Jesper Grønkjær facts for kids
Grønkjær with Birmingham City in 2004
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 August 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Godthåb, Greenland | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| Thisted | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | AaB | 86 | (10) |
| 1998–2000 | Ajax | 55 | (12) |
| 2000–2004 | Chelsea | 88 | (7) |
| 2004–2005 | Birmingham City | 16 | (0) |
| 2005 | Atlético Madrid | 16 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | VfB Stuttgart | 25 | (0) |
| 2006–2011 | Copenhagen | 114 | (16) |
| Total | 400 | (45) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993 | Denmark U-16 | 2 | (2) |
| 1992–1994 | Denmark U-17 | 19 | (13) |
| 1994–1997 | Denmark U-19 | 19 | (7) |
| 1996–1999 | Denmark U-21 | 24 | (4) |
| 1999–2010 | Denmark | 80 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Jesper Grønkjær (Danish pronunciation: [ˈjespɐ ˈkʁɶnˌkʰeˀɐ̯]; born on August 12, 1977) is a Danish former professional football player. He used to be a pundit (a sports expert who gives opinions) for the Scandinavian media network Viaplay.
Jesper was a very fast player, known as a winger. This means he played mostly on the sides of the field. He could also play as a second striker, supporting the main attackers. He played in 400 league games for many European clubs. He won the Dutch Cup with Ajax in 1999. He also played over 100 games for the English club Chelsea. Jesper finished his career with Copenhagen, where he helped them win four Danish Superliga titles.
Grønkjær played 80 games for the Denmark national team between 1999 and 2010, scoring five goals. He represented his country in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. He also played in two European Championship tournaments. In 1995, he was named the Danish Under-19 Player of the Year.
Jesper's Football Journey
Starting at AaB
Jesper grew up in Thisted, Denmark. He began his football journey with his local team, Thisted. People even said he was so fast he could have been a sprinter! In 1995, he moved to AaB, who were the champions of the Danish Superliga at the time.
He played nearly 100 matches for AaB. This included games in the European 1995–96 UEFA Champions League tournament. His great performances caught the eye of many top clubs across Europe.
Moving to Ajax
In October 1997, AaB sold Jesper to the Dutch club Ajax for about £3.5 million. He officially joined the team in July 1998. At Ajax, he was coached by another Dane, Morten Olsen. He also played alongside Danish international Ole Tobiasen.
With Ajax, he won the 1998–99 KNVB Cup (the Dutch Cup). In the 1999–2000 season, fans voted him "Ajax Player of the Year." Once again, many big teams wanted to sign him.
Time at Chelsea
In October 2000, Jesper joined the Premier League club Chelsea for £7.8 million. This made him the most expensive Danish football player at that time. He was injured until January 2001, but then started playing. His time at Chelsea lasted four years. He was sometimes amazing, creating and scoring very important goals for the club.
The "Billion Pound Goal"
One of his most famous moments at Chelsea was against Liverpool on the last day of the 2002–03 season. He helped Chelsea win 2–1, scoring one goal himself. This victory secured Chelsea fourth place in the league. This meant they qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League tournament.
Qualifying for the Champions League was super important for Roman Abramovich to buy the club. Chelsea was having some money problems back then. Because of this, Jesper's goal is often called the "billion pound goal." He later said, "I remember the goal very well. It was a nice feeling, and a good reward for a great season."
Champions League Success
In the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League quarter-final, Chelsea played against Arsenal. Jesper came on as a substitute in the second half. Chelsea was losing 1–0 at that point. Within six minutes, Chelsea scored to make it 1–1. Then, Wayne Bridge scored a winning goal just before the end. Chelsea won 3–2 overall and moved to the semi-finals.
In the semi-final against Monaco, Jesper scored a goal from outside the penalty area. However, it was not enough for Chelsea to reach the final, as they lost 5–3 to Monaco.
