Jesper Olsen
![]() Olsen in July 1981 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 20 March 1961 | ||
Place of birth | Faxe, Denmark | ||
Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
Position(s) | Left winger | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1977–1981 |
Næstved | 72 | (15) |
1981–1984 | Ajax | 85 | (23) |
1984–1988 | Manchester United | 149 | (24) |
1988 |
Næstved | 2 | (1) |
1989–1990 | Bordeaux | 54 | (3) |
1990–1992 |
Caen | 58 | (0) |
Total | 402 | (59) | |
International career | |||
1980–1990 | Denmark | 43 | (5) |
Managerial career | |||
2010–2011 |
Melbourne Heart (assistant) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Jesper Olsen (born 20 March 1961) is a Danish former professional
Career
Næstved IF
He started his senior career for
Ajax
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Jesper_Olsen_%28l%29_omspeelt_Peter_van_de_Ven%2C_Bestanddeelnr_932-7816.jpg/220px-Jesper_Olsen_%28l%29_omspeelt_Peter_van_de_Ven%2C_Bestanddeelnr_932-7816.jpg)
While playing for Ajax, Olsen became well known for his part in the infamous "passed penalty" routine he performed with Johan Cruyff.[1] When Cruyff was awarded a penalty kick in a Dutch Eredivisie league match against Helmond Sport on 5 December 1982, with Ajax leading 1–0, Cruyff passed the ball sideways to Olsen, who returned it to Cruyff, with the Dutchman then slotting the ball past the bemused goalkeeper to make the score 2–0. It was allowed by the referee because the penalty is a direct free kick, so it can also be taken indirectly.
During his stay with Ajax, Olsen earned the nickname De Vlo (The Flea) due to his posture and his ability to twist, turn and jump to avoid tackles. He was also called "The Untouchable". The Ajax coach in the 1981–82 season, Kurt Linder, regarded him the most surprisingly talented player in the young Ajax squad, both technically and tactically phenomenal.
Olsen won the 1981–82 Eredivisie championship in his first season at the club (117 goals for and 42 goals against). The next season, 1982–83, Ajax successfully defended the Eredivisie title, and also won the
Manchester United
Olsen moved from Ajax to England in July 1984, joining Manchester United for a fee of £350,000, signed by manager
He collected an
Atkinson signed winger Peter Barnes for United at the start of the 1985–86 season, who provided cover on the left wing when Olsen was out of action with injury, but after Olsen regained his fitness and form, Barnes was sold to Manchester City in January 1987.
Already an established member of the Danish national team, he was called up to the Danish squad for the 1986 World Cup, and scored two goals in the three preliminary group stage matches, but he will always be remembered for making a grave mistake in the round of 16 match against Spain. He gave Denmark the lead on a penalty kick, but just before half-time he collected a ball from goalkeeper Lars Høgh. When he tried to return the ball to Høgh, his pass ended up straight in front of Emilio Butragueño instead. The Spanish striker levelled the game, and eventually went on to score four goals in the game that Denmark lost 5–1. Consequently, the term en rigtig Jesper Olsen (a real Jesper Olsen) entered the Danish lexicon.[5]
During October 1986, Olsen had a training ground bust-up with midfield colleague
Through his later years at Old Trafford, Olsen had a hard time adapting to the changing English game, and saw his footballing development stagnate.[7] He was selected for the Denmark team at the Euro 1988, but did not play any games at the tournament.
Bordeaux and Caen
Olsen's Manchester United career ended in the 1988–89 season, and he transferred to Bordeaux of France for £400,000 in November 1988. In his final full season at Old Trafford, United had finished runners-up to Liverpool in the league. His final United goal had come on 12 December 1987 in a 3–1 home win over Oxford United.[8]
In 1990, he left Bordeaux to play as a wingback for
Retirement
Olsen has maintained a low profile since his retirement as a player, and now lives in Brighton, Victoria, Australia.[10] In 2003, he founded and commenced operating the Fun Football Group in Australia.[11]
He was admitted to hospital on 4 May 2006 after suffering a subarachnoid haemorrhage.[12] He had just returned from jogging, when he first felt the effects of the haemorrhage, and said, "It was frightening to feel the loss of control".
After recovering from the haemorrhage, Olsen visited Australia coach Guus Hiddink at the Australian World Cup preparation camp in Melbourne. Olsen was acquainted with Hiddink through his friends Søren Lerby and Frank Arnesen. "I'm doing well, but it was a quite scary experience", Olsen told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The newspaper described Jesper Olsen as looking somewhat fatigued, but otherwise appearing as his usual self. [citation needed]
In 2011 the Fun Football Group became a part of the Football Star Academy,[13] of which Olsen was appointed as Director of coaching. He oversees the Elite training program, and passes on his worldly knowledge and experiences to new budding football stars.
Football Star Academy was instrumental in
Managerial career
From January 2010 to May 2011, Olsen was one of the Assistant Managers of
Honours
Ajax
Manchester United
- 1984–85
References
- ^ "Ajax - de 'extra's' van Cruijff". Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ "Manchester United Results 1985-86, Division One, FA Cup, League Cup". Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "Jesper Olsen - RedCafe.net". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ Murray, Scott (27 November 2008). "Football: Scott Murray on the absorbing 1985–86 season". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Bryant, Tom (31 October 2007). "The Knowledge: The footballers who have moves named after them". London: Guardian Unlimited (Football). Retrieved 21 November 2007.
- ^ "New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ Kim Simmelsgaard, "Så bli'r Olsen englænder", B.T., 20 October 1991
- ^ "Manchester United Results 1987-88, Division One, FA Cup, League Cup". Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
- ^ "Så er det slut med Jesper Olsen", Politiken, 4 July 1992
- ^ "Danish soccer star Jesper Olsen, who played in the 1986 World Cup, will be at Werribee Plaza this weekend".
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Olsen suffers brain haemorrhage, BBC Sport, 9 May 2006
- ^ "Football Star Academy - FSA - Soccer schools In Australia".
- ^ "Olsen and Milicic unveiled as Melbourne Heart's assistants | Australi…". Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
External links
- Jesper Olsen national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- Jesper Olsen at National-Football-Teams.com