the 2001–02 season Østenstad only made four appearances in the Premier League. Rovers won the 2001–02 Football League Cup and despite being left out of the squad for the final, Østenstad did appear in some of the earlier rounds. In the following season, he appeared more regularly and, despite only one league goal in 17 appearances, he did score in a UEFA Cup game against CSKA Sofia. In his four seasons at Blackburn, he made a total of 62 league appearances scoring 12 goals. Rangers Østenstad signed for Rangers on a free transfer by Alex McLeish in the summer of 2003. However, he made next to no impact during a very unproductive spell and wound up having his contract terminated before the end of the season. His only two goals at Rangers came in the League Cup in games against Forfar Athletic and St Johnstone. Return to Viking After his disappointing season at Rangers, he made a long-awaited return to Viking midway through the 2004 season. He was an instant hit at his old club, scoring 3 goals in 9 games to help save the club from relegation. Although he continued to be a regular starter and a prolific goalscorer, Østenstad retired at the end of the 2005 season. An internet petition for him to stay on for another season collected close to 2500 signatures. International career Østenstad made his debut for the Norwegian national team in 1993, coming on as a substitute to score twice against the Faroe Islands. He was capped 17 times between 1993 and 1999, mostly as a substitute, and he played in the 1998 World Cup in France. Østenstad scored 6 times for Norway, making him the most efficient marksman in the history of the Norwegian national team with one goal in every 94 minutes played. On 7 September 2005, more than six years after his last appearance, he made his comeback with the national team, starting in the 1–2 defeat to Scotland. Career outside football Østenstad retired after the 2005 season. He was the director of football for Viking, until he stepped down on 8 June 2011. Østenstad was also the inspiration for the character "Yngve" in the book Mannen som elsket Yngve (The Man Who Loved Yngve) by Tore Renberg. The author and Østenstad went to the same high-school. Career statistics 1 - includes FA Cup, Scottish Cup and Norwegian Football Cup. 2