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David Nielsen
Danish footballer and manager (born 1976)

David Jean Nielsen (born 1 December 1976) is a Danish professional football manager, and former player.

He played for a number of Danish clubs, as well as Fortuna Düsseldorf in Germany and English clubs Grimsby Town, Wimbledon and Norwich City. His greatest triumph was the 1997 Danish Cup victory, which he won with Danish club Copenhagen. He played 46 matches and scored 33 goals for various Danish youth national teams between 1992 and 1997, including eight games and three goals for the Denmark U21 national team.

Nielsen has attracted controversy at various times in his career for falling into serious gambling debt, assaulting a teammate and then, in November 2008, admitting matchfixing in a Danish game played in 2004.

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Playing career

Born in Sønderborg but raised in Skagen, Nielsen started playing youth football in Skagen and Frederikshavn. He scored 17 goals in 24 matches for the Danish under-16 and under-17 national teams. He received offers from English club Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich in Germany,1 but decided to stay in Denmark, as he was brought to OB in the top-flight Danish Superliga in May 1993, 16 years old.2 Here he became known for his elaborate goal celebration, a round off stretch jump with a backtuck.3

He was loaned out to Lyngby in January 1996, where he got his national breakthrough with 10 goals in 13 league games. When his Odense contract ran out in the Summer 1996, he moved abroad to play for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga championship. He did not find playing success with the club, and after half a year in Germany, Nielsen moved back to Denmark to play for Copenhagen in a DEM 600,000 transfer deal in February 1997.4 He played three and a half years at Copenhagen, with whom he won the 1997 Danish Cup. He was club top goalscorer in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and was elected 1999 Copenhagen Player of the Year.

He was loaned out to English club Grimsby Town in the second tier of English football, the English First Division in October 2000, as Grimsby had a hard time scoring goals.5 When his loan deal ended in March 2001, Nielsen moved on to English club Wimbledon on a free transfer. He joined Norwich City on loan in December 2001, and scored five goals in five games during his loan spell, including one against his parent club,6 prompting Norwich manager Nigel Worthington to pay £210,000 to Wimbledon to secure his services on a permanent basis. Whilst playing for Norwich City he was a member of the team that reached the final of the First Division play-offs in May 2002. However, he was unable to maintain his initial impressive scoring rate and left the club at his own request to return to Denmark in August 2003.

He signed with Superliga club AaB, where he rediscovered his goalscoring ability. Following a training ground bust-up with teammate Allan Gaarde in February 2005, Nielsen was fired by the club. Within days, he was hired by league rivals Midtjylland, to replace Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan. He was let go by FCM in May 2006, and he moved abroad to play for Norwegian club Start. He became an immediate hit scoring seven goals in 21 matches, but left the club during the reign of manager Stig Inge Bjørnebye. On 20 July 2007, he signed a three-year contract with the Danish Superliga side OB. On 26 March, he went on a loan deal with the Norwegian club Strømsgodset for the rest of 2008.

Nielsen was sold to the Norwegian club Brann as a part of a deal where Njougu Demba Nyren went in the opposite direction in January 2009.78 During his stay in Brann, Nielsen has spent most of his time as a substitute, and when he had been playing, he had the role as a facilitator for the other striker Erik Huseklepp.9 After his contract with Brann expired in June 2010, Nielsen planned to stay in Bergen and, together with Per Ove Ludvigsen and Kjetil Knutsen, to offer organized soccer practice for kids through a company called Max Fotball.10

Controversies

By April 2004, David Nielsen and fellow AaB teammate Jimmy Nielsen had racked up a debt of €201,000 with bookmakers in Aalborg.11 AaB director Lynge Jacobsen decided to help out financially and arranged for gambling addiction counselling.

In his 2008 autobiography, Nielsen admitted playing to deliberately lose a Superliga match between AaB and his former club Copenhagen in May 2004. As AaB had lost the Danish Cup final to Copenhagen earlier that year, winning the Superliga would propel Copenhagen into the UEFA Champions League and hand their UEFA Cup-berth as the Danish Cup winners on to the losing finalists from AaB. Nielsen was also motivated by his gambling debts,12 as UEFA Cup qualification would wield him a personal DKK300,000 bonus.13 AaB and Copenhagen drew the match, and Copenhagen eventually won the 2003–04 Superliga championship by one point.

