Brian Steen Nielsen
Encyclopedia
Brian Steen Nielsen is a former Danish
professional footballer
from Denmark
, who most notably played 66 matches as a defensive midfielder for the Denmark national team
between 1990 and 2002, scoring three goals. After his retirement from his active career, he is now the sports director of former club AGF Aarhus
.
, Brian Steen started his senior career at Vejle in October 1988. He received the 1989 Danish under-21 Player of the Year award, and on 14 February 1990 he debuted for the Danish national team
. He came on as a half-time substitute in a friendly match 0-0 draw with Egypt, but he did not become a constant part of the team, playing three further games until June 1991. He switched from Vejle to rival team Odense (OB)
in 1992, where he won the 1993 Danish Cup
trophy. After a year at OB, he made the jump abroad to play in Turkey
for Fenerbahçe.
The move to Fenerbahçe saw him return to the Danish national team in 1993, and during the last years of coach Richard Møller Nielsen
's reign, Brian Steen was a part of the defensive midfield, playing many games alongside John "Faxe" Jensen
. He moved back to play for OB in 1995, who he represented when he competed for Denmark in the UEFA Euro 1996. After the championship, he moved to Japan
to play for Urawa Red Diamonds
, and following Møller Nielsen's retirement as Denmark coach in June 1996, Brian Steen was eventually dropped by new coach Bo Johansson.
He moved back to OB once more in 1997, before playing for Akademisk Boldklub (AB)
, where his experience made him the natural team captain. His time at AB culminated in the 1999 Danish Cup triumph, at which time he had returned to the national team where he played a number of games in a midfield pairing with hard-hitter Stig Tøfting
. Following the emergence of the eight year younger Thomas Gravesen
on the national team, Brian Steen slowly took on the role of substitute following the UEFA Euro 2000. After 11 minutes of play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, under new coach Morten Olsen
, his national team career had come to an end.
He ended his club career in Denmark with AGF Aarhus
, playing his last years alongside Stig Tøfting, though his stay at the club would be marked by him head-butting teammate Nikolaj Hust
at the club training. He was not sued by Hust, but the press got hold of the news and Brian Steen was charged by the police and was convicted of mild violence, resulting in ten £50 fines. He stopped his career at Aarhus GF in the fall of 2004, but stayed around the club, both as a caretaker manager
and he is the current sports director.
|1988||rowspan="5"|Vejle||rowspan="3"|1st Division
||7||0
|-
|1989||26||0
|-
|1990||25||0
|-
|1991||rowspan="2"|Superliga
||17||2
|-
|1991/92||17||2
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="2"|Odense
||rowspan="2"|Superliga
||31||4
|-
|1993/94||13||2
|-
|1993/94||rowspan="2"|Fenerbahçe||rowspan="2"|First League||20||1
|-
|1994/95||30||3
|-
|1995/96||Odense||Superliga
||29||2
|-
|1996||Urawa Red Diamonds
||J. League 1||6||0
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Odense||rowspan="2"|Superliga
||13||0
|-
|1997/98||28||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="3"|Akademisk
||rowspan="3"|Superliga
||28||2
|-
|1999/00||27||5
|-
|2000/01||29||3
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|Malmö
||rowspan="2"|Allsvenskan
||15||0
|-
|2002||14||0
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="3"|Aarhus||rowspan="3"|Superliga
||21||2
|-
|2003/04||29||2
|-
|2004/05||15||1
355||26
50||4
6||0
29||0
440||30
|}
|1990||1||0
|-
|1991||3||0
|-
|1992||0||0
|-
|1993||10||0
|-
|1994||7||0
|-
|1995||11||0
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||2||0
|-
|1999||6||2
|-
|2000||10||1
|-
|2001||5||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
!Total||66||3
|}
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
professional footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
from Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, who most notably played 66 matches as a defensive midfielder for the Denmark national team
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
between 1990 and 2002, scoring three goals. After his retirement from his active career, he is now the sports director of former club AGF Aarhus
Aarhus Gymnastik Forening
Aarhus Gymnastikforening is one of the oldest sport clubs in Denmark. AGF participates in a variety of activities in both individual and team sports. AGF is best known for its football team which has the longest streak in the Danish top division and also holds the record for most number of cup wins...
.
Biography
Born in VejleVejle
Vejle is a town in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle and Grejs Rivers and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality and the Region of Southern Denmark...
, Brian Steen started his senior career at Vejle in October 1988. He received the 1989 Danish under-21 Player of the Year award, and on 14 February 1990 he debuted for the Danish national team
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
. He came on as a half-time substitute in a friendly match 0-0 draw with Egypt, but he did not become a constant part of the team, playing three further games until June 1991. He switched from Vejle to rival team Odense (OB)
Odense BK
Odense Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in the town of Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga and their home field is TRE-FOR Park in Odense on Funen...
in 1992, where he won the 1993 Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
trophy. After a year at OB, he made the jump abroad to play in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
for Fenerbahçe.
