Harald Nielsen facts for kids
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Nielsen in the early 1960s
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Harald Ingemann Nielsen | ||
| Date of birth | 26 October 1941 | ||
| Place of birth | Frederikshavn, Denmark | ||
| Date of death | 11 August 2015 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Klampenborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.78 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1959–1961 | Frederikshavn fI | 50 | (44) |
| 1961–1967 | Bologna | 157 | (104) |
| 1967–1968 | Internazionale | 8 | (2) |
| 1968–1969 | Napoli | 10 | (2) |
| 1969–1970 | Sampdoria | 4 | (0) |
| Total | 229 | (129) | |
| National team | |||
| 1959–1960 | Denmark | 14 | (15) |
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Harald Ingemann Nielsen (born October 26, 1941 – died August 11, 2015) was a famous Danish footballer. He played as a forward, scoring many goals. Harald was known as Guld-Harald, which means "Gold-Harald".
He played professionally for Bologna F.C. in Italy. There, he was the top scorer in 1964 when Bologna won the Serie A championship. Harald also played 14 games for the Denmark national team between 1959 and 1960, scoring 15 goals. He also helped make football a professional sport in Denmark.
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Harald's Club Football Career
Harald Nielsen was born in Frederikshavn, Denmark. He started his football journey with his hometown club, Frederikshavn fI. In March 1959, he played his first game in Denmark's second-highest league.
Playing as a center forward, Harald quickly became the league's top scorer. His team, Frederikshavn, then moved up to the top Danish football league.
In March 1960, Harald played his first game in the top league for Frederikshavn. He scored all three goals in a 3–1 win against Boldklubben Frem. He ended that season as the league's top scorer.
Playing in Italy with Bologna
In 1961, Harald Nielsen moved to Italy to play for Bologna F.C. He was nicknamed il freddo danese, meaning "the cold Dane."
He was a key player when Bologna won the 1963–64 Serie A championship. Harald was also the top scorer in the Italian league in both 1963 and 1964.
After six seasons with Bologna, Harald moved to Inter Milan in 1967. His transfer deal made him the most expensive player in the world at that time.
He won an unofficial world cup with Inter by beating Santos (Pelé's team) 1–0 in New York. However, he didn't have the same success at Inter as he did at Bologna. He later played for S.S.C. Napoli and U.C. Sampdoria. A back injury kept him off the field, and he ended his career in 1970.
Harald's International Football Career
Harald Nielsen played his first game for the Danish national team on September 13, 1959. He was only 17 years and 322 days old, making him the youngest Danish national team player ever. He scored one goal in their 4–2 win against Norway.
The 1960 Summer Olympics
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In the summer of 1960, Harald played for Denmark at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Denmark won the silver medal, finishing as runners-up. Harald was the top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals.
His talent as a striker was clear even earlier, in May 1960. He scored two goals in a game against the 1958 Brazilian world champions team. This was the team where a young Pelé had made his debut two years before.
Harald and Pelé would meet again in club games. However, Harald was banned from playing for the Danish national team when he joined Bologna at age 19. This was because the Danish Football Association did not allow professional players on the national team until 1971. This ban was a big frustration for Harald.
Harald's Life Outside Football
Harald Nielsen was a successful businessman. After his football career, he started a company with his wife, Rudi Nielsen. Rudi was a former actress. Their company imported Italian leather goods to Scandinavia. Harald and Rudi met in 1961 on the set of a movie called Far til fire med fuld musik and got married in 1963.
In the 1970s, Harald worked to make football in Denmark more professional. In 1977, he and Helge Sander planned to create a professional Danish football league. Because of their efforts, the Danish Football Association finally allowed professional football in Denmark starting in 1978.
Harald Nielsen also helped start FC København, a major Danish football club, in 1992. He was the first chairman of the club's parent company, Parken Sport & Entertainment. He stepped down from the board in 2007 and became the club's first honorary member. He loved the club and watched all their home games.
He was also chairman of a large company that built summer houses in Denmark. From 1997 to 2007, he was president of the Rebild National Park Society. He also led the Gunnar Nu Foundation for 18 years, helping to give over 9 million Danish kroner to Danish sports.
Harald wrote six books during his football career, known as the "Harald-Books." He passed away on August 11, 2015.
On October 26, 2016, what would have been his 75th birthday, a square in Frederikshavn was named Harald Nielsens Plads in his honor. On July 9, 2018, a large statue of Harald Nielsen as a young player was put up in this square. It is the biggest statue of a footballer in Denmark. An award called “Årets Guld-Harald” is now given out each year to honor him.
Harald's Achievements and Awards
Bologna
- Mitropa Cup: 1961–62 (runner-up 1962–63)
- Italian Serie A Championship: 1963–64
Denmark
- Olympic Silver Medal: Rome 1960
Individual Awards
- Danish Championship – Top Scorer: 1960 (19 goals)
- Top Scorer in the Olympic Football Tournament: Rome 1960 (6 goals)
- First Danish Player of the Year: 1961
- Mitropa Cup Top Scorer: 1961–62, 1962–63
- Serie A – Capocannoniere (Top Scorer): 1962–63 (21 goals), 1963–64 (19 goals)
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 1992
- First Honorary Member of F.C. Copenhagen: 2007
- Danish Football Hall of Fame: 2010
Images for kids
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Nielsen with Danish national team, circa 1964.
See also
In Spanish: Harald Nielsen para niños
