Jacob Laursen
Encyclopedia
Jacob Thaysen-Laursen is a Danish
retired professional football (soccer)
player, who played as a defender
. He most notably played for English
club Derby County
and won the Danish Superliga
championship with Silkeborg IF
and F.C. Copenhagen
. He played 25 matches for the Danish national team
, with whom he won the 1995 King Fahd Cup
and participated in the 1996 European Championship
and 1998 FIFA World Cup
tournaments.
, Jacob Laursen spent his childhood years playing for Vejle Kammeraterne and Vejle Boldklub
(VB). He made his senior debut for VB in July 1989, and was named 1989 Danish under-19 Player of the Year. He played at VB until the club was relegated to the secondary Danish 1st Division
league in the summer 1992.
Laursen represented Denmark at the 1992 Summer Olympics
, where he played full time in Denmark's three matches before elimination. After the Olympics, Laursen moved to Silkeborg IF
, and he went on to captain the Danish under-21 national team
. Laursen won the 1994 Danish Superliga
championship with Silkeborg IF, and made his Danish national team debut in January 1995. He was selected for the 1995 King Fahd Cup
by Danish national team manager Richard Møller Nielsen
, and went on to play in every game of the tournament, which Denmark won. He also played a single game for the Danish national team at the 1996 European Championship.
In July 1996, Laursen moved abroad to play for English club Derby County
in a transfer deal worth £500,000. He spent four seasons at Derby, playing more than 100 games for the club. He was a part of the Danish national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but played unimpressively in his single match participation at the tournament. In March 2000, he decided to end his national team career under national team manager Bo Johansson. Laursen cited personal reasons, as well as the booing he received by Danish spectators when he came on as a substitute for his 25th national team game in November 1999. While he did not win over the Danish public, Laursen was selected as team captain for Derby in a number of games and was named Player of the Year in the 1998-99 season.
In the summer 2000, Laursen moved back to Denmark, in order to be closer to his kids. He signed a contract with F.C. Copenhagen
(FCK), moving to the club on a free transfer. In his first year at FCK, the club won the 2001 Superliga championship under manager Roy Hodgson
. Before the new season, Laursen criticized FCK for a lack of professionalism and he left the club in January 2002. He moved back to England to play for Leicester City, in a £400,000 transfer deal. He played ten games for Leicester, before his relationship with the club turned sour. After two months in Leicester, he underwent a month-long loan deal
with English club Wolverhampton
, before being loaned out to Aarhus GF in Denmark for the remainder of the 2001-02 season. He was loaned out to Greek
club PAOK Salonika for the entire 2002-03 season, but eventually refused to play for the club. In November 2002, Laursen was given a free transfer by Leicester, who were struggling economically, and he left the club.
He signed a contract with Austria
n team Rapid Wien, but he was dropped from the team in April 2003. He moved back to Denmark to play on an amateur basis in September 2003, and enlisted at childhood club Vejle Boldklub in the Danish 1st Division
. Laursen signed a contract with division rivals FC Fredericia
in July 2004, and played with the club until he ended his career in September 2005.
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...
retired professional football (soccer)
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...
player, who played as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. He most notably played for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and won the Danish 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...
championship with Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF is a Danish professional football club based in the city of Silkeborg, in the middle of Jutland. Silkeborg IF plays in the Danish Superliga. The club was founded in 1917 and they first reach the highest level of football in Denmark in 1987, at that time called 1st division today known...
and F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
. He played 25 matches 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...
, with whom he won the 1995 King Fahd Cup
1995 King Fahd Cup
-Group B:---------Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:3 goals Luis García2 goals Gabriel Batistuta Peter Rasmussen Daniel Amokachi1 goal José Chamot Ariel Ortega Sebastián Rambert Brian Laudrup Michael Laudrup...
and participated in the 1996 European Championship
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
and 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
tournaments.
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...
, Jacob Laursen spent his childhood years playing for Vejle Kammeraterne and Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
(VB). He made his senior debut for VB in July 1989, and was named 1989 Danish under-19 Player of the Year. He played at VB until the club was relegated to the secondary Danish 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...
league in the summer 1992.
Laursen represented Denmark at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
, where he played full time in Denmark's three matches before elimination. After the Olympics, Laursen moved to Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF is a Danish professional football club based in the city of Silkeborg, in the middle of Jutland. Silkeborg IF plays in the Danish Superliga. The club was founded in 1917 and they first reach the highest level of football in Denmark in 1987, at that time called 1st division today known...
, and he went on to captain the Danish under-21 national team
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
. Laursen won the 1994 Danish 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...
championship with Silkeborg IF, and made his Danish national team debut in January 1995. He was selected for the 1995 King Fahd Cup
1995 King Fahd Cup
-Group B:---------Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:3 goals Luis García2 goals Gabriel Batistuta Peter Rasmussen Daniel Amokachi1 goal José Chamot Ariel Ortega Sebastián Rambert Brian Laudrup Michael Laudrup...
by Danish national team manager 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...
, and went on to play in every game of the tournament, which Denmark won. He also played a single game for the Danish national team at the 1996 European Championship.
In July 1996, Laursen moved abroad to play for English club Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in a transfer deal worth £500,000. He spent four seasons at Derby, playing more than 100 games for the club. He was a part of the Danish national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but played unimpressively in his single match participation at the tournament. In March 2000, he decided to end his national team career under national team manager Bo Johansson. Laursen cited personal reasons, as well as the booing he received by Danish spectators when he came on as a substitute for his 25th national team game in November 1999. While he did not win over the Danish public, Laursen was selected as team captain for Derby in a number of games and was named Player of the Year in the 1998-99 season.
In the summer 2000, Laursen moved back to Denmark, in order to be closer to his kids. He signed a contract with F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
(FCK), moving to the club on a free transfer. In his first year at FCK, the club won the 2001 Superliga championship under manager Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is a former English footballer and current head coach of West Bromwich Albion.Hodgson, who has managed sixteen different teams in eight countries, guided the Switzerland national team to the last 16 of the 1994 World Cup and qualification for Euro 1996; Switzerland had not qualified...
. Before the new season, Laursen criticized FCK for a lack of professionalism and he left the club in January 2002. He moved back to England to play for Leicester City, in a £400,000 transfer deal. He played ten games for Leicester, before his relationship with the club turned sour. After two months in Leicester, he underwent a month-long loan deal
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....
with English club Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, before being loaned out to Aarhus GF in Denmark for the remainder of the 2001-02 season. He was loaned out to Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
club PAOK Salonika for the entire 2002-03 season, but eventually refused to play for the club. In November 2002, Laursen was given a free transfer by Leicester, who were struggling economically, and he left the club.
He signed a contract with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n team Rapid Wien, but he was dropped from the team in April 2003. He moved back to Denmark to play on an amateur basis in September 2003, and enlisted at childhood club Vejle Boldklub in the Danish 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...
. Laursen signed a contract with division rivals FC Fredericia
FC Fredericia
FC Fredericia is a Danish professional football club, from the town of Fredericia. The club is currently playing in the Danish 1st Division.-History:...
in July 2004, and played with the club until he ended his career in September 2005.
Honours
- 1989 Danish under-19 Player of the Year
- Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe 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...
: 1994, 2001 - 1995 King Fahd Cup1995 King Fahd Cup-Group B:---------Third place play-off:-Final:-Goalscorers:3 goals Luis García2 goals Gabriel Batistuta Peter Rasmussen Daniel Amokachi1 goal José Chamot Ariel Ortega Sebastián Rambert Brian Laudrup Michael Laudrup...
- 1999 Derby County Player of the Year