Allan Simonsen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Allan Simonsen

Simonsen in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Allan Rodenkam Simonsen
Date of birth	(1952-12-15) 15 December 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Vejle, Denmark
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1971–1972	Vejle	42	(16)
1972–1979	Borussia Mönchengladbach	178	(76)
1979–1982	Barcelona	98	(31)
1982–1983	Charlton Athletic	16	(9)
1983–1989	Vejle	166	(70)
Total		500	(202)
International career
1971–1972	Denmark U-21	6	(0)
1972–1986	Denmark	55	(20)
Managerial career
1991–1994	Vejle
1994–2001	Faroe Islands
2001–2004	Luxembourg
2011–2013	Fredericia (General manager)
2013	Fredericia (caretaker)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Allan Rodenkam Simonsen, born on December 15, 1952, is a famous Danish former football player and manager. He was a fantastic striker, known for scoring many goals. He played for big clubs like Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany and Barcelona in Spain.

Allan Simonsen made history as the only footballer to score in the finals of the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup. In 1977, he was named the European Footballer of the Year, a huge honor.

For the Danish national team, Simonsen played 55 games and scored 20 goals. He played for Denmark in the 1972 Summer Olympics, the 1984 European Championship, and the 1986 World Cup. In 2008, he was added to the Danish Football Hall of Fame.

Allan Simonsen's Club Journey

Starting at Vejle Boldklub

Allan Simonsen was born in Vejle, Denmark. He began playing football with Vejle FC. In 1963, he joined the youth team of his local club, Vejle BK (VB).

He played his first senior game for VB on March 24, 1971. His team won 3–1 against Karlskoga FF. With Vejle, he helped them win the Danish championship in 1971 and 1972. They also won the Danish Cup in 1972, achieving "The Double" (winning both the league and cup). After scoring three goals in six matches at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Simonsen moved to Germany. He became a professional player for Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Success with Borussia Mönchengladbach

Simonsen playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1976

Allan Simonsen had a tough start at Borussia Mönchengladbach. In his first two seasons, he played only 17 games and scored two goals. However, he was part of the team that won the German Cup in 1973.

He became a regular player in the starting line-up for the 1974–75 season. He played all 34 games and scored 18 goals, helping Mönchengladbach win the Bundesliga championship. Simonsen also scored ten goals in 12 games in the 1974–75 UEFA Cup. He scored two goals in the 5–1 final victory against Twente.

The next season, Simonsen scored 16 goals as Mönchengladbach won the Bundesliga again in 1975–76. He scored four goals in six games in the 1975–76 European Cup. Mönchengladbach was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Real Madrid.

Winning European Footballer of the Year

The year 1977 was amazing for Simonsen. In the 1976–77 European Cup, he helped Mönchengladbach reach the 1977 European Cup Final against Liverpool. In the final, Simonsen scored a great goal to make the score 1–1. But Mönchengladbach lost the game 3–1.

After this, he was named the 1977 European Footballer of the Year. He was the first Danish player to win this award. It was a close race, but Simonsen won against famous players like Kevin Keegan and Michel Platini. This win was special because Denmark was not a top football country in the 1970s.

In the next two Bundesliga seasons, Simonsen kept scoring many goals. Mönchengladbach finished second and then eighth. He won another international trophy with Mönchengladbach in 1979. He scored eight goals in eight games to lead the club to the 1978–79 UEFA Cup final. He scored the winning goal in the 2–1 final victory against Red Star Belgrade.

Simonsen had been asked to join Barcelona in 1978, but Mönchengladbach did not let him go. So, Simonsen waited until his contract ended and moved to Barcelona in 1979. He turned down offers from other big clubs like Hamburger SV and Juventus.

Playing for Barcelona

Allan Simonsen had three successful seasons with Barcelona. In his first season, he was the top goal scorer for the team. He scored ten goals in 32 games, and Barcelona finished fourth in the 1979–80 La Liga season.

The next season, Barcelona got new players and won the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) in 1981. Simonsen scored ten goals, making him the third top scorer. Barcelona finished fifth in the 1980–81 La Liga season.

In the 1981–82 La Liga season, he was the second top scorer. The club finished second in the league. He also helped Barcelona reach the final of the 1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup competition. In the 2–1 final victory against Standard Liège, Simonsen scored the winning goal with a header. This helped Barcelona win the trophy.

Time at Charlton Athletic

In 1982, Barcelona signed the famous Argentinian player Diego Maradona. Spanish league rules meant that only two foreign players could be in the starting team. Simonsen had to compete with Maradona and Bernd Schuster for these spots. He felt this was unfair and asked Barcelona to end his contract.

He then made a surprising move to English Second Division team Charlton Athletic in October 1982. He chose Charlton over big clubs like Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur. He wanted to play for a club with less pressure. He scored nine goals in 16 games. However, Charlton Athletic had trouble paying his transfer fee and wages after three months. He was then put up for sale. Since his wages were not paid, he was free to leave the club for free. Simonsen decided to return to his first club, Vejle BK, in 1983.