In February 2005, Nielsen was sacked by AaB when he physically attacked teammate Allan Gaarde during a training session, leaving him with a concussion.14 Nielsen later explained in his autobiography that Gaarde was "pretentious... talking loudly about wine in Italian. "I told him: 'The next time you speak Italian I will break you in half. You're not f***ing Italian – you spent eight months there.' So when he did it again I decided to break his shitting legs like sticks. I jumped at him and bang. Jackpot. Felt good."15

During the pre-season of 2010–11, in a friendly against English side Leeds United, he made a 'shocking high-footed' tackle against winger Robert Snodgrass, who was injured and missed the start of the campaign.16

Managerial career

Nielsen was appointed assistant manager of Løv-Ham on 27 May 2011.17 Later that summer, he was appointed manager of Nest-Sotra.18 After saving the club from relegation from the 2. Divisjon in 2011, he led them to a fourth place in 2012 and promotion to the 1. division in 2013.

On 11 November 2013, he was appointed assistant manager of Strømsgodset.19 After just seven months, he was appointed manager, when Ronny Deila left for the vacant managing position at Celtic.20 On 26 May 2015, Strømsgodset announced that Nielsen would step down as manager in mutual agreement with the club.21

On 17 June 2015, he signed a three-year contract as manager for Danish 1st Division club Lyngby.22

On 30 September 2017, he signed a three-year contract as coach for Danish Superliga team AGF.23 In May 2022 Nielsen left AGF by mutual consent.24

On 8 December 2023, Nielsen signed a contract with Kifisia in the Greek Super League for the remaining six months of the season.25 He was dismissed on 29 January 2024, only six weeks after being appointed.26

Nielsen returned as manager of Lyngby on 5 March 2024 on a contract running until the end of the season following the sacking of Magne Hoseth.27

In late August 2024 he was presented as the new manager of Lillestrøm SK, on a contract spanning the rest of 2024. After four league games, Lillestrøm had gathered one point and a goal difference of 2–12, and were bottom of the table.28 Nielsen was sacked in the evening of 30 September.29 The sole point came against Rosenborg, where his son Noah Holm played and scored, according to VG the first time a son scored against his father's team in Norway since 1987.30

Personal life

Nielsen was born in Denmark to a DR Congolese father and a Danish mother.31

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
OB1994–95Danish Superliga8282
1995–961010
Total9292
Lyngby (loan)1995–96Danish Superliga13101310
Fortuna Düsseldorf1996–97Bundesliga13121152
Copenhagen1996–97Danish Superliga141141
1997–9831113111
1998–9930153015
1999–00268268
2000–017171
Total1083610836
Grimsby Town (loan)2000–01First Division17521196
Wimbledon2000–01First Division11200112
2001–0212210132
Total23410244
Norwich City2001–02First Division23830268
2002–0333640376
2003–04201030
Total5814806614
AaB2003–04Danish Superliga24112411
2004–05166166
Total40174017
Midtjylland2004–05Danish Superliga102102
2005–06206206
Total308308
Start2006Tippeligaen13523158
2007821193
Total217342411
OB2007–08Danish Superliga14300143
Strømsgodset (loan)2008Tippeligaen239322611
Brann2009Tippeligaen23422256
201010000100
Total33422356
Fyllingen2011Third Division001010
Career total4021202210424130

Managerial statistics

As of 30 September 2024 Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamNatFromToRecord
MWDLWin%Ref.
Nest-Sotra13 July 201111 November 201372411021056.9432
Strømsgodset7 June 201426 May 20153314514042.4233
Lyngby17 June 201530 September 201792471728051.0934
AGF30 September 201722 May 2022184735160039.6735
Kifisia8 December 202329 January 20247124014.2936
Lyngby5 March 202430 June 202413544038.4637
Lillestrøm23 August 202430 September 20244013000.0038
Total40518190134044.69—

Honours

Player

Copenhagen

Individual

  • Copenhagen Player of the Year: 1999

Manager

Lyngby

Further reading

  • Nielsen, David; Ankersen, Jonas (2008), Sorte svin, Copenhagen: Turbulenz, ISBN 978-87-991918-1-9.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Nielsen (footballer).

