Michael Schjønberg
Encyclopedia
Michael Schjønberg Christensen (born January 19, 1967) is a Danish
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...

 Association football manager, club official, and former player, who most recently was the manager of FC Vestsjælland
FC Vestsjælland
FC Vestsjælland is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 1st Division. They play their home matches at Slagelse Stadion in Slagelse, which has a capacity of 10,000 .-History:...

.

During his active career, he played more than 100 games for both German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 clubs Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 and 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

, winning the 1992 DFB Cup
DFB Cup 1991-92
The DFB-Pokal 1991–92 was the 49th season of the competition. After the German reunification in 1990 the football association of eastern Germany, Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband, joined the German Football Association on 21 November 1990. Football clubs from eastern Germany thus participated for...

 with Hannover and the 1997-98 German Bundesliga championship with Kaiserslautern. He also represented Danish clubs Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...

 and Odense BK
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...

. He played 44 games and scored three 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 participant at the international 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...

, Euro 1996
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...

, 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...

, and Euro 2000
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....

 tournaments.

After suffering a career-ending injury in 2001, he became a football coach in 2003. He first became manager of Danish club Herfølge BK in 2004, alongside Allan Nielsen
Allan Nielsen
-External links: *...

. He has held a number of coaching and club official positions in his former German clubs, and was 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...

 of Hannover 96 in 2006.

Playing career

Born in Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...

, Schjønberg started his career as an attacking midfielder for hometown club Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...

, playing in 103 first team matches in total. He and Esbjerg teammate Jesper Kristensen
Jesper Kristensen
Jesper Kristensen is a Danish former football player, who played 129 games for Danish team Brøndby IF in the midfielder position. He played four games for the Denmark national football team, with whom he won the 1995 King Fahd Cup.Born in Esbjerg, Kristensen started his career with lower league...

 went to a training session with Esbjerg native Allan Nielsen
Allan Nielsen
-External links: *...

 at Nielsen's German club Bayern Munich in the winter of 1989.

Hannover 96

When Bayern's amateur team coach Hans-Dieter Schmidt
Hans-Dieter Schmidt
Hans-Dieter Schmidt ) is a former German football player turned manager.-Career:Schmidt's playing career – part of which he spent with Hannover 96 – ended early after a severe injury at the age of 23....

 later became manager of German club Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

, he remembered Schjønberg and offered him a contract. In 1990, Schjønberg moved abroad to play for the 2. Bundesliga side.

At Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

, he was converted to a defensive player, and eventually settled in as left wingback. He won his first trophy as a senior player, when the club surprisingly beat top flight Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

, to win the 1992 DFB Cup
DFB Cup 1991-92
The DFB-Pokal 1991–92 was the 49th season of the competition. After the German reunification in 1990 the football association of eastern Germany, Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband, joined the German Football Association on 21 November 1990. Football clubs from eastern Germany thus participated for...

. The game ended in a penalty shoot-out, where Schjønberg scored the deciding kick to secure the triumph for Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

. Unhappy with the new contractual offer from Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

, Schjønberg looked ready to move back to Denmark to play for Odense BK
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 Summer 1992. After the DFB Cup win, he received an improved contract, and became team captain. However, he had a hard time getting into the Danish national team. After 123 league games and 12 goals for Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

, he looked around for a new club in the summer of 1994.

Odense BK

Schjønberg moved to Odense BK
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 1994, in a transfer deal worth DKK 700,000. The transfer came, as Schjønberg felt more likely to secure a place in the Danish national team when playing for a Danish club. He was called up for the national team in January 1995. With Odense, he reached the quarter-final of the 1994-95 UEFA Cup. It was Odense's greatest European result, as the club eliminated Spanish giants Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 before being narrowly defeated by Italian side AC Parma in the quarter-finals.

Kaiserslautern

After Euro 1996, he moved back to Germany, to play for 2.Bundesliga team 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

 in a transfer deal worth DEM
DEM
- Codes :* DEM, the ISO 4217 code for Deutsche Mark, the former currency of Germany- Computing :* Digital elevation model, a digital representation of ground surface topography or terrain** .dem, a common extension for USGS DEM files...

 1.35 million. In his first year at the club, 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

 won promotion to the Bundesliga. His success continued, as the club remarkably went on to win the title upon their return to the top flight.

Schjønberg was an important part of this achievement. He scored the club's very first goal of the 1997-98 season, in the opening game against defending champions Bayern Munich. Ten minutes before the final whistle, Schjønberg headed the ball in after a cross from Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 midfielder Ciriaco Sforza
Ciriaco Sforza
Ciriaco Sforza is a Swiss former professional football player and is the coach of Grasshopper-Club Zürich.-Biography:He most notably played for 1. FC Kaiserslautern and FC Bayern Munich in Germany...

 and secured a 1-0 win. This victory was the beginning of the 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

 fairy tale, and Schjønberg went on to play 32 of 34 league games and score four goals, as the club became the first ever 2. Bundesliga promotees to immediately win the Bundesliga title. Returning to Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...

 after the 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...

, Schjønberg was heavily injured early in the 1998-99 season. In September 1998, Schjønberg collided with VfL Bochum
VfL Bochum
Verein für Leibesübungen Bochum 1848 Fußballgemeinschaft, commonly referred to as simply VfL Bochum, is a German association football club based in the city of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia.-Founding to World War II:...

 goalkeeper Thomas Ernst
Thomas Ernst
Thomas Ernst is a retired German footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:Ernst started playing professionally with Eintracht Frankfurt. At the Hessian club, he could only amass five Bundesliga appearances in seven years combined, being barred by legendary Uli Stein...