The move to Fenerbahçe saw him return to the Danish national team in 1993, and during the last years of coach Richard Møller Nielsen
Richard Møller Nielsen
Richard Møller Nielsen , nicknamed Ricardo, is a Danish former football player and football manager. His greatest triumph came when he coached the Danish national football team which surprisingly won the 1992 European Championship tournament. In 1995, he was knighted as Knight 1st Degree of the...
's reign, Brian Steen was a part of the defensive midfield, playing many games alongside John "Faxe" Jensen
John Jensen
John Jensen , nicknamed Faxe, is a former Danish international footballer who is unemployed. He is known for his temper and is often outspoken in interviews. His playing career lasted over a decade, during which he played most famously for Arsenal F.C...
. He moved back to play for OB in 1995, who he represented when he competed for Denmark in the UEFA Euro 1996. After the championship, he moved to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to play for Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
, and following Møller Nielsen's retirement as Denmark coach in June 1996, Brian Steen was eventually dropped by new coach Bo Johansson.
He moved back to OB once more in 1997, before playing for Akademisk Boldklub (AB)
Akademisk Boldklub
Akademisk Boldklub or AB is a Danish professional football club from Copenhagen,currently playing at the second highest level in Danish domestic football, the 1st Division.-History:...
, where his experience made him the natural team captain. His time at AB culminated in the 1999 Danish Cup triumph, at which time he had returned to the national team where he played a number of games in a midfield pairing with hard-hitter Stig Tøfting
Stig Tøfting
Stig Tøfting , nicknamed Tøffe, and The Lawn Mower, is a former Danish professional footballer and assistant coach, who most recently was the assistant of Erik Rasmussen at AGF....
. Following the emergence of the eight year younger Thomas Gravesen
Thomas Gravesen
Thomas Gravesen is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played for teams such as Hamburger SV, Everton F.C., Real Madrid CF and Celtic F.C.....
on the national team, Brian Steen slowly took on the role of substitute following the UEFA Euro 2000. After 11 minutes of play in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, under new coach Morten Olsen
Morten Olsen
Morten Per Olsen is a Danish football manager and former football player. He has been the head coach of the Danish national team since 2000, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2010 FIFA World Cup...
, his national team career had come to an end.
He ended his club career in Denmark with AGF Aarhus
Aarhus Gymnastik Forening
Aarhus Gymnastikforening is one of the oldest sport clubs in Denmark. AGF participates in a variety of activities in both individual and team sports. AGF is best known for its football team which has the longest streak in the Danish top division and also holds the record for most number of cup wins...
, playing his last years alongside Stig Tøfting, though his stay at the club would be marked by him head-butting teammate Nikolaj Hust
Nikolaj Hust
Nikolaj Hust is a Danish professional football player, played for FC Andrea Doria. Most recently played for the Danish 1st Division club Vejle Boldklub.-External links:**...
at the club training. He was not sued by Hust, but the press got hold of the news and Brian Steen was charged by the police and was convicted of mild violence, resulting in ten £50 fines. He stopped his career at Aarhus GF in the fall of 2004, but stayed around the club, both as a caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
and he is the current sports director.
Club career statistics
|-|1988||rowspan="5"|Vejle||rowspan="3"|1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
||7||0
|-
|1989||26||0
|-
|1990||25||0
|-
|1991||rowspan="2"|Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||17||2
|-
|1991/92||17||2
|-
|1992/93||rowspan="2"|Odense
Odense BK
Odense Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in the town of Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga and their home field is TRE-FOR Park in Odense on Funen...
||rowspan="2"|Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||31||4
|-
|1993/94||13||2
|-
|1993/94||rowspan="2"|Fenerbahçe||rowspan="2"|First League||20||1
|-
|1994/95||30||3
|-
|1995/96||Odense||Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||29||2
|-
|1996||Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
||J. League 1||6||0
|-
|1996/97||rowspan="2"|Odense||rowspan="2"|Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||13||0
|-
|1997/98||28||1
|-
|1998/99||rowspan="3"|Akademisk
Akademisk Boldklub
Akademisk Boldklub or AB is a Danish professional football club from Copenhagen,currently playing at the second highest level in Danish domestic football, the 1st Division.-History:...
||rowspan="3"|Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||28||2
|-
|1999/00||27||5
|-
|2000/01||29||3
|-
|2001||rowspan="2"|Malmö
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
||rowspan="2"|Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
||15||0
|-
|2002||14||0
|-
|2002/03||rowspan="3"|Aarhus||rowspan="3"|Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
||21||2
|-
|2003/04||29||2
|-
|2004/05||15||1
355||26
50||4
6||0
29||0
440||30
|}
International career statistics
|-|1990||1||0
|-
|1991||3||0
|-
|1992||0||0
|-
|1993||10||0
|-
|1994||7||0
|-
|1995||11||0
|-
|1996||7||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||2||0
|-
|1999||6||2
|-
|2000||10||1
|-
|2001||5||0
|-
|2002||4||0
|-
!Total||66||3
|}
Honours
- FIFA Confederations Cup : 1995
- Danish CupDanish CupThe Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...
: 1993, 1999