Background
Årst was born in Bergen, but grew up in Tromsø.
Årst was born in Bergen, but grew up in Tromsø.
He is a former top scorer in both Belgium"s and Norway"s top leagues. He made his professional debut for Tromsø Illinois on 22 April 1995 against Hamarkameratene at Briskeby stadion. After the 1997 season he was sold to Anderlecht for NOK 13 million.
He then moved to K.A.A. Gent in Belgium and ended up as a top goalscorer in 2000 with 30 goals.
Then Standard Liège signed him for NOK 24 million. He returned to Tromsø Illinois in the summer of 2003 for NOK 5 million.
Årst became the top scorer in the Tippeligaen 2005, with 16 goals. After a hat-trick against IK Start on 2 October 2005 Årst was ranked as the top league scorer of all times in Tromsø Illinois with 51 goals.
On 9 July 2007 he transferred to IK Start.
The same injury limited him to only two games in the 2009 season. He announced his retirement in October 2009. He made a comeback for the club in a friendly match in early 2010.
He then signed a contract for the duration of 2010, with possibilities of renewal.
Årst signed a one-year deal with Tromsø Illinois ahead of the 2012 Tippeligaen season. This was his third spell at the club
He made his debut for Norway in a January 2000 friendly match against Iceland and earned 22 caps since, scoring 2 goals.