, and broke his shinbone. He underwent a seven-month period of rehabilitation and returned in April 1999.

Schjønberg made a memorable appearance in the penultimate match of the 1999-00 season. In the game against SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...

, first-choice goalkeeper Georg Koch
Georg Koch
Georg Koch is a former German footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:Born in Bergisch Gladbach, Koch started his career playing at amateur club SpVgg Erkenschwick before becoming a professional in January 1992, when he moved to the Bundesliga with Fortuna Düsseldorf...

 was injured and the substitute goalkeeper Uwe Gospodarek
Uwe Gospodarek
Uwe Gospodarek is a retired German footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:Gospodarek started playing professionally with FC Bayern Munich, but would only manage seven first team appearances during four seasons, being barred by two internationals: first Raimond Aumann, then Oliver...

 replaced him. By the half-time break, Gosporadek had suffered an injury of his own, and with no more goalkeepers selected for the match squad, Schjønberg took over the keeper's gloves. In the 59th minute, Levan Kobiashvili
Levan Kobiashvili
Levan Kobiashvili is a Georgian footballer who plays in midfield for Hertha BSC.-Career:His career began in his hometown with Awasa Tbilisi. Moving to play for Metalurg Rustavi, Dinamo Tbilisi and Alania Vladikavkaz he was transferred to SC Freiburg in 1998, where he was one of several Georgians...

 scored against Schjønberg to give SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...

 a 2-1 lead, but Schjønberg otherwise kept the goal intact. He crowned his achievement with a saved penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...

, when he held the shot from Alexander Iashvili
Alexander Iashvili
Alexander Iashvili is a Georgian football striker. He currently plays for German club Karlsruher SC.He started his career in Dinamo Tbilisi, where he was a great goalscorer. With 24 goals in 24 games and 26 goals in 25 games he attracted interest from foreign clubs, and decided to join VfB...

 in the 84th minute.

In 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

's 2000-01 season, he suffered another injury in just the second game, against VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...

. He returned in December that year, and eventually regained his place back in the starting line-up. Such injuries caught up with him though, and due to old injuries and acute knee problems, he had to promptly terminate his football career after the 2000-01 season. He played 117 league games and scored 13 goals in his time for 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

.

International career

He made his debut for the Danish national team in 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...

 in January 1995. He played all three of Denmark's matches at the tournament, which they eventually won. He was also selected for the 1996 European Championship, where he played in Denmark's last two group games before elimination.

After this memorable domestic season, Schjønberg was selected to play for Denmark at the 1998 World Cup in France, where he played four of Denmark's five matches before elimination. He began the tournament as Denmark's starting left wingback, but eventually lost the place to Jan Heintze
Jan Heintze
Jan Heintze is a retired Danish professional football player, a left-sided defensive midfielder and defender who started and ended his career in the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven, where he was a part of the PSV team which won the 1988 European Cup...

 as the tournament progressed. He was called up to represent Denmark at Euro 2000, and started in Denmark's three matches before elimination. The last group match against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...

 on 21 June 2000, would be Schjønberg's last game for the national team.

Managerial career

After ending his active football career, Michael Schjønberg changed into the coaching business when he became youth coach at 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

 in July 2003. He moved to Denmark in July 2004, to coach 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...

 club Herfølge BK, alongside his good friend Allan Nielsen
Allan Nielsen
-External links: *...

. Herfølge BK were relegated to 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...

, but Schjønberg kept his job. In November 2005, Schjønberg became assistant coach of Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 to manager Peter Neururer
Peter Neururer
Peter Neururer is a German football manager.-Career:Neururer had a minor playing career in the lower leagues before moving into coaching at TuS Haltern and SG Weitmar...

. When Neururer was fired in September 2006, Schjønberg deputised as head coach for a single DFB Cup match, where Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 eliminated Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...

. When Hannover 96
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...

 hired Dieter Hecking
Dieter Hecking
Dieter Hecking is a German football manager and former professional player who works as head coach of 1. FC Nuremberg. He played for both Hannover 96 and Eintracht Braunschweig...

 as new head coach, he brought Dirk Bremser
Dirk Bremser
Dirk Bremser is a German football coach and a former player.-Career:He spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with MSV Duisburg and Bayer Uerdingen.-Coaching career:...

 with him as assistant coach, and Schjønberg became the coach of the amateur ranks of the club.

From 4. April 2007 till 07. November 2007 he was Sportdirektor of 1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...

.

In the summer of 2008 he was appointed new sporting director of Danish club FC Vestsjælland
FC Vestsjælland
FC Vestsjælland is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 1st Division. They play their home matches at Slagelse Stadion in Slagelse, which has a capacity of 10,000 .-History:...

 and was named as the Head Coach of the club on 1 April 2009, Schjønberg replaced Jeppe Tengbjerg
Jeppe Tengbjerg
Jeppe Tengbjerg is a Danish football manager and former football player. In his playing career, Tengbjerg represented a number of Danish clubs, as well as Dutch clubs SC Cambuur and Excelsior Rotterdam....

. He was sacked on 29 June 2011 due to a poor finish to the 2010-11 season.

Honours

  • DFB Cup 1991-92
    DFB Cup 1991-92
    The DFB-Pokal 1991–92 was the 49th season of the competition. After the German reunification in 1990 the football association of eastern Germany, Nordostdeutscher Fußballverband, joined the German Football Association on 21 November 1990. Football clubs from eastern Germany thus participated for...

  • King Fahd Cup 1995
  • German Bundesliga 1997-98

External links

Danish national team profile German career stats
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