Cathinka Tandberg interview: Why me? Why not? – Spurs’ bold believer living out loud

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Cathinka Tandberg pictured in a Spurs kit with a fire effect around her
Photo: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC

Ever since her Tottenham Hotspur arrival, supporters have found Cathinka Tandberg’s energy magnetic. The Norwegian has demonstrated both striking prowess and taste for a battle, plus ambitions so unashamedly audacious that the team’s recent A-list spectator could have written them herself.

The word iconic may be more hastily handed out today than a flyer on freshers’ week, but Spurs Women witnessed the genuine article earlier this year. While millions have paid for the privilege of seeing Madonna perform, how many can truthfully say that she has sat and watched them at work?

The cameras were frequently drawn to her during February’s Barclays WSL derby with Chelsea (a 2-0 defeat) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on a weekend in which she had graced a Spurs academy game to cheer on twin daughters Stella and Estere. Had she joined the first team’s away-day trail to Aston Villa a week later, she would have been far more handsomely rewarded – a 7-3 victory, with a star cameo from two-goal substitute Cathinka Tandberg.

Having also appeared against Chelsea, the 21-year-old forward now holds that rare honour of having played in front of one of music’s eternal superstars. Still, you probably won’t catch her returning the courtesy whenever the ‘Queen of Pop’ tours again – and it’s nothing personal.

“I hate being at concerts,” she laughs when asked of live-music experiences in general. “You can listen much better on your phone, on your speaker!”

To say, however, that she is in her element at centre stage would be right on the money. Long before the Eras Tour, it was Blond Ambition selling out venues worldwide – and its spirit is alive and well in 2026.

Joining in September from Swedish club Hammarby, a double after being introduced in the 67th minute at Villa Park took her to six Spurs goals. In a season of reloaded enthusiasm under new coach Martin Ho, the 5th-place side have a number 19 who dreams supreme.

When fellow Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg became the first female Ballon d’Or winner in 2018, a 14-year-old back home had taken note.

“I think when I saw her win the Ballon d’Or, I was like, ‘Okay, one day that’s gonna be me.’”

Shades perhaps of Madonna’s reply on American Bandstand when asked by Dick Clark of her hopes for 1984 and beyond: “To rule the world.” Today’s leading female athletes increasingly take some of the boundary-pushing aura that made her a pop-culture phenomenon. Emphasis on some, that is – Madonna wasn’t the commotion-causer-in-chief for nothing.

Broadly speaking, everyone wants to be the best, but the way in which projecting that is perceived can differ greatly between cultures. While colourful confidence is largely expected of a star name in America, it is distinctly un-Norwegian.

The societal norm of janteloven in Norway guides against standing out from the crowd; Spurs’ Oslo-born goal-getter might just be one to shake that up.

“I felt it when I was playing with girls when I was younger, because I wanted to be the best,” she recalls. “I was different from them, then you can really feel it, but when I was playing with the boys, I was feeling, ‘Okay, here I can actually say that I want to be the best, and I can play tough, and I can shoot hard.’”

“So, for me, it’s always been in my mind that I want to be the best and I want to become one of the best strikers in the world, and I’m not afraid to say it.”

It is the kind of characterful conviction that Spurs could do with plenty of if their goal of gatecrashing the WSL’s top order is to come true. Finishing as high as 5th only once (2021/22) in their six previous campaigns at this level, they are now almost certain to equal that.

A current place on the outer edge of the elite means that the role of a player internationally synonymous with Spurs Women – think Alexia Putellas/Aitana Bonmatí at Barcelona, Hegerberg at OL Lyonnes, or Sam Kerr’s Chelsea impact – is still to be truly claimed. Central to the Tandberg/Tottenham Hotspur storyline is pre-existing affection, inheriting her father’s fondness for the club (and Harry Kane), having been taken to a game at White Hart Lane as a girl.

Does the idea of making herself instantly associable with the women’s side on a grand scale ever cross her mind?