Three Clubs in Two Years
After Chelsea, Jesper joined Birmingham City in July 2004. He found it hard to play for a team that was struggling. He scored only one goal for them. In December 2004, he moved to Atlético Madrid in Spain. He didn't settle well there either.
In the summer of 2005, he moved to the German club VfB Stuttgart. He played alongside fellow Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson. Despite high hopes, the team struggled. Jesper and Tomasson even spoke out about their coach, who was later fired. Rumors then started that Jesper would return to Denmark.
Return to Denmark with Copenhagen
Jesper Grønkjær joined Copenhagen, the defending Danish Superliga champions, on June 23, 2006. He was seen as a key player to help Copenhagen qualify for the 2006–07 tournament. This was the first time in the club's history they made it to the Champions League!
He scored his second Champions League goal on December 6, 2006, against Scottish team Celtic. Copenhagen won that match 3–1. By the end of the season, Jesper had played 21 games, and Copenhagen won the 2006–07 Danish Superliga championship again. In November 2007, he was named both "Superliga Profile of the Year" and "Superliga Player of the Year."
Injuries and More Success
In May 2008, Jesper got a knee injury. It became infected and needed three surgeries. He didn't fully recover until halfway through the 2008–09 season. By the end of that season, he was back in the starting team. He helped Copenhagen win "the Double," meaning they won both the 2008–09 Danish Superliga championship and the 2008–09 Danish Cup trophy.
Jesper played the most games of his Copenhagen career during the 2009–10 season. He helped the club win the 2009–10 Danish Superliga championship.
Champions League Round of 16
With two goals in 12 games, Jesper helped Copenhagen reach the 2010–11 Champions League Round of 16. They were the first Danish team to go that far in the tournament! Copenhagen was eventually knocked out by Jesper's old team, Chelsea.
On May 26, 2011, with Copenhagen having already won the 2010–11 Danish Superliga championship, Jesper announced he would retire from professional football. He said, "I'd like to be able to go jogging when I have played my last football game. I want a life without aches." He played his very last game against his first professional club, AaB, scoring the final goal in a 2–0 victory for Copenhagen.
Return to Amateur Football
On February 1, 2016, it was confirmed that Jesper Grønkjær had signed with a lower amateur team called Græsrødderne.
Playing for Denmark
Jesper started playing for Danish youth national teams in October 1992. He scored three goals in six matches as the Denmark national youth team won silver medals at the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship. This showed he was one of the brightest young talents in Danish football. He was named the Danish Under-19 Player of the Year in 1995. Overall, he scored 26 goals in 64 games for Danish youth teams.
Senior National Team Debut
In his first year at Ajax, Jesper made his full international debut for the Denmark national team. This was in a qualification game for the 2000 European Championship (Euro 2000) against Italy on March 27, 1999. Even though his debut game had a small mistake, Jesper became an important player for the national team. He played in all three of Denmark's games at the Euro 2000 tournament.
While at Chelsea, Jesper became a regular player for the Denmark national team under coach Morten Olsen. He played in all four of Denmark's games at the 2002 World Cup. In the qualification games for Euro 2004, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Norway. This helped Denmark qualify for the tournament in Portugal.
He missed the first game of Euro 2004 because his mother passed away. However, he joined the Danish team in Portugal and scored the second goal in a 2–0 win against Bulgaria.
He was also part of Olsen's team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. After Denmark was knocked out of the 2010 World Cup, Jesper Grønkjær announced he was retiring from international football.
Career Achievements
Club Honours
- Ajax
- KNVB Cup: 1998–99
- Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Danish Cup: 2008–09
Individual Awards
- Danish Under-19 Player of the Year: 1995
- TIPS-bladet's Player of the Year: 2006–07
- TIPS-bladet's Autumn Profile: 2007
- Team of the Year: 2007
- Danish Superliga Profile of the Year: 2007
- Danish Superliga Player of the Year: 2006–07
See also
In Spanish: Jesper Grønkjær para niños
