Ken Ilsø

Ken Ilsø Larsen (born 2 December 1986) is a Danish former[3] professional footballer[4][5][6][7][8] who last played for Adelaide United in the A-League. He has previously represented Denmark at U19, U20 and U21 levels. Ilsø is also currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law at the University of Southern Denmark.[9]

Ken Ilsø
Ilsø training with Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2012
Personal information
Full name Ken Ilsø Larsen[1]
Date of birth (1986-12-02) 2 December 1986
Place of birth Solrød Strand, Denmark
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, Striker
Youth career
BK Pioneren
BK Friheden
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
0000–2004 Boldklubben Frem
2004–2007 SC Heerenveen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2008 SC Heerenveen 1 (0)
2006–2007 → FC Zwolle (loan) 4 (1)
2008–2009 SønderjyskE 32 (9)
2009–2011 FC Midtjylland 39 (10)
2010–2011 → Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) 16 (7)
2011–2013 Fortuna Düsseldorf 55 (12)
2013–2014 VfL Bochum 16 (2)
2013–2014 VfL Bochum II 3 (2)
2014–2015 Guangzhou R&F 10 (2)
2015–2016 Home United 41 (30)
2017 Kedah 18 (15)
2018 Penang 6 (3)
2018–2019 Adelaide United 19 (3)
International career‡
Denmark U19 3 (0)
2006 Denmark U20 1 (0)
2008 Denmark U21 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 March 2019
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 03:33, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

Youth career

Born in Copenhagen, Ilsø started his footballing career at local amateur club BK Pioneren. He subsequently was joined by his brother Marco Ilsø, playing for several youth teams in Copenhagen. In 2004, he was signed as a youth player by Dutch side SC Heerenveen, after being labelled as one of Denmark's finest talents. On 16 April 2006, he made his senior team debut for SC Heerenveen, also his only senior appearance with the club, in an Eredivisie match against AZ Alkmaar as a 75th-minute substitute for teammate Arnold Bruggink.

Club career

SC Heerenveen

Following his first-team debut with SC Heerenveen, Ilsø never managed to make another senior team appearance for the rest of his time at the club. He had a brief loan spell with FC Zwolle on-loan from SC Heerenveen, but did not make a single appearance for the Dutch club.

SønderjyskE

Unable to break into the first-team plans of SC Heerenveen, Ilsø returned in 2007 to Denmark, and joined local club SønderjyskE.[10] He had a more successful spell with SønderjyskE, scoring 12 goals in 52 league matches for a side that was threatened by relegation.[11]

FC Midtjylland

In summer 2009, Ilsø was signed by FC Midtjylland,[12] who ended in the fourth spot of the Superliga the prior season. Ilsø quickly became an important player for FC Midtjylland. For instance, in the 2010–11 season opener against Silkeborg IF, Ilsø scored the decisive goal to earn a win for the club .[13]

Fortuna Düsseldorf

Following his performance with FC Midtjylland, Ilsø joined 2. Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf on-loan in the 2010 winter transfer window. Fortuna Düsseldorf subsequently signed him permanently in the following year's summer transfer window, for a reported fee of €300,000.[14]

On 15 December 2012, in a Bundesliga match against Hannover 96, Ilsø played an integral role by scoring the decisive goal for Fortuna Düsseldorf to end the tie in a 2–1 victory.[15] By the end of the Bundesliga 2012–13 season, Fortuna Düsseldorf was in the 17th place, and had to face Hertha BSC in the relegation play-off. Across both legs of the play-off, Ilsø assisted twice, once in each leg, but could not prevent Fortuna Düsseldorf from being relegated back to 2. Bundesliga after a single season in the top flight as the aggregate score of the play-off ended in a 3–4 loss.[16]

VfL Bochum

In the summer 2013 transfer window, a transfer deal was agreed, with Ilsø joining VfL Bochum from Fortuna Düsseldorf.[17] Apart from playing for VfL Bochum's first team, Ilsø also made a single appearance for the club's reserve team, VfL Bochum II, in a Regionalliga West match against Sportfreunde Siegen.

