It may seem unusual for a football club to be managed by two head coaches at the same time. However, Norway's Viking, which will compete in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, has proven that this model can work successfully.

The head coaching position is shared with equal authority by Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, who have been leading the team together since 2021.

The foundation of this unusual model dates back to 2017. During the rebuilding process after Viking was relegated from the Eliteserien, newly appointed head coach Bjarne Berntsen brought Aarsheim and Jensen into his coaching staff, and the team managed to return to the top flight that very season. After parting ways with Berntsen in 2020, the club's management accepted the proposal for both specialists to become joint head coaches, and this system was officially implemented on January 1, 2021.

As a result of this decision, which fully justified itself, the duo led Viking to become Norwegian champions in 2025, exactly 34 years later. The division of labor within the team is also based on clear principles: Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim focuses directly on the game on the pitch and the daily training process, while Morten Jensen takes the lead in opponent analysis and player development.

This successful playing model and unique management system, shaped over the years, now faces a bigger test – the Champions League.