Lars Elstrup
Encyclopedia
Lars Dahl Elstrup is a Danish
former professional footballer, who played for a number of Danish clubs, as well as Dutch
club Feyenoord and Luton Town
in England
. He played 34 matches and scored 13 goals for the Denmark national football team
, and was a part of the Denmark team which won the 1992 European Championship
.
, Lars Elstrup made his senior debut for local club Randers Sportsklub Freja
in 1981. Over the next five seasons, he became a proven goalscorer in Danish football
's lower divisions, and before the 1986 season
Elstrup moved to the defending champions
Brøndby IF
. He played just seven league games for Brøndby, scoring twice, before he moved abroad to play for Dutch
club Feyenoord. He played there for two years, but only scored nine goals for the Rotterdam
outfit.
In 1988, Elstrup moved back to Denmark to play for Odense Boldklub. He scored 14 goals in 16 games in his first season at Odense, and was called up for the Danish national team
by national manager Sepp Piontek.
The 1989 Danish 1st Division
saw Elstrup score three times, before he left to try his hand at English football
. Elstrup signed for English First Division
club Luton Town
on 21 August 1989 in a £850,000 transfer deal, setting a club transfer record. Playing at Kenilworth Road
for two seasons, he soon settled and scored 18 goals to keep Luton up in 1990–91
.
After only two years in England, Elstrup moved back to Denmark
to rejoin Odense Boldklub. Odense only paid £200,000, despite having sold him to Luton only two years before for £650,000 more. Sure enough, after selling Elstrup, Luton were relegated. He played two more seasons for Odense, scoring 24 goals, before retiring in strange circumstances.
In 1993, Elstrup had doubts about his footballing future, as he felt he was living under the expectations of others. He joined Solens Hjerte, a part of the Wild Goose Company sect
, and changed his name to Darando - The River that Flows. He moved away from the sect in December 1999 after being arrested for indecent exposure
, after dick-slapping a school child. He was completely naked wearing a rope around his waist and said 'In some respects,' he explained, 'I do this to provoke people. I like experiencing people's reactions. Some might take my message to be sod off and others an offer of sex. I am very aware of people's reactions and I love the fact that people recognise me as Lars Elstrup.' He placed a scarf on the pavement for contributions, and made 27 Danish Kroner (£ 2.25) in one afternoon. and changed his name back to Lars Elstrup. In January 2000, Odense Boldklub gave Elstrup a chance to re-enter professional football, but he left the club after only a week, as he was not guaranteed a place in the first team squad. He now lives in Vissenbjerg
, and stays out of the public eye.
, and scored both Danish goals in a 2-1 victory.
Elstrup was part of the Denmark squad for the 1992 European Championship
. He played in two matches at the tournament, and scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win against France
in the group stages. He also scored one of Denmark's five penalties in the semi-final penalty shootout against Holland
, though he watched from the bench as Denmark beat Germany
2-0 in the final.
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...
former professional footballer, who played for a number of Danish clubs, as well as Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
club Feyenoord and Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in England
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...
. He played 34 matches and scored 13 goals for the Denmark national football 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...
, and was a part of the Denmark team which won the 1992 European Championship
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
.
Club career
Born in the village of Råby, near RandersRanders
Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...
, Lars Elstrup made his senior debut for local club Randers Sportsklub Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja is a Danish multi-sport club fielding teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football.- History :Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted to JBU in 1907....
in 1981. Over the next five seasons, he became a proven goalscorer in Danish football
Football in Denmark
Association football is the national sport of Denmark, with 342,955 players and 1,647 clubs registered under the Danish FA.- League system :The top 4 levels in Denmark are governed by the Danish Football Association...
's lower divisions, and before the 1986 season
Danish 1st Division 1986
The 1986 Danish 1st Division season was the 41st season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
Elstrup moved to the defending champions
Danish 1st Division 1985
The 1985 Danish 1st Division season was the 40th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
. He played just seven league games for Brøndby, scoring twice, before he moved abroad to play for Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
club Feyenoord. He played there for two years, but only scored nine goals for the Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
outfit.
In 1988, Elstrup moved back to Denmark to play for Odense Boldklub. He scored 14 goals in 16 games in his first season at Odense, and was called up 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...
by national manager Sepp Piontek.
The 1989 Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division 1989
The 1989 Danish 1st Division season was the 44th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
saw Elstrup score three times, before he left to try his hand at English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
. Elstrup signed for English First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
club Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
on 21 August 1989 in a £850,000 transfer deal, setting a club transfer record. Playing at Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
for two seasons, he soon settled and scored 18 goals to keep Luton up in 1990–91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
.
After only two years in England, Elstrup moved back to 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...
to rejoin Odense Boldklub. Odense only paid £200,000, despite having sold him to Luton only two years before for £650,000 more. Sure enough, after selling Elstrup, Luton were relegated. He played two more seasons for Odense, scoring 24 goals, before retiring in strange circumstances.
In 1993, Elstrup had doubts about his footballing future, as he felt he was living under the expectations of others. He joined Solens Hjerte, a part of the Wild Goose Company sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
, and changed his name to Darando - The River that Flows. He moved away from the sect in December 1999 after being arrested for indecent exposure
Indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
, after dick-slapping a school child. He was completely naked wearing a rope around his waist and said 'In some respects,' he explained, 'I do this to provoke people. I like experiencing people's reactions. Some might take my message to be sod off and others an offer of sex. I am very aware of people's reactions and I love the fact that people recognise me as Lars Elstrup.' He placed a scarf on the pavement for contributions, and made 27 Danish Kroner (£ 2.25) in one afternoon. and changed his name back to Lars Elstrup. In January 2000, Odense Boldklub gave Elstrup a chance to re-enter professional football, but he left the club after only a week, as he was not guaranteed a place in the first team squad. He now lives in Vissenbjerg
Vissenbjerg
Vissenbjerg is a town in central Denmark with a population of 3,130 , located in Assens municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the island of Funen. The most famous resident is a former international football player Lars Elstrup....
, and stays out of the public eye.
International career
Lars Elstrup made his national team debut in August 1988 against SwedenSweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, and scored both Danish goals in a 2-1 victory.
Elstrup was part of the Denmark squad for the 1992 European Championship
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
. He played in two matches at the tournament, and scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in the group stages. He also scored one of Denmark's five penalties in the semi-final penalty shootout against Holland
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, though he watched from the bench as Denmark beat Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
2-0 in the final.
Honours
- Danish 1st DivisionDanish 1st DivisionThe 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...
: 1989 - 1992 European Championship1992 UEFA European Football ChampionshipThe 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...