Guangzhou R&F

In February 2014, Ilsø joined Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F, but he left the club after only three months due to a reduction in his playing time.[18]

Home United

In January 2015, Ilsø signed a contract with Home United to play for the remainder of the season. Before he signed the contract, he attracted the interest of several clubs from his home country, as well as from Thailand, but Ilsø wanted to embark on an adventure far away from home. Ilsø ultimately decided to sign for Home United as he was impressed by the club's youth development philosophy.[19]

Ilsø scored his first competitive goal for Home United just 23 minutes into his S.League debut.[20] Ilsø scored his second goal for Home United in his second match, finding the back of the net from the spot.[21] He continued his goalscoring start to the season by scoring his 3rd goal in the 3rd game of the season. He also laid on an assist for teammate Sirina Camara to secure his team's first win of the season over Tampines Rovers.[22] Ilsø notched his 4th of the season in his 4th consecutive league match for Home United, scoring the first goal of a 2–2 draw against Brunei DPMM.[23]

On 23 December 2015, it was confirmed by Home United that Ilsø will be staying with the club to participate in the 2016 S.League season.[24]

Home United coach, Philippe Aw, was chosen to manage the Singapore Selection side for the 2016 Sultan of Selangor Cup. Ilsø was selected in the 18-man squad for the cup tie that took place at the Shah Alam Stadium on 7 May 2016. Ilsø featured for the entirety of the match which eventually ended 1–1 (3–4 on penalties) in a win for the Singapore Selection team.[25]

In a S.League fixture against reigning champions Brunei DPMM, Ilsø scored 2 of Home United's 5 goals in an eventual 5–0 win, bringing his personal tally to a total of 6 goals in his last 5 competitive games.[26] The win also represented Home United's fourth successive win in the S.League, last achieved by the club in the 2013 S.League season.[27] Ilsø went on to extend his goal scoring streak to a record 8 goals in his last 7 league games after netting once each in S.League fixtures against Young Lions on 11 June 2016 and Albirex Niigata (S) on 18 June 2016.

On 22 November 2016, it was announced that Ilsø will not extend his stay at Home United beyond the 2016 S.League season, despite being offered a contract extension.[28]

Kedah FA

Following speculation after his rejection of a contract renewal with Home United, Ilsø was confirmed to be on trial with the 2016 Malaysia Cup champions, Kedah FA, on 27 December 2016.[29] It was later officially announced on 3 January 2017 that Ilsø had signed a one-year contract with the club to play for the entirety of the 2017 Malaysia Super League season, after impressing head coach Tan Cheng Hoe during the trial.[30] Ilsø joins Kedah FA as the club's third foreign signing, linking up with Liridon Krasniqi of Kosovo, and Sandro da Silva Mendonça of Brazil.[31]

Penang FA

On 16 January 2018, Ilsø signed a one-year contract with Malaysia Premier League side Penang.[32] He terminated his contract with Penang by mutual consent on 18 May 2018.[33] Ilso claimed that Penang have not paid him for three months from February 2018 and he will take the case to FIFA through the Denmark FA if he is not paid soon.[34]

Adelaide United

On 6 July 2018, Ilsø signed a one-year deal with Australian A-League club Adelaide United. [35] Ilsø made his debut in a friendly match against National Premier League side Para Hills Knights where he earned an assist in a 2–0 victory on 10 July 2018.[36] Ilsø was suspended by Football Federation Australia (FFA) under its National Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for cocaine.[37] On 18 October 2019, FFA suspended Ilsø for 2 years after testing positive for Benzoylecgonine (metabolite of Cocaine).[38] Shortly after this, Ilsø announced his immediate retirement from professional football.[3]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[39][40]
Club Season League Domestic Cup Regional Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
SC Heerenveen 2005–06 Eredivisie 1000001[lower-alpha 1]010
2006–07 0000000000
2007–08 0000000000
Total 1000000010
FC Zwolle (loan) 2006–07 Eredivisie 0000——00
SønderjyskE 2008–09 Superliga 28910——299
2009–10 4000——40
Total 32910——339
FC Midtjylland 2009–10 Superliga 25641——297
2010–11 14411——155
Total 391052——4412
Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) 2010–11 2.Bundesliga 16700——167
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2011–12 2. Bundesliga 28400——284
2012–13 Bundesliga 27220——292
Total 711320——7313
VfL Bochum 2013–14 2.Bundesliga 16210——172
VfL Bochum II 2013–14 Regionalliga West 1000——10
Guangzhou R&F 2014 Chinese Super League 10200——102
Home United 2015 S.League 19115210—2513
2016 22193222—2723
Total 41308432—5236
Kedah 2017 Malaysia Super League 18157585—3325
Penang 2018 Malaysia Premier League 630000—63
Adelaide United 2018–19 A-League 1935000—243
Career total 2298124111171026599
  1. Appearance in UEFA Cup play-offs

