Per Nielsen
Encyclopedia
Per Lundgren Nielsen is a retired Danish
professional football (soccer)
player who played in the central defense of Brøndby IF
in the Danish Superliga
for his entire club career. With Brøndby, Nielsen won five Danish championships
and three Danish Cup
s since his senior debut in 1993. He played 547 official games for Brøndby IF and scored 26 goals, and from 2002 to 2008 he was named team captain. He played 10 matches for the Denmark national football team
and is noted for 19 matches for the national under-21 team
from 1994 to 1996. Following his retirement, he has worked as an assistant coach for Brøndbys youth team. However, as of January 1, 2011 he was named the manager of Hvidovre IF
.
when he was a child, and he enrolled at Brøndby IF at the age of five. Nielsen made his senior debut in the Brøndby IF jersey on June 26, 1993, and debuted in the Danish Superliga
championship in March 1995. Nielsen was touted as the long-term successor of central defender Uche Okechukwu and was permanently moved into the senior squad in December 1993, coming from a Brøndby youth team that sported several later first team regulars, including Kim Daugaard
, Allan Ravn
and later Danish national team
player Ebbe Sand
.
Nielsen became a mainstay in the team during the 1995–96 Superliga
season, as Brøndby won the Danish championship, and established himself as a regular starter. He helped Brøndby repeat the Superliga win in the 1996–97 Superliga
and the Double
of both Superliga championship and Danish Cup
title in 1998. Following the 2001–02 Superliga
championship triumph with Brøndby, Danish international goalkeeper Mogens Krogh
retired, and Nielsen was chosen as new team captain. After his second Danish Cup triumph in 2003, Nielsen was elected the 2003 Brøndby IF Player of the Year.
In 2004, the Danish football players' association announced a strike action
. Brøndby was still in European competition, and would be forced to field a team consisting of retired Brøndby professionals, youth team players and recent signings who had yet to become members of the players' association, in the August 2004 UEFA Cup
qualification re-match against FK Ventspils
. Two days before the match, Nielsen and team mate Dan Anton Johansen
broke the strike and returned to the Brøndby training, causing a lot of controversy in the process. The day after, the players' and football clubs' associations reached a provisorical agreement, and Brøndby's first team players were selected for the match, though they were eliminated on aggregate.
He captained Brøndby to the Double of the 2004–05 Superliga
and Danish Cup titles, and was named 2006 Brøndby IF Player of the Year. In February 2008, Nielsen chose to resign from the position of team captain, stating that he would spend his remaining one and a half years at Brøndby helping the club move on, also if that meant him taking a place on the bench. Stefán Gíslason
was named his successor. Nielsen helped Brøndby win the 2008 Danish Cup, his last trophy with the team. Nielsen announced that he would retire as an active footballer in late June 2008. Instead he will continue as a scout in Brøndby. His last game in the blue and yellow jersey was his testimonial match
against Spanish
team Deportivo La Coruna on July 12, 2008. Nielsen played a total 547 games in all competitions, including 394 games and scored 23 goals for Brøndby in the Superliga.
match in December 1993. He was called up to play for the Danish national under-21 team
in March 1994, and went on to play 19 games and score two goals for the under-21 national team until July 1996.
Despite winning several trophies with Brøndby, Nielsen never broke into the Danish national team, but he was selected to play for the league national team, consisting of the best players from the domestic Danish Superliga championship. He went on his first trip with the league national team in 1997, playing three games at the US Cup in California
, United States
. He likewise took part in the league national team campaign in Colombia
, Ecuador
and Venezuela
in 1999, with injuries forcing him out of the 1998 tour. Nielsen was once again included in the Danish league national team's trip to California in 2004, where he made his 10th and last appearance for the team, with injuries forcing him out of the 2003 tour. In January 2006, Nielsen was called up for his sixth trip with the Danish league national team. However, he chose not to travel with the team to the Carlsberg Cup
in Hong Kong
, citing personal reasons, which national team coach Morten Olsen
fully supported.
Nielsen finally debuted for the Danish national team in September 2002 as a late substitute, and he would go on to be among the fringe players of the Danish squad. He played a total 10 national team games until November 2006, helping Denmark qualify for the 2004 European Championship
.
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 (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 in the central defense 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...
in 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...
for his entire club career. With Brøndby, Nielsen won five 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 three 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...
s since his senior debut in 1993. He played 547 official games for Brøndby IF and scored 26 goals, and from 2002 to 2008 he was named team captain. He played 10 matches 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 is noted for 19 matches for the national under-21 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...
from 1994 to 1996. Following his retirement, he has worked as an assistant coach for Brøndbys youth team. However, as of January 1, 2011 he was named the manager of 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...
.
Club career
Born in Århus, Nielsen's parents moved to BrøndbyBrøndby
Brøndby Kommune is a municipality in the former Copenhagen County on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 21 km², and has a total population of 33,831...
when he was a child, and he enrolled at Brøndby IF at the age of five. Nielsen made his senior debut in the Brøndby IF jersey on June 26, 1993, and debuted in 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 in March 1995. Nielsen was touted as the long-term successor of central defender Uche Okechukwu and was permanently moved into the senior squad in December 1993, coming from a Brøndby youth team that sported several later first team regulars, including Kim Daugaard
Kim Daugaard
Kim Daugaard Hansen is a Danish former professional football player, who played as a midfielder for Brøndby IF for his entire career. He played more than 450 games for the club, and won five Danish Superliga championships and five Danish Cup titles, and was named 1998 Brøndby IF Player of the Year...