Returning to Vejle Boldklub

Allan Simonsen missed the second half of the 1984 season for Vejle BK because of an injury. He got hurt during the 1984 European Championship. But his team still managed to win the 1984 Danish championship without him.

He returned to play in the top Danish league, but he never played as well as he used to. Simonsen stopped playing football in 1989 when he was 37 years old. His last game for Vejle BK was in November 1989. He played a total of 282 games and scored 104 goals for Vejle Boldklub. This included 208 league games and 89 league goals.

Allan Simonsen's International Career

Allan Simonsen played his first game for the Danish national team in July 1972. It was a friendly match against Iceland. He scored two goals, and Denmark won 5–2. Simonsen was then chosen for the Danish team for the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics, he scored three goals in the first three matches. This helped Denmark move past the first group stage.

He played a very important part for the Danish national team in their journey to qualify for the 1984 European Championship. Denmark was behind England in their qualifying group. They met England at Wembley Stadium in September 1983. Simonsen scored one of Denmark's most important goals ever in this game. He scored a penalty kick against English goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

Denmark won the game 1–0. This win helped the Danish national team qualify for their first major international tournament since the 1972 Olympics. It also meant England could not qualify. Simonsen later finished third in the vote for the 1983 European Footballer of the Year award.

The 1984 European Championship was short for Simonsen. He broke his leg in Denmark's first match against France. Even without Simonsen, Denmark reached the semi-finals. He was also part of the Danish national team at the 1986 World Cup. This was Denmark's first time playing in a World Cup. He only played one match in the tournament, coming on as a substitute against West Germany. Younger players had become more important than him. He played a final match against Germany in September 1986 before ending his national team career.

Simonsen played a total of 55 games for the Danish national team and scored 20 goals.

Allan Simonsen's Managerial Career

After he stopped playing, Allan Simonsen became a coach. He coached his old club Vejle Boldklub from 1991 to 1994. During his time there, VB was moved down from the top Danish Superliga to the second-tier Danish 1st Division.

Later, he coached the national teams of the Faroe Islands from 1994 to 2001. Then he coached Luxembourg from 2001 to 2004.

In 2011, he became the General Manager of the Danish 1st Division team Fredericia. When Fredericia fired their manager in April 2013, Simonsen and Steen Thychosen took over as temporary managers. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Simonsen left both his jobs at Fredericia.

Career Statistics

Simonsen in a Vejle BK jersey in 2000

Here are some statistics about Allan Simonsen's playing career.

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simonsen goal.

List of international goals scored by Allan Simonsen

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 July 1972	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	Iceland	2–2	5–2	Friendly
2				4–2
3	27 August 1972	Drei Flüsse Stadion, Passau, Germany	Brazil	1–0	3–2	1972 Summer Olympics
4				3–2
5	29 August 1972	Rosenaustadion, Augsburg, Germany	Iran	2–0	4–0	1972 Summer Olympics
6	3 September 1974	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Indonesia	4–0	9–0	Friendly
7	23 May 1976	Tsirion Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus	Cyprus	1–1	5–1	1978 World Cup qualification
8	1 May 1977	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Poland	1–1	1–2	1978 World Cup qualification
9	15 June 1977	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Sweden	2–1	2–1	1972–77 Nordic Championship
10	20 September 1978	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	England	1–2	3–4	1980 European Championship qualification
11	6 June 1979	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Northern Ireland	3–0	4–0	1980 European Championship qualification
12	21 May 1980	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Spain	1–1	2–2	Friendly
13	19 November 1980	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Luxembourg	4–0	4–0	1982 World Cup qualification
14	15 April 1981	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Romania	1–1	2–1	Friendly
15	26 August 1981	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Iceland	2–0	3–0	Friendly
16				3–0
17	1 June 1983	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Hungary	3–1	3–1	1984 European Championship qualification
18	21 September 1983	Wembley Stadium, London, UK	England	1–0	1–0	1984 European Championship qualification
19	12 October 1983	Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark	Luxembourg	4–0	6–0	1984 European Championship qualification
20	16 November 1983	Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece	Greece	2–0	2–0	1984 European Championship qualification

Managerial Statistics

Updated 16 June 2016

Team	From	To	Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
Faroe Islands	1994	2001	&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.&&&&&052	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.38000015.38
Luxembourg	13 February 2002	17 November 2004	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00

Allan Simonsen's Awards and Honors

Allan Simonsen won many awards and trophies during his career.

With Vejle Boldklub

• Danish championship: 1971, 1972, 1984
• Danish Cup: 1972

With Borussia Mönchengladbach

• Bundesliga: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
• DFB-Pokal: 1972–73
• DFL-Supercup: 1977
• UEFA Cup: 1974–75, 1978–79
• European Cup runner-up: 1976–77

With Barcelona

• Copa del Rey: 1980–81
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82

Individual Awards

• Ballon d'Or: 1977 (European Footballer of the Year)
• Onze de Bronze: 1977
• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
• Sport Ideal European XI: 1977
• European Cup Top Scorer: 1977–78
• UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 1978–79
• La Liga Team of The Year: 1982
• Danish Football Hall of Fame

See also

In Spanish: Allan Simonsen para niños