Miklos Molnar
Encyclopedia
Miklos Jon Molnar (born April 10, 1970), nicknamed "Danish Dynamite", is a Danish
former professional football (soccer)
player who played as a striker
for a number of Danish and foreign clubs. He was the top goalscorer of the 1989 and 1997 Danish championships
, and won the 2000 MLS Cup
with American
team Kansas City Wizards
. He scored two goals in 18 caps for the Denmark national football team
, and represented his country at the 1998 World Cup
and 2000 European Championship
tournaments. He was also a member of the Denmark team competing at the 1992 Summer Olympics
.
When he stopped his professional soccer career in 2000. He continued with triathlon. In 2005 he ran under 3 hours (2:59:20) in Copenhagen Marathon and under 10 hours (9:50) in a Ironman in Austria.
, Miklos Molnar played football in Copenhagen clubs B 1908, Fremad Amager and Hvidovre IF
. Molnar's talent was acknowledged, as he played eight games and scored four goals for the Danish under-19 youth national team from 1986 to 1988. He made his senior debut in 1987 for Hvidovre in the secondary Danish 2nd Division
, before moving to play semi-professional
ly for top-flight club BK Frem in 1989. Molnar got his senior level breakthrough when he became joint top goalscorer of the 1989 Danish 1st Division
championship with 14 goals, as Frem finished 8th of 14 teams. He was selected for the Danish under-21 national team
in June 1989. Several clubs were interested in buying Molnar, including Danish club AGF
, English
club Chelsea FC, French
club Olympique Lyonnais
and Standard Liège
from Belgium
.
In January 1990, Molnar moved abroad to play professionally for Standard Liège. In his first full season at Liege, Molnar scored 11 goals in 26 games, and he was called up to the Danish national team by national manager Richard Møller Nielsen
. Molnar made his national team debut in September 1990, and he played a total three national team games until June 1991. When Liège hired new manager Arie Haan, Molnar did not feel appreciated and sought to be loaned out. He moved from Liège to Swiss
club Servette FC
in the summer 1991. Molnar became league top goalscorer, as he scored 18 goals in 34 games for Servette in the Swiss 1991-1992 Nationalliga A
championship.
Molnar was an integral part of the Danish under-21 national team from 1991 to 1992, forming a successful attacking partnership with Peter Møller
. Molnar played all Denmark's games from the qualification to the semi-finals of the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
, which qualified Denmark for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona
. He was named 1991 Danish under-21 Player of the Year. Molnar played all of Denmark's three games at the 1992 Olympics final tournament, but was sent off
for a physical scuffle with a defender in Denmark's final game before elimination against the Australia under-23s
. He ended his under-21 career after the 1992 Olympics, having scored a total eight goals in 21 caps.
Having ended his loan at Servette, Molnar looked to find a new club in the summer 1992. Molnar was bought by French
club AS Saint-Étienne
for FRF
6.000.000. He did not fit into Saint-Étienne's technical short passing tactics, and did not find goalscoring success at the club.
He was released from his contract in January 1994, and moved back home to Denmark. In February 1994, he agreed to play for Lyngby BK in the top-flight Danish championship, now called the Danish Superliga
. With the stated ambition of moving abroad, Molnar played half a year at Lyngby, but did not get along with Lyngby manager Michael Schäfer
. He moved to German
club FSV Frankfurt
in September 1994. Despite scoring 12 goals in 20 games in the 1994-95 German 2nd Bundesliga
season, Molnar could not keep Frankfurt from relegation into the lower Regionalliga
division.
Molnar went home to Denmark, and started playing for Superliga club Herfølge BK in September 1995. When Lyngby's first-choice striker David Nielsen
left the club in June 1996, Molnar moved back to his old club to fill the spot. He was the leading goal scorer in the 1996-97 Superliga season
with 26 goals in 33 games, and was recalled to the Danish national team by new national manager Bo Johansson, after a hiatus of more than five years. After three goals in five games at the start of the 1997-98 Superliga season
, Molnar was sold to Spanish
club Sevilla FC
in the secondary Segunda División
league, where he joined fellow Danish international Thomas Rytter
.
