Allan Simonsen

Allan Rodenkam Simonsen (born 15 December 1952) is a Danish former footballer and manager. He most prominently played as a striker for German Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona in Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.

For the Danish racing driver, see Allan Simonsen (racing driver).

Allan Simonsen
Simonsen in 2012
Personal information
Full name Allan Rodenkam Simonsen
Date of birth (1952-12-15) 15 December 1952
Place of birth Vejle, Denmark
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1972 Vejle BK 42 (16[1])
1972–1979 Borussia Mönchengladbach 178 (76[2])
1979–1982 Barcelona 98 (31[3])
1982–1983 Charlton Athletic 16 (9[3])
1983–1989 Vejle BK 166 (70[1])
Total 500 (202)
International career
1971–1972 Denmark U-21 6 (0[4])
1972–1986 Denmark 55 (20[4])
Managerial career
1991–1994 Vejle BK
1994–2001 Faroe Islands
2001–2004 Luxembourg
2011–2013 Fredericia (General manager)
2013 Fredericia
2014 Vietnam (sporting director)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

For the Denmark national team, Simonsen was capped 55 times, scoring 20 goals. He represented Denmark at the 1972 Summer Olympics, 1984 European Championship and 1986 World Cup tournaments. He was voted into the Danish Football Hall of Fame in November 2008.

Club career

Vejle BK

Born in Vejle, Simonsen started playing football with Vejle FC, before he joined the youth team of local top-flight club Vejle BK (VB) in 1963.[5] He made his senior debut for VB on 24 March 1971 in a 3–1 home win against Karlskoga FF.[6] He won the 1971 and 1972 Danish championship with the club, as well as the 1972 Danish Cup to complete The Double. Following an impressive three goals in six matches at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Simonsen moved to Germany to play professionally for defending German Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Borussia Mönchengladbach
Simonsen with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1976

In his first two seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach, Simonsen had a hard time,[5] as he only played a combined 17 games and scored two goals. However, he was part of the team which won the 1972–73 German Cup trophy. He broke into the starting line-up for the 1974–75 season. He played all 34 games of the season, and scored 18 goals as Mönchengladbach won the Bundesliga championship. Simonsen also scored ten goals in 12 games in the international 1974–75 UEFA Cup competition, including two goals in the 5–1 final victory against FC Twente. In the following season, Simonsen scored 16 goals as Mönchengladbach regained the Bundesliga in the 1975–76 season. He scored four goals in six games of the international 1975–76 European Cup competition, before Mönchengladbach were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Spanish team Real Madrid on the away goals rule.[2]

1977 was the greatest year in Simonsen's career. In the 1976–77 European Cup, Simonsen helped Mönchengladbach to the 1977 European Cup Final against English team Liverpool.[2] In the final, Simonsen scored a memorable goal from a powerful shot to level the game at 1–1, but Mönchengladbach eventually lost 3–1.[5] He was subsequently named the 1977 European Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Danish player to win that award. The race was tight, Simonsen edged past English forward Kevin Keegan by three points and French midfielder Michel Platini by four points to win the prestigious prize. The win was notable in that Simonsen's native Denmark was not among the top footballing nations in the 1970s, leaving little room for him to impress at the international tournaments.[7]

In the following two Bundesliga seasons, Simonsen continued his prolific goalscoring, as Mönchengladbach finished 2nd and 8th respectively. He won another international trophy with Mönchengladbach in 1979, when he scored eight goals in eight games to guide the club to the final games of the 1978–79 UEFA Cup. He scored the deciding goal in the 2–1 1979 UEFA Cup Final win against Red Star Belgrade.[2] Simonsen had been approached by Spanish club FC Barcelona in 1978, but Mönchengladbach refused to let him go. Instead, Simonsen waited for his contract to expire and moved to FC Barcelona in 1979, rejecting offers from Hamburger SV, Juventus, and several Arabian clubs.[8]

Barcelona

Simonsen spent three successful seasons with Barcelona.[5] In his first Barcelona season, Simonsen was the top goal scorer of the team with ten goals in 32 games,[9] as Barcelona finished in fourth place in the 1979–80 La Liga season. The following season saw several new players at Barcelona, and the club won the 1981 Copa del Rey. Simonsen's ten goals saw him as third top goalscorer behind new players Quini (20) and Bernd Schuster (11),[10] as Barcelona finished in fifth place in the 1980–81 La Liga. Simonsen was second goal scorer behind Quini,[11] as the club finished second in the 1981–82 La Liga. He also helped Barcelona reach the final of the continental 1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup competition. In the 2–1 final victory against Standard Liège,[12] Simonsen scored the deciding goal on a header to help Barcelona lift the trophy.[5]