References

  1. Larsen, Torben (20 May 1993). "Ingen kan juble så smukt". B.T (in Danish). /wiki/B.T._(tabloid) ↩

  2. Rasmussen, Leif (4 May 1993). "Ob skærer i truppen". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). /wiki/Ekstra_Bladet ↩

  3. Larsen, Torben (20 May 1993). "Ingen kan juble så smukt". B.T (in Danish). /wiki/B.T._(tabloid) ↩

  4. Thye-Petersen, Christian (26 February 1997). "Skiftedag hos FCK". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). /wiki/Jyllands-Posten ↩

  5. Dam, Steffen (12 October 2000). "En ny start for David Nielsen". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). /wiki/Jyllands-Posten ↩

  6. "Norwich 2-1 Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 22 December 2001. Retrieved 13 January 2017. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/1712784.stm ↩

  7. "OB køber Demba-Nyrén" (in Danish). Ob.dk. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009. http://www.ob.dk/?NewsID=16930 ↩

  8. "Sportsklubben Brann – Ekte lidenskap har et navn" (in Norwegian). Brann.no. Retrieved 26 January 2009.[dead link] http://www.brann.no/index.php?valg=nyhet&nyhet=7203 ↩

  9. Pamer, Anders (5 May 2010). "Nielsen legger opp". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Bergen. Archived from the original on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100508205244/http://fotball.bt.no/eliteserien/article168433.ece ↩

  10. Pamer, Anders (7 May 2010). "Lanserer private treninger for barn". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Bergen. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100509020033/http://fotball.bt.no/eliteserien/article168770.ece ↩

  11. "PLANET SOCCER – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 03, 2008". The Irish Times. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/1103/1225523317105.html ↩

  12. "David Nielsen har ikke betalt sin gæld" Archived 24 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine Nordjyske.dk. 26 May 2004 http://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/david-nielsen-har-ikke-betalt-sin-gaeld/df332c9d-b993-4198-a941-e668bd881f7b/112/1513 ↩

  13. "David Nielsen ville tabe med vilje" (in Danish). Jyllands-Posten. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2012. http://spn.dk/fodbold/article1499099.ece ↩

  14. "PLANET SOCCER – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 03, 2008". The Irish Times. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/1103/1225523317105.html ↩

  15. "PLANET SOCCER – The Irish Times – Mon, Nov 03, 2008". The Irish Times. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2008/1103/1225523317105.html ↩

  16. Hansen, Ole Jonny Eriksrud (27 July 2010). "Becchio senket Brann". Nettavisen (in Norwegian). https://www.nettavisen.no/sport/becchio-senket-brann/s/12-95-2952275 ↩

  17. "David Nielsen blir Løv-Ham-trener". www.ba.no. 27 May 2011. https://www.ba.no/sport/fotball/article5619842.ece?ns_campaign=article&ns_mchannel=recommend_button&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=facebook&ns_fee=0 ↩

  18. Svendsen, Roy Hilmar (10 October 2013). "David Nielsen forlater Nest-Sotra". NRK. https://www.nrk.no/hordaland/david-nielsen-forlater-nest-sotra-1.11289333 ↩

  19. "Nielsen er klar for Godset". www.dt.no. 11 November 2013. https://www.dt.no/godset/nielsen-er-klar-for-godset-1.8154103?ns_campaign=article&ns_mchannel=recommend_button&ns_source=facebook&ns_linkname=facebook&ns_fee=0 ↩

  20. "Fast ansatt som hovedtrener". www.godset.no. Strømsgodset Toppfotball. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052738/http://www.godset.no/news/article/s1yxnmtqmt6a1dt9a5ght2wwf/title/fast-ansatt-som-hovedtrener ↩

