René Henriksen
Encyclopedia
René Henriksen is a Danish
former professional football
player, who played as a defender
for Danish club Akademisk Boldklub
and Panathinaikos in Greece
. Henriksen was capped
66 times for the Danish national team
, and he represented his country at two FIFA World Cup
s and two European Championship
tournaments. He is the current scouter of Panathinaikos.
Akademisk Boldklub (AB) in 1988, then in the lower leagues of Danish football
. AB joined the top-flight Danish Superliga
championship in 1996, and Henriksen established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. From his libero position, his elegance, technique and anticipation made him an efficient organizer of the AB defense. AB coach Christian Andersen
proclaimed Henriksen as "Denmark's best libero", and in March 1998 he was called up for the Danish national team by national team manager Bo Johansson. He made his debut in the friendly match 1-0 win against Scotland
as he came on as a substitute at half time, replacing defender Jacob Laursen
. Henriksen was selected to represent Denmark at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
, though he did not play any games at the tournament.
He won the "Danish Cup Fighter" award when AB triumphed in the 1999 Danish Cup
, as the club won its first trophy in 32 years. With a year left of his contract, he left AB in the summer 1999, after eleven years playing for the club. He moved to Greece to play for Panathinaikos in a transfer deal allegedly worth 20 million DKK. He became a starting player for the Danish national team, and represented Denmark at the 2000 European Championship
, where he played full time in Denmark's three matches. Subsequently, he received the 2000 Danish Player of the Year
award.
He was joined at Panathinaikos by fellow Dane and former AB player Jan Michaelsen
in 2001 and the two players were important players in Panathinaikos' UEFA Champions League
campaigns. Most notably, the club reached the quarter-final of the 2001-02 tournament
before being eliminated by FC Barcelona
from Spain
. Henriksen was an important member of the national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, where Denmark reached the round of 16. After the tournament, team captain
Jan Heintze
retired from the national team, and Henriksen was named new team captain by national team manager Morten Olsen
.
The 2003-04 season was Henriksen's most successful year at Panathinaikos, as the club broke rivals Olympiacos' seven-year streak when they won the 2004 Greek Super League
. Panathinaikos also won the 2004 Greek Cup
, to complete "The Double
". Henriksen played Denmark's four games at the 2004 European Championship
, before he ended his national team career after the tournament. He played a total of 66 national team games, 25 of which were as captain. Even though he did not score any goals, his elegant playing style meant he only received two yellow cards during his national team career.
In the summer break 2005, Henriksen moved back to AB, now in the second-tier Danish 1st Division
league. He helped the team avoid relegation in the 2005-06 season, before he ended his career in the summer 2006.
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
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 defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
for Danish club Akademisk Boldklub
Akademisk Boldklub
Akademisk Boldklub or AB is a Danish professional football club from Copenhagen,currently playing at the second highest level in Danish domestic football, the 1st Division.-History:...
and Panathinaikos in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Henriksen was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
66 times 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...
, and he represented his country at two FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s and two European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
tournaments. He is the current scouter of Panathinaikos.
Biography
Henriksen started playing for nine-times Danish championsDanish 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...
Akademisk Boldklub (AB) in 1988, then in the lower leagues of 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...
. AB joined the top-flight 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 1996, and Henriksen established himself as one of the best defenders in the league. From his libero position, his elegance, technique and anticipation made him an efficient organizer of the AB defense. AB coach Christian Andersen
Christian Andersen
Christian Andersen is a Danish former football player and now manager. He was most recently the manager of Boldklubben Frem...
proclaimed Henriksen as "Denmark's best libero", and in March 1998 he was called up for the Danish national team by national team manager Bo Johansson. He made his debut in the friendly match 1-0 win against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
as he came on as a substitute at half time, replacing defender Jacob Laursen
Jacob Laursen
Jacob Thaysen-Laursen is a Danish retired professional football player, who played as a defender. He most notably played for English club Derby County and won the Danish Superliga championship with Silkeborg IF and F.C. Copenhagen...
. Henriksen was selected to represent Denmark at 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...
, though he did not play any games at the tournament.
He won the "Danish Cup Fighter" award when AB triumphed in the 1999 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...
, as the club won its first trophy in 32 years. With a year left of his contract, he left AB in the summer 1999, after eleven years playing for the club. He moved to Greece to play for Panathinaikos in a transfer deal allegedly worth 20 million DKK. He became a starting player for the Danish national team, and represented Denmark at 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....
, where he played full time in Denmark's three matches. Subsequently, he received the 2000 Danish Player of the Year
Danish Player of the Year
The Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best Danish football player by the Danish Football Player Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote amongst the professional Danish footballers....
award.
He was joined at Panathinaikos by fellow Dane and former AB player Jan Michaelsen
Jan Michaelsen
Jan Munch Michaelsen is a Danish football player for Hamarkameratene. Michaelsen has made 19 international appearances and scored a single goal for the Danish national team. From January 1, 2009 Jan Michaelsen will be head coach for F.C. Copenhagens 2. Division team...
in 2001 and the two players were important players in Panathinaikos' UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
campaigns. Most notably, the club reached the quarter-final of the 2001-02 tournament
UEFA Champions League 2001-02
The 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the tenth season of UEFA's premier club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding from the European Cup in 1992. The tournament was won by Real Madrid, who beat Bayer Leverkusen in the final to claim their ninth European Cup title...
before being eliminated by FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
from Spain
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...
. Henriksen was an important member of the national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, where Denmark reached the round of 16. After the tournament, team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
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...
retired from the national team, and Henriksen was named new team captain 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...
.
The 2003-04 season was Henriksen's most successful year at Panathinaikos, as the club broke rivals Olympiacos' seven-year streak when they won the 2004 Greek Super League
Super League Greece
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
. Panathinaikos also won the 2004 Greek Cup
Greek football Cup
The Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
, to complete "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...
". Henriksen played Denmark's four games at 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...
, before he ended his national team career after the tournament. He played a total of 66 national team games, 25 of which were as captain. Even though he did not score any goals, his elegant playing style meant he only received two yellow cards during his national team career.
In the summer break 2005, Henriksen moved back to AB, now in the second-tier 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...
league. He helped the team avoid relegation in the 2005-06 season, before he ended his career in the summer 2006.
Honours
- 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...
: 1999 - Greek Super LeagueSuper League GreeceThe Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
: 2004 - Greek CupGreek football CupThe Greek Football Cup , commonly known as the Greek Cup or for sponsorship reasons the Football Cup OPAP, is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation....
: 2004 - Danish Player of the YearDanish Player of the YearThe Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best Danish football player by the Danish Football Player Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote amongst the professional Danish footballers....
: 2000