Charlton Athletic

When Barcelona signed Argentinian forward Diego Maradona in 1982, Spanish league restrictions meant Simonsen was to compete with Maradona and Bernd Schuster for only two places allowed for foreign players in each starting line-up. Simonsen saw it as a personal insult, and asked Barcelona for his contract to be annulled.[8] He made a shock move to English Second Division side Charlton Athletic for £300,000 in October 1982.[13] He rejected offers from Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, in order to play for a club with less stress and attention.[8] Despite scoring nine times in 16 appearances, the club had trouble funding his transfer and wages after three months, and he was put up for sale.[13] Simonsen then chose to return to his childhood club VB in 1983.

Return to Vejle BK
Simonsen in a Vejle BK jersey in 2000

He missed the last half of the 1984 season for VB because of an injury he sustained at the 1984 European Championship, but the club managed to win the 1984 Danish championship without him. He returned as a profile of the top-flight Danish 1st Division, but never reached his former form.[5] Simonsen retired from football in 1989 at age 37, and played his last game for VB in November 1989. He played a total 282 games and scored 104 goals, including 208 games and 89 goals in the league, for Vejle Boldklub.[6]

International career

Simonsen debuted for the Danish national team under manager Rudi Strittich in the July 1972 friendly match against Iceland. He scored two goals as Denmark won 5–2, and Simonsen was included in the Danish squad for the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics, he scored three goals in the first three matches to help Denmark advance beyond the first group stage. In the second group stage, Simonsen ran out of steam and he was substituted at half time in two of the last three games as Denmark were eliminated.[4]

He played a crucial part for the Danish national team under manager Sepp Piontek, in Denmark's qualifying campaign for the 1984 European Championship. Denmark trailed England in their qualifying group by a single point with a game in hand before the two teams met at England's home ground Wembley Stadium in September 1983. Simonsen scored one of the most important Danish goals ever in this game, as he converted a penalty kick against English goalkeeper Peter Shilton.[5] The 1–0 win eventually secured the Danish national team qualification for their first international tournament since the 1972 Olympic Games, and the first European Championship participation since the 1964 tournament. It effectively ended England's hopes of qualification for the tournament,[14] as was confirmed by Denmark's later victory against Greece. Simonsen subsequently finished third in the vote for the 1983 European Footballer of the Year award.[15]

The 1984 European Championship main tournament was a short experience for Simonsen, as he broke his leg in a challenge by Yvon Le Roux in Denmark's first match against France.[5] Even without Simonsen, Denmark reached the semi-finals. He was once more a part of the Danish national team at the 1986 World Cup, Denmark's first World Cup participation. He only played a single match at the tournament, coming on as a substitute against West Germany, as younger players had surpassed him. He played a farewell match against Germany in September 1986 before ending his national team career.[4]

Simonsen played a total 55 games for the Danish national team and scored 20 goals, according to the Danish Football Association.[4] However, some sources chose to include Simonsen's appearance in a February 1981 charity match, to tally his national team career as 21 goals in 56 games.[5] The match was Italy vs. Europe for the benefit of the Irpinia earthquake victims. Simonsen started the game, scored a goal, and was substituted at half time as Europe won 3–0.[16]

Managerial career

Following his retirement, Simonsen went on to coach his former club Vejle Boldklub from 1991 to 1994. During his time at the club, VB were relegated from the new top-flight Danish Superliga to the now second-tier Danish 1st Division. He later coached the national teams of the Faroe Islands from 1994 to 2001 and Luxembourg from 2001 to 2004.[5]

In 2011, he became General Manager of the Danish 1st Division team FC Fredericia. When Fredericia sacked manager Thomas Thomasberg on 8 April 2013, Simonsen and Steen Thychosen took charge of the team as caretaker managers.[17] At the end of the 2012–13 season, Simonsen left both his positions at Fredericia.[18]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[3]
Club Season League
DivisionAppsGoals
Borussia Mönchengladbach1972–73Bundesliga80
1973–7492
1974–753418
1975–763416
1976–773412
1977–783117
1978–792811
Total17876
Barcelona1979–80La Liga3210
1980–813310
1981–823311
Total9831
Charlton Athletic1982–83Second Division169
Vejle1983First Division2813
1984136
19853016
19862413
19872513
1988234
1989235
Total16670
Career total458186