“Yeah, obviously, why not? I want people to remember my name, so for me, it’s just to perform, be myself, and just show my character and personality, then, hopefully, people like it.”

That name has a snappier alternative, in the ‘Tinka’ moniker that has followed her to England. It actually wasn’t the first choice, coming together as a slight remix.

“My family has been calling me it almost since I was born, because Cathinka is such a long name, so my mum always called me Tinkus. Then the [football] coaches and so on couldn’t be calling me Tinkus, so they were like, ‘Okay, Tinka, that’s nice.’

“And then, someone called me Tank! So, it was quite funny, but Tinka I really like.”

Boldly entertaining personalities who can actually perform on the pitch are an eternal thrill for supporters. The sight of Tinka breaching the perimeter behind the goal – like opportunistic revellers hopping the Glastonbury fence in the ‘90s – to rush to the away fans after the penalty victory at London City Lionesses in the FA Cup fifth round was a further giveaway that she is more wall-jumper than wallflower.

“I’m not quiet at all,” she confirms with appropriate enthusiasm. “I like to be loud, I like to have fun, and I think when we’re in the locker room, that’s the part when we can really switch off and think about something else.”

“It’s a very good environment; I think everyone can just be themselves.”

The 19-goal leading scorer in 2023’s top-flight Damallsvenskan, Tinka was the chief threat in a swashbuckling attack for 3rd-place Linköping, alongside two other current WSL names: Cornelia Kapocs (Liverpool) and Yūka Momiki (Everton). On her quest to continue the success of that Sweden spell, having a familiar backing track wouldn’t go amiss.

She reveals a side mission that has surely only been boosted by the arrival of BK Häcken pair Hanna Wijk and Matilda Nildén in January.

“We need some Swedish music in this country. I really like Swedish rap, that’s really good,

“‘Har Dig’ [by] Yasin, ‘Baby Kom’ – Jireel, ‘Första Klass’ – Einár, ‘Forca’ – Jireel, ‘Hiphop n RnB’ – Yasin. But I also like r&b, and some old bangers.

“You know ‘Let Me Love You’ [by Mario]? That’s really good.

“Beth [England] has been doing [the changing-room music] on the game days, but when we’re training, I tried to be on the aux, because I like my music. I always have to listen to music before the game, on the bus, but I can listen to chill, I can also listen to songs that get me up; I just listen to bangers and just be in a good mood.

“I’m driving [into training] with Jess [Naz], because I moved in the same apartment as her. She has really good music taste, so she can have the aux there.”

Rivalling their five-strong Swedish contingent in recent months, Tinka is now part of a Norwegian trio. The other half of their January strengthening saw attacking prospect and EURO 2025 standout Signe Gaupset join from Brann, while ex-Manchester City left-sider Julie Blakstad signed from Hammarby, where she lifted the Swedish Cup with Tinka last May.

They may have a hankering for hip-hop from their Scandinavian neighbours when living outside Norway, but they naturally switch back to sounds of their homeland when with the national team…don’t they?

“No, no, no – Norwegian music is awful! We never listen to that; it’s a lot of Swedish and a lot of house music.

“Vilde Bøe Risa, she’s a really good DJ [in the team] and she has the same music taste as me, so I can just say to her, ‘Put on this,’ and she will do it.”

One customary request, meanwhile, did not find its way to Tinka after arriving in England. Although many an esteemed competitor has recoiled at the thought of taking it on, she sees no reason to shy away.

“We didn’t [have initiation songs for new players] but I think that’s fun, so I could do that easily on my own decision. I like those things, but we did something else [when I played] in Sweden; you had to make your own dance.

“That was…quite boring!”

If called upon to step up, she would turn to a track from the ‘old bangers’ category she referred to earlier (a description to leave those who remember its 2004 release cursing the cruelty of time).

“I think I would take ‘Let Me Love You’ [Mario].”