In his first year at Sevilla, Molnar scored 10 goals in 27 games, and he was included in the Danish squad for the 1998 World Cup
. He took part in one match at the tournament, when he most remarkably came on as a substitute in the 58th minute of the 1-1 draw with South Africa
, only to be sent off eight minutes later. His second season at Sevilla was not as successful, and Molnar was dropped from the team. When visiting American international
midfielder Chris Henderson
in Colorado
, a former teammate of his, Molnar had been fascinated by the atmosphere in the American Major League Soccer
(MLS) championship. In January 2000, he moved to MLS to play for Kansas City Wizards
. While at the Wizards, he was included in the Danish squad for the 2000 European Championship
in June 2000. He played a single match at the tournament, before ending his national team career. He retired from football in October 2000, after scoring the game-winning goal in the 2000 MLS Cup
, as the Wizards beat Chicago Fire 1-0.
On October 2, 2011, he got a comeback, playing 20 minutes for his childhood-club, B1908, in a 2nd division
-game.
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 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 striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
for a number of Danish and foreign clubs. He was the top goalscorer of the 1989 and 1997 Danish championships
Danish football champions
The Danish football champions are the winners of the highest league of football in Denmark. The title has been contested since 1913, in a varying form of competitions. Since 1991, the winners have been found through the Danish Superliga championship...
, and won the 2000 MLS Cup
MLS Cup 2000
The 2000 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2000 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 15, 2000, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. between the Kansas City Wizards and the Chicago Fire. Kansas City took advantage of an early breakdown by Chicago to net the game's only goal...
with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
. He scored two goals in 18 caps 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 represented his country at the 1998 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 2000 European Championship
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. He was also a member of the Denmark team competing 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...
.
When he stopped his professional soccer career in 2000. He continued with triathlon. In 2005 he ran under 3 hours (2:59:20) in Copenhagen Marathon and under 10 hours (9:50) in a Ironman in Austria.
Biography
Born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Miklos Molnar played football in Copenhagen clubs B 1908, Fremad Amager and Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
. Molnar's talent was acknowledged, as he played eight games and scored four goals for the Danish under-19 youth national team from 1986 to 1988. He made his senior debut in 1987 for Hvidovre in the secondary Danish 2nd Division
Danish 2nd Division
The 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league...
, before moving to play semi-professional
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
ly for top-flight club BK Frem in 1989. Molnar got his senior level breakthrough when he became joint top goalscorer of 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....
championship with 14 goals, as Frem finished 8th of 14 teams. He was selected for 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...
in June 1989. Several clubs were interested in buying Molnar, including Danish club AGF
AGF
AGF may stand for:* AGF , a French insurance company* AGF Management Limited, a Canadian investment management company* Amaranth Greenpeace Foundation, an international organization* Ajinomoto General Foods, a Japanese foodstuffs company...
, 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 Chelsea FC, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
club Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
and Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
In January 1990, Molnar moved abroad to play professionally for Standard Liège. In his first full season at Liege, Molnar scored 11 goals in 26 games, and he was called up to the Danish national team by national 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...
. Molnar made his national team debut in September 1990, and he played a total three national team games until June 1991. When Liège hired new manager Arie Haan, Molnar did not feel appreciated and sought to be loaned out. He moved from Liège to 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....
club Servette FC
Servette FC
Servette FC is a Swiss football club, based in Geneva currently playing in the Swiss Super League. They were playing in the Swiss Challenge League, the second highest tier of Swiss football having been relegated from the Swiss Super League at the end of 2004/05 season...
in the summer 1991. Molnar became league top goalscorer, as he scored 18 goals in 34 games for Servette in the Swiss 1991-1992 Nationalliga A
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
championship.
Molnar was an integral part of the Danish under-21 national team from 1991 to 1992, forming a successful attacking partnership with Peter Møller
Peter Møller
Peter Møller-Nielsen is a Danish former professional football player who became a sports journalist after ending his football career in December 2005. He won three Danish Superliga championships for the rival clubs Brøndby IF and F.C. Copenhagen, and became the most scoring Superliga player ever...
. Molnar played all Denmark's games from the qualification to the semi-finals of the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
1992 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1992, which spanned two years , had 32 entrants.Malta and Israel competed for the first time. This was also the first appearance of the unified Germany team.Italy U-21s won the competition....
, which qualified Denmark for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. He was named 1991 Danish under-21 Player of the Year. Molnar played all of Denmark's three games at the 1992 Olympics final tournament, but was sent off
Red card
Red card may refer to:* A penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction* A suit of hearts or diamonds* Red Card , 1976 release by Streetwalkers* RedCard 20-03, 2002 extreme football video game...
for a physical scuffle with a defender in Denmark's final game before elimination against the Australia under-23s
Australia national under-23 football team
The Australia Olympic football team, more commonly known as the Olyroos, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia at association football in the Olympic Games...