, Allan Ravn
Allan Ravn
Allan Ravn Jensen is a Danish former professional association football player in the midfielder position, who played 235 games and won four Danish Superliga championships with Brøndby IF. He also played for Landskrona BoIS in Sweden...
and later 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...
player Ebbe Sand
Ebbe Sand
Ebbe Sand is a Danish former professional footballer who most notably played as a striker for FC Schalke 04 in Germany. He was the German Bundesliga top scorer in 2001, and he won the German Cup in 2001 and 2002 with Schalke...
.
Nielsen became a mainstay in the team during the 1995–96 Superliga
Danish Superliga 1995-96
The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
season, as Brøndby won the Danish championship, and established himself as a regular starter. He helped Brøndby repeat the Superliga win in the 1996–97 Superliga
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...
and the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
of both Superliga championship and 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...
title in 1998. Following the 2001–02 Superliga
Danish Superliga 2001-02
The 2001–02 Danish Superliga season was the 12th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
championship triumph with Brøndby, Danish international goalkeeper Mogens Krogh
Mogens Krogh
Mogens Krogh is a Danish retired professional football player who is currently the goalkeeper coach for the youth teams of Brøndby IF...
retired, and Nielsen was chosen as new team captain. After his second Danish Cup triumph in 2003, Nielsen was elected the 2003 Brøndby IF Player of the Year.
In 2004, the Danish football players' association announced a strike action
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
. Brøndby was still in European competition, and would be forced to field a team consisting of retired Brøndby professionals, youth team players and recent signings who had yet to become members of the players' association, in the August 2004 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
qualification re-match against FK Ventspils
FK Ventspils
FK Ventspils is a Latvian football club, based at Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions in Ventspils city and is one of the most popular football clubs in the country. FK Ventspils plays in the Latvian Virsliga. They are the current champions of the tournament....
. Two days before the match, Nielsen and team mate Dan Anton Johansen
Dan Anton Johansen
Dan Anton Johansen is a Danish professional footballer currently playing for Hvidovre IF. Johansen started his career with Danish team Brøndby IF in 1999, with whom he won the 2002 and 2005 Danish Superliga championships...
broke the strike and returned to the Brøndby training, causing a lot of controversy in the process. The day after, the players' and football clubs' associations reached a provisorical agreement, and Brøndby's first team players were selected for the match, though they were eliminated on aggregate.
He captained Brøndby to the Double of the 2004–05 Superliga
Danish Superliga 2004-05
The 2004-05 Danish Superliga season was the 15th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 24, 2004 to the final match on June 19, 2005....
and Danish Cup titles, and was named 2006 Brøndby IF Player of the Year. In February 2008, Nielsen chose to resign from the position of team captain, stating that he would spend his remaining one and a half years at Brøndby helping the club move on, also if that meant him taking a place on the bench. Stefán Gíslason
Stefán Gíslason
Stefán Gíslason is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for Lillestrøm SK. He is a defensive midfielder renowned for coupling physical power with great technique...
was named his successor. Nielsen helped Brøndby win the 2008 Danish Cup, his last trophy with the team. Nielsen announced that he would retire as an active footballer in late June 2008. Instead he will continue as a scout in Brøndby. His last game in the blue and yellow jersey was his testimonial match
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
against 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...
team Deportivo La Coruna on July 12, 2008. Nielsen played a total 547 games in all competitions, including 394 games and scored 23 goals for Brøndby in the Superliga.
International career
Nielsen's first international game was a single under-19 national teamDenmark national under-19 football team
The Denmark national under-19 football team was founded in 1950 as a under-18 team. In 2001, it was changed to a under-19 team.-Competitive record:...
match in December 1993. He was called up to play for the Danish national under-21 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 March 1994, and went on to play 19 games and score two goals for the under-21 national team until July 1996.
Despite winning several trophies with Brøndby, Nielsen never broke into the Danish national team, but he was selected to play for the league national team, consisting of the best players from the domestic Danish Superliga championship. He went on his first trip with the league national team in 1997, playing three games at the US Cup in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He likewise took part in the league national team campaign in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in 1999, with injuries forcing him out of the 1998 tour. Nielsen was once again included in the Danish league national team's trip to California in 2004, where he made his 10th and last appearance for the team, with injuries forcing him out of the 2003 tour. In January 2006, Nielsen was called up for his sixth trip with the Danish league national team. However, he chose not to travel with the team to the Carlsberg Cup
Carlsberg Cup
The Lunar New Year Cup, also known as the Carlsberg Challenge or the Carlsberg Cup before, is an annual football tournament organised in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Football Association, established on 1948. It is usually held on the first and the fourth day of the Chinese New Year as a part of...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, citing personal reasons, which national team coach 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...
fully supported.
Nielsen finally debuted for the Danish national team in September 2002 as a late substitute, and he would go on to be among the fringe players of the Danish squad. He played a total 10 national team games until November 2006, helping Denmark qualify for the 2004 European Championship
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
.
Honours
- 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...
- Winners (5): 1995–96Danish Superliga 1995-96The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....
, 1996–97Danish Superliga 1996-97The 1996-97 Danish Superliga season was the 7th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, 1997–98Danish Superliga 1997-98The 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....
, 2001–02Danish Superliga 2001-02The 2001–02 Danish Superliga season was the 12th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association...
, 2004–05Danish Superliga 2004-05The 2004-05 Danish Superliga season was the 15th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 24, 2004 to the final match on June 19, 2005....
- Winners (5): 1995–96
- Danish CupDanish CupThe 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...
- Winners (4): 1997–98, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2007–08
- Brøndby IF Player of the Year: 2003, 2006