Seeing the opportunity in a challenge continues to serve her well – sometimes sensationally so. Scooping the Damallsvenskan’s Goal of the Year award in 2024 for a 40-yard (at least) chip for Hammarby v IF Brommapojkarna, she repeated the feat at Everton’s Goodison Park in Spurs’ 2-0 win in September.

“I always watched football but Cristiano Ronaldo is my biggest [idol]. I always heard commentators say it’s too far out to think about [shooting], but I’ve always been, and my dad always said, ‘Just try to shoot whenever you get the chance, because if you never try, you will never score.’”

The crack-shot precision has translated just fine in England. The jokes, however…ask again later.

“It’s not my type of humour yet! But it’s good that we have a lot of Scandis, so I can joke with them.

“The only thing that the English people are laughing about is my English; I’m like, ‘It’s not that bad…’”

Still 18 when moving to Sweden’s Linköping from Oslo club Lyn, she hails from the Holmenkollen area of the Norwegian capital. Given the neighbourhood’s famous, eponymous ski jump, it is little surprise that she tried skiing among her sporting pursuits growing up, as well as tennis, but “football was the only thing I loved,” with a pitch in sight from her window.

“I went to school, but I hated school, so I skipped out of school to move to Sweden, because I was really bad at school. So, I’ve only been playing [football as a profession].

“I’ve been working as a coach on football camps for younger kids, so I’ve been doing that when I lived in Oslo; I really like to work with kids who love football.”

She tries to recall the first item she bought with earnings from the sport.

“When I was younger, I played for like zero money. I had a contract, but it was like, I think I got a bus card for the month, it was so small!

“Maybe when I bought a nice pair of shoes or something; Off-White shoes I bought, and I was so happy. That was like my whole salary for the month, so that tells you how small the salary was.”

Referenced often this season, her Spurs association has been years in the making. Norwegians on the men’s team, like Erik Thorstvedt, Øyvind Leonhardsen, and Steffen Iversen, had all been and gone before she was born, with no prominent compatriots since to link her fandom to.

Scandinavians who support English sides, though, have been in vast numbers for decades, including her aforementioned father, who she recalls “was really clear that I have to support Tottenham!” Learning English beyond schoolwork, meanwhile, was a shared effort: take a helping of Hannah Montana and add some half-time analysis.

“We always had the English TV on, like Disney Channel, but obviously, I’ve been watching football – and English football – for a really long time, so hearing the commentator made me understand the English words in football.”

As for music, it turns out that not all Norwegian material is banned from her collection – one band did enough to earn themselves a pass.

“I really like Donkeyboy; I really loved that when I was younger. ABBA is really nice, ‘Mamma Mia’ – bangers.”

Whether her stance against concerts is for softening remains to be seen. Maybe the offer of a golden ticket to see anyone from all time can sway her?

“If I could choose, I would say Adele.”

This is an era of surprising-to-surreal crossovers between football and music. If Snoop Dogg can co-own Swansea City, Tinka can surely release a song one day.

The question is: with which teammate(s) from her career would she cover one with?

“Celin Bizet [Dønnum], hundred per cent. She’s so musical and she can dance, she can sing, and I could just be in the background and be supporting her!

“‘Love Me JeJe’ by Tems, that reminds me of her.”

She also shares with Manchester United wide player Bizet Dønnum – a 2024 interviewee on here – an endearingly blunt way of articulating herself on occasion. The two are seemingly kindred spirits.

“We’ve been friends since I think my first [Norway] Under-23 camp. We just clicked directly; it was like I met my best friend and I met my soulmate because we’re so much alike!

“And when I went to Spurs, she was telling me about the club; she misses it [having left in September 2024] and I think, hopefully, we can play here together one day. I really miss her every day and I want to play with her on club teams as well, not only national team.

“We’re really good friends and I miss her.”