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[3][19]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Denmark 197295
197300
197421
197510
197621
197722
197811
197941
198052
198173
198210
198374
198460
198540
198640
Total5520
Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simonsen goal.[4]
List of international goals scored by Allan Simonsen
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
13 July 1972Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland2–25–2Friendly
24–2
327 August 1972Drei Flüsse Stadion, Passau, Germany Brazil1–03–21972 Summer Olympics
43–2
529 August 1972Rosenaustadion, Augsburg, Germany Iran2–04–01972 Summer Olympics
63 September 1974Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Indonesia4–09–0Friendly
723 May 1976Tsirion Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus Cyprus1–15–11978 World Cup qualification
81 May 1977Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Poland1–11–21978 World Cup qualification
915 June 1977Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Sweden2–12–11972–77 Nordic Championship
1020 September 1978Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark England1–23–41980 European Championship qualification
116 June 1979Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Northern Ireland3–04–01980 European Championship qualification
1221 May 1980Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Spain1–12–2Friendly
1319 November 1980Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Luxembourg4–04–01982 World Cup qualification
1415 April 1981Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Romania1–12–1Friendly
1526 August 1981Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Iceland2–03–0Friendly
163–0
171 June 1983Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Hungary3–13–11984 European Championship qualification
1821 September 1983Wembley Stadium, London, UK England1–01–01984 European Championship qualification
1912 October 1983Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark Luxembourg4–06–01984 European Championship qualification
2016 November 1983Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece Greece2–02–01984 European Championship qualification

Managerial statistics

Updated 16 June 2016

Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 1994 2001 52 8 7 37 015.38
Luxembourg Luxembourg[20] 13 February 2002 17 November 2004 27 0 4 23 000.00

Honours

Vejle Boldklub

Borussia Mönchengladbach

Barcelona

Individual

References
  1. Simonsen played a total 208 league games and scored 86 league goals, according to his Vejle Boldklub profile Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. He played 166 league matches and scored 70 league goals from 1983 to 1989, according to National-Football-Teams.com. This leaves 42 league games and 16 goals from 1971 to 1972.
  2. "Allan Simonsen - Trainer". Fussballdaten.
  3. Simonsen, Allan at National-Football-Teams.com
  4. Allan Simonsen – Alle hold (Alle kampe) at Danish Football Association
  5. Allan Simonsen Archived 26 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine at Danish Sports Hall of Fame
  6. "Vejle Boldklub – Topfodbold i Regionen".
  7. (in French) 1977 – ALAN SIMONSEN – UN DANOIS POUR L'HISTOIRE Archived 28 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine, France Football, #1,655, 27 December 1977
  8. Tonny Worm, Farvel til Catalonien, Information, 26 September 2008
  9. F.C. Barcelona – Liga BBVA Squad season 1979–1980 at LFP
  10. F.C. Barcelona – Liga BBVA Squad season 1980–1981 at LFP
  11. F.C. Barcelona – Liga BBVA Squad season 1981–1982 at LFP
  12. James M. Ross, European Cup Winners' Cup 1981–82, RSSSF, 9 January 2008
  13. The transfers that rocked the world: Part IV Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, FourFourTwo, 13 June 2009
  14. Video on YouTube
  15. José Luis Pierrend, European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 1983, RSSSF, 26 March 2005
  16. Maurizio Mariani, Italy – International Matches 1980–1989, RSSSF, 6 June 2002
  17. Fredericia fyrer Thomasberg, bold.dk, 8 April 2013
  18. Allan Simonsen takker af i Fredericia, bold.dk, 20 June 2013
  19. "Denmark - Record International Players". RSSSF.
  20. "List of Luxembourg managers". ProFootball.lu. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  21. "Bundesliga Historie 1974/75" (in German). kicker.
  22. "Bundesliga Historie 1975/76" (in German). kicker.
  23. "Bundesliga Historie 1976/77" (in German). kicker.
  24. Anatolii Skorobahatko (25 August 2015). "Best European footballers by season" (PDF). Ukrainian Football. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 2 June 2017. (ukr.)
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