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 (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Denmark U19 | 4 | (0) |
| 2001 | Denmark U21 | 8 | (0) |
| 2001–2012 | Denmark | 92 | (6) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019–2021 | Ajax (assistant) | ||
| 2021–2024 | Denmark (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen (born on February 28, 1980) is a Danish former footballer. He played as a defensive midfielder. Christian started his career in Denmark. He then played for many big clubs across 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 regular player for the Denmark national football team. He played 92 matches and scored six goals for his country. He played for Denmark in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup, and 2004 European Championship. He was named the 2001 Danish under-21 Player of the Year. 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
Christian Poulsen's Club Career
Christian Poulsen started his football journey in Denmark. He played for several top clubs in different countries.
Early Football Days
Christian was born in Asnæs, Denmark. He began playing football at his local club, Asnæs BK. When he was 15, he moved to Holbæk. He made his first team debut at 17 and even captained the team sometimes.
Playing for Copenhagen
In September 2000, Christian tried out for Copenhagen. This club plays in the top Danish league, the Danish Superliga. He signed his first professional contract within a week. Christian quickly became an important attacking midfielder for FCK. He helped his club win the 2000–01 Superliga championship. He scored a key goal in the 3–1 win against Brøndby IF, which secured the league title.
In the 2001–02 Superliga season, FCK finished second. Christian was named FCK Player of the Year in 2002. Copenhagen played in the Champions League qualifiers but were knocked out. They then played in the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, where they were also eliminated. After this, Christian decided to join Schalke 04 in Germany.
Time at Schalke 04
After the 2002 World Cup, Christian moved to German club Schalke 04. This was a big move, costing about €7 million. He joined his Danish national team friend, Ebbe Sand, at the club. Christian often played as a holding midfielder or sometimes at right back. He eventually became a key player in the central midfield for both Schalke and Denmark.
In the 2005–06 Champions League, Schalke played against Italian club AC Milan. After one match, Milan's coach called Christian "a coward." In the second match, Schalke lost, even though Christian scored a goal.
With Schalke, Christian won the 2005 DFB Ligapokal cup. His great performances earned him the 2005 Danish Player of the Year award. After four seasons and over 100 games, his contract ended in June 2006.
Moving to Sevilla
Christian then signed with Sevilla in Spain. Sevilla had just won the UEFA Cup. In his first game for Sevilla, Christian helped them win the European Super Cup trophy. They beat Barcelona 3–0 on August 25. After his first month, a Spanish sports newspaper called him the best new signing in Spain. He became the first player to win the Danish Player of the Year award two years in a row, also winning in 2006. He helped Sevilla win the UEFA Cup again and also the Spanish Cup that year.
Playing for Juventus
On July 14, 2008, Juventus in Italy announced they had signed Christian. The transfer cost €9.75 million, and Christian signed a four-year contract. On February 8, Christian scored his first goal for Juventus against Catania. His goal in the 90th minute helped his team win the game 2–1.
Time at Liverpool
On August 12, 2010, Liverpool in England signed Christian on a three-year contract for £4.5 million. He was given the number 28 shirt.
On August 19, 2010, Christian made his debut for Liverpool against Turkish team Trabzonspor in the Europa League. Liverpool won the match 1–0. He made his league debut for Liverpool in a 1–0 win against West Bromwich Albion on August 29, 2010. He played some of his best games in the center of Liverpool's midfield. However, a new manager, Kenny Dalglish, preferred a younger midfielder, Jay Spearing, over Christian.
Joining Évian
On August 30, 2011, Liverpool agreed to transfer Christian to Évian, a club in the French Ligue 1.
On August 31, 2011, the French club announced that Christian had signed a one-year deal. After this move, he became one of only a few players in history to have played in all five of Europe's top football leagues: Germany, Spain, Italy, England, and France.
Playing for Ajax
On August 22, 2012, Christian signed a two-year contract with Dutch club Ajax. He joined as a free transfer from Évian. Ajax brought him in as a defensive midfielder. In his first season in Amsterdam, Christian was a regular player. He helped his team win their third national championship in a row. This was Christian's first league title in twelve years.
Return to Copenhagen
On September 30, 2014, Christian signed a one-year contract with Copenhagen. This meant he was back with his old club, 12 years after he first left them.
On May 14, 2015, he helped set up the winning goal for Brandur Olsen in the Danish cup final. Copenhagen beat FC Vestsjælland 3–2 after extra time. Christian played his last professional match against Hobro on June 7, 2015.
Christian Poulsen's International Career
Christian played for the Danish national teams at different levels.
He was first called up for the Danish under-19 team in September 1998. He played four games for that team.
Christian was then called up for the senior Denmark national football team. He made his debut on November 10, 2001, in a 1–1 draw with the Netherlands. 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 getting two yellow cards. Denmark was then knocked out by England.
Christian was also chosen for the Danish squad at the 2004 European Championship. He played three of Denmark's four games. Denmark was eliminated from the tournament. After a 0–0 draw with Italy, Italian player Francesco Totti was seen spitting at Christian. Totti received a three-match ban and apologized.
Game Incident in 2008
During a qualifying game against Sweden in 2008, an incident happened. Christian was involved in a clash with a Swedish player. The referee sent Christian off and awarded Sweden a penalty. However, a fan ran onto the field, and the game was stopped. The referee then decided to abandon the game.
After the game, Christian was still able to play for the national team.
How Christian Poulsen Played
Christian Poulsen was known as a strong and hard-working defensive midfielder. He was very good at tackling and could play in different midfield roles. He also had good technique with the ball.
Christian Poulsen's Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Christian began a coaching career.
In the summer of 2016, Christian and another former Danish player, Per Krøldrup, became special coaches at B.93. Christian also studied for a master's degree in business coaching.
In September 2018, Christian returned to Ajax for a coaching internship. He followed the coaching staff of the first team. On July 1, 2019, Christian officially joined Ajax as an assistant manager. He left the club on July 1, 2021.
On September 25, 2021, Christian became the new assistant coach for the Denmark national team. He worked under head coach Kasper Hjulmand. Christian left his assistant manager job on August 8, 2024, after Hjulmand resigned.
Awards and Trophies
Christian Poulsen won many awards and trophies during his career.
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
See also
In Spanish: Christian Poulsen para niños