. He ended his under-21 career after the 1992 Olympics, having scored a total eight goals in 21 caps.
Having ended his loan at Servette, Molnar looked to find a new club in the summer 1992. Molnar was bought by French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
club AS Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
for FRF
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
6.000.000. He did not fit into Saint-Étienne's technical short passing tactics, and did not find goalscoring success at the club.
He was released from his contract in January 1994, and moved back home to Denmark. In February 1994, he agreed to play for Lyngby BK in the top-flight Danish championship, now called 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...
. With the stated ambition of moving abroad, Molnar played half a year at Lyngby, but did not get along with Lyngby manager Michael Schäfer
Michael Schäfer
Michael Schäfer is a Danish former football player and now manager. In his active career, he played 482 games for Danish club Lyngby BK, as well as three games for the Denmark national football team. At the moment he is a teacher at Virum Skole in Denmark.-Biography:Born in Rødovre in eastern...
. He moved to 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...
club FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt
FSV Frankfurt is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. The club plays in the shadow of larger and much more successful Eintracht Frankfurt, which has recently returned to 2nd tier football...
in September 1994. Despite scoring 12 goals in 20 games in the 1994-95 German 2nd Bundesliga
Second Fußball-Bundesliga 1994/95
Hansa Rostock, FC St. Pauli and Fortuna Düsseldorf were promoted to the Bundesliga.This was the last season in which two points were awarded for a win. The following season of 1995/96 moved to a three points for a win system.-Final table:...
season, Molnar could not keep Frankfurt from relegation into the lower Regionalliga
Regionalliga (football)
The Fußball-Regionalliga is the fourth tier of football in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier of the league system before being disbanded. The Regionalliga was then re-introduced as the third tier of the system in 1994...
division.
Molnar went home to Denmark, and started playing for Superliga club Herfølge BK in September 1995. When Lyngby's first-choice striker David Nielsen
David Nielsen (footballer)
David Jean Nielsen is a Danish retired football player.He has played for a number of Danish clubs, as well as Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany and English clubs Grimsby Town, Wimbledon and Norwich City. His greatest triumph was the 1997 Danish Cup victory, which he won with Danish club F.C. Copenhagen...
left the club in June 1996, Molnar moved back to his old club to fill the spot. He was the leading goal scorer in the 1996-97 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 1996-97
The 1996-97 Danish Superliga season was the 7th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
with 26 goals in 33 games, and was recalled to the Danish national team by new national manager Bo Johansson, after a hiatus of more than five years. After three goals in five games at the start of the 1997-98 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 1997-98
The 1997-98 Danish Superliga season was the 8th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 25, 1997 to final match on June 1, 1998....
, Molnar was sold to Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
club Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
in the secondary Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
league, where he joined fellow Danish international Thomas Rytter
Thomas Rytter
Thomas Rytter Jakobsen is a retired Danish footballer who played as a right-back. In 2001 he won the Danish Superliga championship with F.C. Copenhagen, and most prominently played for Spanish club Sevilla and German club Wolfsburg...
.
In his first year at Sevilla, Molnar scored 10 goals in 27 games, and he was included in the Danish squad for the 1998 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...
. He took part in one match at the tournament, when he most remarkably came on as a substitute in the 58th minute of the 1-1 draw with South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
, only to be sent off eight minutes later. His second season at Sevilla was not as successful, and Molnar was dropped from the team. When visiting American international
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
midfielder Chris Henderson
Chris Henderson
Christopher "Chris" Henderson is a former American soccer midfielder who earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team. He was part of the U.S...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, a former teammate of his, Molnar had been fascinated by the atmosphere in the American Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
(MLS) championship. In January 2000, he moved to MLS to play for Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City is an American professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
. While at the Wizards, he was included in the Danish squad for the 2000 European Championship
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....
in June 2000. He played a single match at the tournament, before ending his national team career. He retired from football in October 2000, after scoring the game-winning goal in the 2000 MLS Cup
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
, as the Wizards beat Chicago Fire 1-0.
On October 2, 2011, he got a comeback, playing 20 minutes for his childhood-club, B1908, in a 2nd division
Danish 2nd Division
The 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league...
-game.
Honours
- 1991 Danish under-21 Player of the Year
- MLS CupMLS CupThe MLS Cup is the championship match of Major League Soccer, the highest tier of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. As the final match of the MLS Cup playoffs, the winner is crowned the season champion in the same manner as other North American sports leagues...
: 2000