  21. "David Nielsen fratrer som trener". Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150526212611/http://www.godset.no/news/article/7nhctvid5dxo12hpfuqc98jvs/title/david-nielsen-fratrer-som-trener ↩

  22. "David Nielsen bliver ny cheftræner i Lyngby". Retrieved 17 June 2015. http://www.fyens.dk/sport/David-Nielsen-bliver-ny-cheftraener-i-Lyngby/artikel/2733892 ↩

  23. "Riddersholm fyret - David Nielsen ny cheftræner i AGF". DR (in Danish). 30 September 2017. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170930175031/https://www.dr.dk/sporten/fodbold/superliga/riddersholm-fyret-david-nielsen-ny-cheftraener-i-agf ↩

  24. "AGF SIGER FARVEL TIL DAVID NIELSEN". Retrieved 18 May 2022. https://agf.dk/nyheder/2022/maj/agf-siger-farvel-til-david-nielsen ↩

  25. "O Ντέιβιντ Νίλσεν στην Κηφισιά". Retrieved 8 December 2023. https://kifisiafc.gr/%ce%bd%ce%ad%ce%bf%cf%82-%cf%80%cf%81%ce%bf%cf%80%ce%bf%ce%bd%ce%b7%cf%84%ce%ae%cf%82-%cf%84%ce%b7%cf%82-%ce%ba%ce%b7%cf%86%ce%b9%cf%83%ce%b9%ce%ac%cf%82-%ce%bf-%ce%bd%cf%84%ce%ad%ce%b9%ce%b2%ce%b9/ ↩

  26. Jensen, Kenneth (29 January 2024). "David Nielsen færdig efter seks uger i Grækenland". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Retrieved 29 January 2024. https://www.tipsbladet.dk/nyhed/generelle/breaking-david-nielsen-faerdig-efter-112-maaned ↩

  27. Christensen, Simon Kirkegård (5 March 2024). "Officielt: David Nielsen ny cheftræner i Lyngby". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 5 March 2024. https://bold.dk/fodbold/klubber/lyngby/nyheder/officielt-david-nielsen-ny-cheftraener-i-lyngby ↩

  28. Stenersen, Steffen (30 September 2024). "David Nielsens marerittstart: –⁠ Har ikke noe supersexy svar". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 1 October 2024. https://www.vg.no/sport/i/1MVRWJ/eliteserien-david-nielsen-med-marerittstart-for-lillestroem ↩

  29. Tetlie, Lisa Amdam (30 September 2024). "Dag-Eilev Fagermo tar over Lillestrøm – Nielsen ferdig som hovedtrener". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 1 October 2024. https://www.vg.no/sport/i/mP8VM1/david-nielsen-ferdig-i-lillestroem ↩

  30. Svegaarden, Knut Espen (17 September 2024). "Eliteserie-oppsummering: Den første sønnen som scorer på farens lag siden 1987". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 1 October 2024. https://www.vg.no/sport/i/rPnrel/eliteserie-oppsummering-den-foerste-soennen-som-scorer-paa-farens-lag ↩

  31. "David Nielsen: Jeg var aldrig blevet cheftræner, hvis jeg havde haft en far i mit liv". DR. https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/david-nielsen-jeg-var-aldrig-blevet-cheftraener-hvis-jeg-havde-haft-en-far-i-mit-liv ↩

  32. "Nest-Sotra: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 November 2022. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/norway/nest-sotra-agotnes/10073/ ↩

  33. "Strømsgodset IF: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 November 2022. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/norway/stromsgodset-idrettsforening/1607/ ↩

  34. "Lyngby BK: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 November 2022. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/denmark/lyngby-boldklub/635/ ↩

  35. "Aarhus Gymnastikforening: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 November 2022. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/denmark/agf-aarhus/605/ ↩

  36. "Kifisia FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 December 2023. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/greece/kifisia/25467/ ↩

  37. "Lyngby BK: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 March 2024. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/denmark/lyngby-boldklub/635/ ↩

  38. "Lillestrøm SK: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 October 2024. https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/norway/lillestrom-sportsklubb/1592/ ↩