition in winter sports and high medal count during the Winter Olympics.  Instead of strapping on a pair of skis, Flaatedal fell in love with the most popular summer sport.

He has been playing soccer his entire life. It began as recreation with his dad and friends. He then started playing organized soccer around six years old.

The phrase “ball is life” firmly applies Flaatedal’s soccer career. He went to Norges Toppidrettsgymnas, a high school that focuses solely on athletes.

“It was pretty hectic when I went to high school,” Flaatedal said. “We were at school from eight to four and we would travel to training camps in different countries.”

The hustle of his private high school got him prepared for the college athlete lifestyle. This training blends in with his method of staying focused.

“My biggest thing is to not be relaxed or too comfortable,” Flaatedal said.

Only in the late afternoon on Friday and Saturday will Flaatedal not be working on school or soccer. He described it as his focus as an all or nothing situation. He doesn’t do work half-heartedly. When he is relaxing to the fullest extent, he lives life like every other college student.

A fragment of his motivation and dedication stems from the string of injuries he has had since the end of his senior year of high school in 2012.

A stress fracture and ligament damage in his ankle held him back a year before he applied for college.

“I didn’t have the video material and coaches don’t really want to recruit an injured player,” Flaatedal said.

After a year of rehabbing, strengthening and conditioning he was back onto the field.

His high school friends had all left Norway and went to play soccer for universities in different countries. His father had also studied abroad in Scotland when he was younger. Flaatedal wanted the true college experience. To have the true college experience meant one thing, he had to attend a university with a lot of students.

“They (UWM) stood out compared to all of the other coaches I talked to and I had a real good feeling about UWM,” Flaatedal said.

The coaching staff and number of students was not the only reason Flaatedal chose UWM. His sights were aimed on repeating what the 2013 UWM Men’s soccer team did, winning the Horizon League Championship.

Although his determination showed during the season, a two-peat was unobtainable in 2014. The team went from a 15-3-2 in 2013 to a 6-10-3 in 2014.

Flaatedal played in 16 of the 20 games. Then the injury-bug bit again. He tore his patella and it became increasingly worse during the end of his freshman season.

He traveled back to Norway to figure out his situation. After getting an MRI, he traveled back to Milwaukee and got surgery in March of 2015. It was like déjà vu of the previous year once the 2015 season started.

“I wasn’t in the best shape because I had to come back from an injury,” Flaatedal said. “I started a little too early and had to sit out the preseason, so I struggled this year.”

“I felt like everyone had a big head start on me and I had to catch up to them,” Flaatedal said.

The team goal will always be to win the Horizon League. As for Flaatedal, playing at his absolute best is a cherry on top.

Flaatedal usually travels back to Norway at least once or twice a year. This year over the winter break he decided to stay in Milwaukee.

“They (UWM) put a lot of effort into me and I put a lot of effort into this,” Flaatedal said. “I want to be on my A game again, I haven’t been on it since before I got here (Milwaukee).”

He went to the gym twice a day on top of working with the strength and conditioning coaches.

Although soccer is Flaatedal’s main focus, his other is getting good grades in school. He is a business administration major.

Flaatedal wants to see how far he can take his soccer career but has always loved accounting and finance.

“I have always been excited and motivated of being my own boss, maybe I’d have my own firm or be a partner at an accounting firm,” Flaatedal said.

Flaatedal’s life may revolve around soccer and school but he utilizes his time to the fullest when he is away from the field and classroom. He is an avid traveler and has collected countless stamps in his passport.

With the lack of beaches and warm weather in Norway during the summer months the Flaatedal family has traveled all around southern Europe.

His most memorable vacation was traveling to the water bound streets of Venice, Italy.

“I really enjoyed that city. A lot of people say that it’s overcrowded but I loved it and I’m definitely going back,” Flaatedal said.

Whether he is home in Norway or traveling throughout Southern Europe, Flaatedal is motivated to put in work on the soccer field in Milwaukee.

We are going to play the game again. Which thing is not like the others?

Motivated, Dedicated, Humble, Defeated.

Do you have your answer?

If you chose defeated you were right. This is the one emotion Flaatedal has not felt during his soccer career at UWM.