Niki Zimling
Encyclopedia
Niki Dige Zimling is a Danish
professional football
player, who currently plays as a midfielder
for Club Brugge K.V. in the Belgian Pro League. He was named 2006 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year, and has played one game for the Danish national team
.
, Fremad Amager and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
, before he moved to the youth team of Brøndby IF
. He was included in Brøndby's senior squad in January 2003, and made his senior debut for Brøndby in April 2003, in a Danish Cup
game against Aalborg BK. In the next two years he played a total of 25 matches for the club and scored a single goal. He moved on to Superliga rivals Esbjerg fB
in summer 2005, and quickly established himself in Esbjerg's starting line-up.
When his contract expired in December 2008, he moved to Serie A
team Udinese Calcio
on a free transfer. In July 2009, Zimling went back to Denmark to finalize a possible transfer, but the deal never materialized and he stayed at Udine.
In June 2010, Dutch club NEC announced that they had signed him on loan.
On November 20, 2006 he was called up for the Denmark League XI national football team
, for the trip to the United States
, El Salvador
and Honduras
in January 2007, by national team manager Morten Olsen
. He was also a part of the League XI team for their January 2008 tour. In February 2008, he made his senior Danish national team
debut in a friendly game against Slovenia
.
On the 11th November 2010, after 2 and a half years waiting, he returned to the Danish national football team in a friendly against Czech Republic
, earning his 2nd match.
He was called up again when Denmark had to face Iceland
, and played from the beginning because Christian Poulsen
was in lack of match fittness. He played rest of the qualification alongside his childhood friend William Kvist
, as Denmark qualified for the UEFA Euro 2012.
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 football
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 currently plays as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Club Brugge K.V. in the Belgian Pro League. He was named 2006 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year, and has played one game 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...
.
Career
As a youngster he played for AB 70, Tårnby BoldklubTårnby Boldklub
----Tårnby Boldklub was a Danish football club situated in Tårnby, which played their home games at Taarnby Stadium. The club was formed on 21 April 1935 as AIK Taarnby. After nearly 10 years, it was decided at a meeting in January 1944 to change its name to Tårnby BK.The club was from 2002 with...
, Fremad Amager and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub or KB is a Danish sports club based in Copenhagen. The club was founded April 26, 1876 on the grassy fields in outer Copenhagen which later became Fælledparken. Football and cricket has been played in KB since 1879, making KB the oldest football club on Continental Europe and...
, before he moved to the youth team of 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 was included in Brøndby's senior squad in January 2003, and made his senior debut for Brøndby in April 2003, in a 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...
game against Aalborg BK. In the next two years he played a total of 25 matches for the club and scored a single goal. He moved on to Superliga rivals 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...
in summer 2005, and quickly established himself in Esbjerg's starting line-up.
When his contract expired in December 2008, he moved to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
team Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
on a free transfer. In July 2009, Zimling went back to Denmark to finalize a possible transfer, but the deal never materialized and he stayed at Udine.
In June 2010, Dutch club NEC announced that they had signed him on loan.
Club Brugge
On May 27, 2011 Zimling signed a 4 year contract with Belgian football club Club Brugge, for a fee estimated to be around €500,000.International
He has represented Denmark 48 times for various national youth teams. He was selected for the Danish under-21 national team for the UEFA U-21 Championship 2006, and was named 2006 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year.On November 20, 2006 he was called up for the Denmark League XI national football team
Denmark League XI national football team
The Denmark League XI national football team is an unofficial national football team run by the Danish Football Association.The team generally consists of Danish players playing in the Danish Superliga, or other leagues if the clubs there agree to release them...
, for the trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
in January 2007, by national team manager 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...
. He was also a part of the League XI team for their January 2008 tour. In February 2008, he made his senior 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...
debut in a friendly game against Slovenia
Slovenia national football team
The Slovenia national football team is the national football team of Slovenia and is controlled by the Football Association of Slovenia. The team played their first match in 1992 after the split of Yugoslavia in 1991....
.
On the 11th November 2010, after 2 and a half years waiting, he returned to the Danish national football team in a friendly against 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...
, earning his 2nd match.
He was called up again when Denmark had to face Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, and played from the beginning because Christian Poulsen
Christian Poulsen
Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen is a Danish footballer who plays for Evian in Ligue 1. He has played for a number of European clubs, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F.C...
was in lack of match fittness. He played rest of the qualification alongside his childhood friend William Kvist
William Kvist
William Kvist Jørgensen is a Danish footballer, who plays for the German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart and the Danish national team. He can be used in most defensive and midfield positions but his favorite position is the central midfield...
, as Denmark qualified for the UEFA Euro 2012.
Honours
- 2006 Danish under-21 Talent of the Year
External links
Esbjerg fB profile Brøndby IF profile- Danish Football Association (Dansk Boldspil-Union) player profile
- Official Superliga stats
- Career stats at La Gazzetta dello Sport