He played as an inside forward for a number of Italian clubs, and was one of the first Norwegian footballers to achieve success in a foreign league.

Bredesen began his career at his hometown team Ørn Horten in 1947[2] – only 16 years old, and quickly established himself as one of the league's most talented players.

Because the Norwegian FA at the time allowed only amateur players to play for the national team, this move also ended Bredesen's international career.

[2] Bredesen made his international debut against Yugoslavia as an 18-year-old in 1949, and marked the event by scoring a fine goal.

[4] He was not selected for Norway after moving abroad, since the Norwegian FA had a strict rule of only using amateur footballers.