Bizet Dønnum‘s Spurs departure – triggered by a release clause in her contract being met two summers ago – left a bitter taste for plenty of her former supporters, with whom she had become a favourite. In a women’s game that saw two rivals swap key players Jess Park (to Manchester United) and Grace Clinton (to Manchester City) this season, how firm a promise can Tinka provide that she won’t be moving north in search of that reunion?

“Yeah, the thing was, I said to her, ‘I’m never going to Manchester United, so the only option for us is that you come to Spurs,’ and she was like, ‘Okay.’”

The season has offered enticing sparks of the collaborative potential with her current club colleagues, even with the impending exit of talismanic fellow striker and captain Beth England. Tinka’s first goal in the 7-3 thriller at the Villa was arguably the best of the ten – certainly for forceful precision – stepping on to Matilda Vinberg’s blocked shot to strike clinically with her laces into the corner from just outside the box. Her second was another snapshot of goalscoring instinct, with a purposeful run to meet Maika Hamano’s pass first time and sweep into the far corner.

Despite the result, her industry was evident in March’s 5-2 loss at Manchester City, also producing a ‘pre-assist’ when sliding in to find Vinberg on England’s goal. Their performance against the league leaders included a much-improved second half, dominating possession and attempts on goal for significant periods, but landing heavier blows on top teams is the obvious next hurdle.

Breaking their WSL stronghold is far easier in theory – doing it without unleashing headline-making financial might could even prove impossible. However, where there is an eye for emerging talent, plus desire and ability to improve players by coaching and impactful leadership, there is hope.

Martin Ho’s impressive start to life as a number one – including guiding Norway’s Brann to the Champions League quarter-final in 2024 – prompted Spurs’ appointment of the ex-Manchester United and Everton assistant last July.

“I know he has been trying to get me to the clubs he had been working with before, so I’ve always known that he likes me as a player and wants me,” Tinka says of the 35-year-old Merseysider. “So, when Tottenham and he came in, it was an easy choice, because I know he really wants me and he wants to develop and be a part of my journey.”

“It’s already been so nice and I can already feel his football knowledge. I can already feel that I’m at the right place.”

A principal role in a thriving Spurs set-up would make her nigh on impossible to overlook for Norway. The six-cap international was recently elevated from a training-player spot to an outright selection for April’s camp, before an injury-enforced withdrawal after arrival.

Work continues to push her case among an ever-enviable set of attacking options for Gemma Grainger’s side, which remains headlined by Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen. Recalling how making UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 – which would have been a first senior tournament – became an uphill battle in the preceding months, her focus ultimately shifted from Switzerland to Brazil.

“I had an operation in my knee in January [2025], so when I got that, I was like, ‘Okay, I will just try my best and be fit for June,’ but I was never getting back to full fitness. That was really sad, but it’s a World Cup [next year] … and I think that’s my goal now.”

If off-field contentment in London will be crucial in finding the form to ultimately line up at the first Women’s World Cup in South America, the indications have been encouraging.

“Obviously, it’s a very big city, very different from what I’m used to, but I love it here, it’s been nice. I really like the shopping here – going to Selfridges!

“[I also like] being with my friends here, going out and eating dinner. There’s so many good places here, so I’m really enjoying it.”

There is another destination that she will keep hunting a personal return to.

“My happiest moment I would say is maybe my [95th-minute] winner against Benfica [for Hammarby, to progress 3-2 on aggregate in September 2024] in the Champions League qualification. That was a big moment, because since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing in the Champions League; that’s my biggest dream, to win Champions League.

“So, for me, that was like, ‘Wow, now I made it.’”

And if she gets there with Spurs, her virtual counterpart will surely get its official glow-up.

“I don’t like film and TV shows but I play a lot of PlayStation; FIFA [EA SPORTS FC] and Fortnite. I’m not on [EAFC] yet [with my real-life likeness] but hopefully soon.”

To catch each of these interviews, you can follow: @chris_brookes (or on Bluesky here)

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Published by Christian Brookes