David Nielsen facts for kids
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Nielsen in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Jean Nielsen | ||
| Date of birth | 1 December 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Skagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Horsens (Manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1992 | Skagen | ||
| 1992–1993 | Frederikshavn | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | OB | 9 | (2) |
| 1996 | → Lyngby (loan) | 13 | (10) |
| 1996–1997 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 13 | (1) |
| 1997–2001 | Copenhagen | 108 | (36) |
| 2000–2001 | → Grimsby Town (loan) | 16 | (5) |
| 2001–2002 | Wimbledon | 23 | (4) |
| 2001–2002 | → Norwich City (loan) | 5 | (5) |
| 2002–2003 | Norwich City | 21 | (3) |
| 2003–2005 | AaB | 40 | (17) |
| 2005–2006 | Midtjylland | 30 | (8) |
| 2006–2007 | Start | 13 | (5) |
| 2007 | OB | 14 | (3) |
| 2008 | → Strømsgodset (loan) | 23 | (9) |
| 2009–2010 | Brann | 33 | (4) |
| 2011 | Fyllingen | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 361 | (112) | |
| International career | |||
| 1992 | Denmark U16 | 3 | (3) |
| 1991–1992 | Denmark U17 | 21 | (14) |
| 1993–1995 | Denmark U19 | 18 | (13) |
| 1996–1997 | Denmark U21 | 8 | (3) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2011 | Løv-Ham (assistant) | ||
| 2011–2013 | Nest-Sotra | ||
| 2014 | Strømsgodset (assistant) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Strømsgodset | ||
| 2015–2017 | Lyngby | ||
| 2017–2022 | AGF | ||
| 2023–2024 | Kifisia | ||
| 2024 | Lyngby | ||
| 2024 | Lillestrøm | ||
| 2025– | Horsens | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Jean Nielsen (born December 1, 1976) is a Danish professional football manager and former player. He played as a forward.
Nielsen played for many Danish clubs. He also played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany. In England, he played for Grimsby Town, Wimbledon, and Norwich City. He won the 1997 Danish Cup with Copenhagen. David Nielsen also played for various Danish youth national teams. He scored 33 goals in 46 matches between 1992 and 1997. This included three goals in eight games for the Denmark U21 national team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
David Nielsen was born in Sønderborg, Denmark. He grew up in Skagen. He started playing youth football there. He also played for Frederikshavn. He scored 17 goals in 24 games for the Danish under-16 and under-17 teams.
At 16, he joined OB in the top Danish league in May 1993. He was known for his exciting goal celebration. It was a round off stretch jump with a backtuck.
Moving to New Clubs
In January 1996, he was loaned to Lyngby. He scored 10 goals in 13 league games there. After his contract with Odense ended in 1996, he moved to Germany. He played for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga.
After six months, Nielsen returned to Denmark. He joined Copenhagen in February 1997. He played there for three and a half years. He helped Copenhagen win the 1997 Danish Cup. He was the club's top goalscorer in 1998, 1999, and 2000. In 1999, he was named Copenhagen Player of the Year.
Playing in England
In October 2000, he was loaned to Grimsby Town in England. This team was in the second tier of English football. In March 2001, Nielsen moved to Wimbledon for free.
He then joined Norwich City on loan in December 2001. He scored five goals in five games. Norwich City bought him permanently for £210,000. He helped Norwich City reach the First Division play-offs final in May 2002. He left Norwich City in August 2003 to return to Denmark.
Return to Denmark and Norway
He signed with AaB in Denmark. He started scoring many goals again. In February 2005, he left AaB. He then joined Midtjylland. He left Midtjylland in May 2006.
Nielsen then moved to Norway to play for Start. He scored seven goals in 21 matches. On July 20, 2007, he signed a three-year contract with OB in Denmark. On March 26, 2008, he was loaned to the Norwegian club Strømsgodset.
Later Playing Years
In January 2009, Nielsen was sold to the Norwegian club Brann. He often played as a substitute there. His contract with Brann ended in June 2010. After that, he planned to offer soccer practice for kids in Bergen.
