Christian Poulsen facts for kids
Poulsen while at Schalke 04
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen | ||
| Date of birth | 28 February 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Asnæs, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.82 m | ||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1985–1995 | Asnæs BK | ||
| 1995–1997 | Holbæk | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1997–2000 | Holbæk | 82 | (13) |
| 2000–2002 | Copenhagen | 45 | (10) |
| 2002–2006 | Schalke 04 | 111 | (3) |
| 2006–2008 | Sevilla | 62 | (4) |
| 2008–2010 | Juventus | 48 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Liverpool | 12 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Evian | 24 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Ajax | 54 | (1) |
| 2014–2015 | Copenhagen | 16 | (1) |
| Total | 454 | (33) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–1999 | Denmark U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2001 | Denmark U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2001–2012 | Denmark | 92 | (6) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2019–2021 | Ajax (assistant) | ||
| 2021–2024 | Denmark (assistant) | ||
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Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen (born 28 February 1980) is a Danish former footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder. Christian played for many top clubs in Europe.
He won the Danish Superliga with Copenhagen. He also won the German DFB-Ligapokal with Schalke 04. With Spanish team Sevilla, he won the UEFA Cup. He also played for Italian club Juventus, English club Liverpool, French club Evian, and Dutch club Ajax.
Christian was a key player for the Denmark national football team. He played 92 matches and scored six goals for his country. He played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and 2004 European Championship. He was named the Danish under-21 Player of the Year in 2001. He also won the Danish Player of the Year award in 2005 and 2006. He was the first player to win this award two years in a row.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Christian Poulsen was born in Asnæs, Denmark. He started playing football at a local club called Asnæs BK. When he was 15, he moved to Holbæk. He made his first senior team appearance at just 17 years old. He even captained the team sometimes.
Success with Copenhagen
In September 2000, Christian joined Copenhagen. This was a top team in the Danish Superliga. He quickly became an important player in their midfield. He helped his club win the 2000–01 Superliga championship. He scored a goal in the match that secured the title.
Copenhagen finished second in the 2001–02 Superliga season. Christian was named the FCK Player of the Year in 2002. After a good run in European competitions, he decided to move to Germany.
Playing for Schalke 04
After the 2002 World Cup, Christian moved to German club Schalke 04. This was a very expensive transfer for a Danish player at the time. His Danish teammate, Ebbe Sand, also played for Schalke. This helped Christian settle in.
He often played as a defensive midfielder. Sometimes he played at right back. He became a strong central midfielder for both his club and country.
In a 2005–06 Champions League game against AC Milan, there was a disagreement with Milan's coach. In another match, he had a heated exchange with an opposing player.
With Schalke, Christian won the 2005 DFB Ligapokal cup. His great performances earned him the 2005 Danish Player of the Year award. He played over 100 games for Schalke in four seasons.
Winning Trophies with Sevilla
After his contract with Schalke ended, Christian joined Sevilla in Spain. Sevilla had just won the UEFA Cup. In his first game, Christian helped Sevilla win the European Super Cup. They beat Barcelona 3–0.
A Spanish sports newspaper called him the best new signing in Spain. He won the Danish Player of the Year award again in 2006. This made him the first player to win it two years in a row. He helped Sevilla win the UEFA Cup again. They also won the Spanish Cup that year.
Time at Juventus and Liverpool
On 14 July 2008, Christian moved to Juventus in Italy. He signed a four-year contract. He scored his first goal for Juventus in February, helping them win a game against Catania.
On 12 August 2010, Christian signed with Liverpool in England. He made his debut in the Europa League. He also played his first league game for Liverpool later that month. His performances sometimes faced criticism from fans.
After a change in manager at Liverpool, Christian's performances improved. However, a younger player, Jay Spearing, soon became the preferred choice in his position.
Playing in France and Netherlands
On 30 August 2011, Christian moved to Évian in France. He signed a one-year deal. With this move, he became one of the few players to have played in all five of Europe's top leagues. These are Germany, Spain, Italy, England, and France.
On 22 August 2012, Christian joined Ajax in the Netherlands. He signed a two-year contract. He quickly became a regular player for Ajax. He helped them win their third national championship in a row. This was Christian's first league title in twelve years.
Return to Copenhagen
On 30 September 2014, Christian returned to his former club, Copenhagen. This was 12 years after he had first left them.
On 14 May 2015, he helped his team win the Danish cup final. He set up the winning goal for Brandur Olsen. Copenhagen won 3–2 after extra time. He played his final professional match on 7 June 2015.
International Career for Denmark
Christian first played for the Danish under-19 team in 1998. He then joined the Denmark national football team. His first game was a 1–1 draw with the Netherlands in November 2001.
He was part of the Danish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He played in all three group stage matches. He was suspended for the next game after receiving two yellow cards. Denmark was then knocked out of the tournament.
Christian was also selected for the 2004 European Championship. He played in three of Denmark's games. After a 0–0 draw with Italy, there was a controversial incident involving an Italian player. Denmark was later eliminated from the tournament.
A Memorable Match Incident
During a qualifying game against Sweden, there was a heated moment. Christian was involved in a disagreement with a Swedish player. The referee stopped the game.
After the game, there was some discussion about the incident. However, Christian was later allowed to continue playing for the national team.
Playing Style
Christian Poulsen was known as a strong and hard-working defensive midfielder. He had good technique and was very good at tackling. He usually played in a holding role in midfield. However, he could also play in more attacking midfield positions.
Coaching Career
In the summer of 2016, Christian started coaching. He worked as a special coach at B.93. He also studied for a master's degree in business coaching.
In September 2018, Christian returned to Ajax for a coaching internship. On 1 July 2019, he became an assistant manager for Ajax's first team. He left the club in July 2021.
On 25 September 2021, Christian became the new assistant coach for the Denmark national team. He left this role in August 2024.
Honours and Awards
Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2000–01
- Danish Cup: 2014–15
Schalke 04
- DFB Ligapokal: 2005
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004
Sevilla
- Copa del Rey: 2006–07
- Supercopa de España: 2007
- UEFA Cup: 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2006
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2012–13, 2013–14
- Johan Cruijff Shield: 2013
Individual Awards
- Danish Young Player of the Year: 2001
- Danish Football Player of the Year: 2005, 2006
Images for kids
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Poulsen playing for Liverpool in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Christian Poulsen para niños
