Gnawing away: Bell set to
By now, All Whites midfielder Joe Bell should have made his professional debut.
In any other year, the former Wellington Phoenix Academy product would have already featured in Norway’s top division, as the league usually kicks off in late March or early April.
But Bell, like many other Kiwi players in Europe, has seen his dreams put on ice because of the impact of the global Covid-19 outbreak.
So after the toughest pre-season of his career — with mountain runs in “horizontal rain” — the 20-yearold is still waiting to make his debut for Viking, based in Stavanger on Norway’s west coast.
It’s unfortunate, but Bell has made the most of the time in limbo.
Running has maintained his fitness, as well as hikes in the neighbouring hills, while he has also worked hard to keep up strength gains made in pre-season.
“It’s not the worst place in the world to be stuck,” Bell told the Herald on Sunday. “It has given me a chance to get to know the area a bit better. The people are great, very down to earth and humble, and it feels a lot like New Zealand, apart from the weather.”
Bell had a breakout year in 2019, going from promising prospect to fully fledged international.
He was one of the standouts at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland — as New Zealand reached the second round — then impressed immensely for the All Whites against Ireland and Lithuania in November.
Given he was selected from college in the United States (University of Virginia), his composure and authority at that level was remarkable, and he has already been spoken about as a future All Whites captain.
Bell took the next step by signing for eight-time Norwegian champions Viking in early January. He had other options, including the MLS, but the loyalty shown by the Nordic club was a key factor, as well as being in the sport’s hub.
“As a young player in college, the coaching staff in Viking believed in me, really stuck with me over an eight to 10-month period,” said Bell. “And it had also always been a goal to play in Europe.
[Viking] is seen as a selling