Managerial Career
David Nielsen started his coaching career in 2011. He became assistant manager of Løv-Ham on May 27, 2011. Later that summer, he became manager of Nest-Sotra. He helped them avoid relegation in 2011. He then led them to promotion to the 1. division in 2013.
On November 11, 2013, he became assistant manager of Strømsgodset. He became manager seven months later. This happened when Ronny Deila left for Celtic. On May 26, 2015, Strømsgodset announced that Nielsen would step down as manager.
Coaching Danish and Greek Teams
On June 17, 2015, he signed a three-year contract. He became manager for Danish 1st Division club Lyngby. On September 30, 2017, he signed a three-year contract with AGF. This is a team in the Danish Superliga. Nielsen left AGF in May 2022.
On December 8, 2023, Nielsen signed a contract with Kifisia in the Greek Super League. He was dismissed on January 29, 2024, after only six weeks.
Nielsen returned to manage Lyngby on March 5, 2024. His contract ran until the end of that season.
Recent Managerial Roles
In late August 2024, he became the new manager of Lillestrøm SK in Norway. His contract was for the rest of 2024. After four league games, Lillestrøm had only one point. Nielsen was dismissed on September 30, 2024. His son, Noah Holm, played for Rosenborg and scored against his father's team during this time.
Personal Life
David Nielsen was born in Denmark. His father was from DR Congo and Madagascar. His mother was Danish.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| OB | 1994–95 | Danish Superliga | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Lyngby (loan) | 1995–96 | Danish Superliga | 13 | 10 | 13 | 10 | ||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 1996–97 | Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 2 |
| Copenhagen | 1996–97 | Danish Superliga | 14 | 1 | 14 | 1 | ||
| 1997–98 | 31 | 11 | 31 | 11 | ||||
| 1998–99 | 30 | 15 | 30 | 15 | ||||
| 1999–00 | 26 | 8 | 26 | 8 | ||||
| 2000–01 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 108 | 36 | 108 | 36 | ||||
| Grimsby Town (loan) | 2000–01 | First Division | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 6 |
| Wimbledon | 2000–01 | First Division | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| 2001–02 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | ||
| Total | 23 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||
| Norwich City | 2001–02 | First Division | 23 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 8 |
| 2002–03 | 33 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 6 | ||
| 2003–04 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 58 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 66 | 14 | ||
| AaB | 2003–04 | Danish Superliga | 24 | 11 | 24 | 11 | ||
| 2004–05 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 17 | 40 | 17 | ||||
| Midtjylland | 2004–05 | Danish Superliga | 10 | 2 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 8 | 30 | 8 | ||||
| Start | 2006 | Tippeligaen | 13 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 8 |
| 2007 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Total | 21 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 11 | ||
| OB | 2007–08 | Danish Superliga | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| Strømsgodset (loan) | 2008 | Tippeligaen | 23 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 11 |
| Brann | 2009 | Tippeligaen | 23 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 6 |
| 2010 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 6 | ||
| Fyllingen | 2011 | Third Division | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 402 | 120 | 22 | 10 | 424 | 130 | ||
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | Win% | Ref. | ||||||
| Nest-Sotra |  |
13 July 2011 | 11 November 2013 | 72 | 41 | 10 | 21 | 56.94 | |||
| Strømsgodset | |
7 June 2014 | 26 May 2015 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 42.42 | |||
| Lyngby |  |
17 June 2015 | 30 September 2017 | 92 | 47 | 17 | 28 | 51.09 | |||
| AGF | |
30 September 2017 | 22 May 2022 | 184 | 73 | 51 | 60 | 39.67 | |||
| Kifisia |  |
8 December 2023 | 29 January 2024 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 14.29 | |||
| Lyngby | |
5 March 2024 | 30 June 2024 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 38.46 | |||
| Lillestrøm | |
23 August 2024 | 30 September 2024 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 405 | 181 | 90 | 134 | 44.69 | — | |||||
Honours
Player
Copenhagen
- Danish Cup: 1997
Individual
- Copenhagen Player of the Year: 1999
Manager
Lyngby
- Danish 1st Division: 2015–16
Images for kids
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David Nielsen in 2008