Honours

FC Midtjylland

Home United

Kedah FA

Adelaide United

References
  1. "Profile" (in Danish). FC Midtjylland. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. "Ken Ilsø" (in Danish). Tipsbladet. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. "Danish footballer quits game after getting two-year drugs ban". www.thelocal.dk. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  4. "Ken Ilsø" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  5. "Ken Ilsø Larsen" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  6. "Ken Ilsö" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  7. "Ilsö, Ken" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  8. "Ilsö verlässt den VfL" [Ilsø leaves the VfL] (in German). VfL Bochum. 13 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  9. BOLA, Semuanya. "Ken Ilso: Penyerang Kedah Yang Sedang Kejar Ijazah Perundangan". Semuanya BOLA. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  10. "Heerenveens Larsen terug naar Denemarken" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2007.
  11. Carlskov, Thor (30 November 2008). "Ken Ilsø bankede Horsens i bund". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  12. "Ken Ilsø skifter til FC Midtjylland" (in Danish). Sporten.dk. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  13. "Ilsø straffede Silkeborg" (in Danish). Sporten.dk. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  14. Bernd Jolitz, Von. "Karlsruhe: Ilsø trifft für Fortuna zum 2:2". RP Online. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  15. "Fortuna edge out Hannover | Football News | Sky Sports". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. Christian Paul, Von. "Fortuna Düsseldorf gegen Hertha BSC: Chaos bei Relegation – SPIEGEL ONLINE". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. "Bochum holt Ilsö und Zahirovic" [Bochum signs Ilsø and Zahirovic] (in German)". DFL. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  18. "Ken Ilsø er færdig i Kina" (in Danish). DR. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  19. "From the Bundesliga to the S.League – How Ken Ilsø's wanderlust led him Home". fourfourtwo. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  20. "S.League: Home United hoping to find form against Salim's Hougang". ESPNFC.
  21. "Report: Hougang Extend Unbeaten Streak Against Home". S.League. 7 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  22. Shawn, Lim (13 March 2015). "Aw Pleased With First Win of the Season". S.League. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  23. Dwyane, James (21 March 2015). "Ramdani Late Equaliser Deny DPMM Victory". S.League. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  24. Lim, Shawn. "S.League.com – Protectors Retain Key Players". S.League.com. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  25. Tan, Kenneth (8 May 2016). "Singapore win Sultan of Selangor Cup on pens – ESPN FC". ESPN FC. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  26. Lee, David (20 May 2016). "Home run over champs DPMM | The New Paper". The New Paper. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  27. Teo, Teng Kiat (19 May 2016). "Home United vs Brunei DPMM: Protectors eye fourth straight win | FourFourTwo". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 24 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  28. "S.League Player of the Year nominee Ilso leaves Home United". FourFourTwo. 22 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  29. Anil, Nicolas (27 December 2016). "Ken Ilso turns back on S.League to join Kedah in Malaysia". ESPN FC. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  30. Anil, Nicolas (3 January 2017). "Ken Ilso set for Kedah move after impressing coach Tan Cheng Hoe". ESPN FC. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  31. Ismail, Oleh Izzali (3 January 2017). "Ilso Larsen kini sah milik Kedah". Berita Harian. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  32. "Bakal presiden faktor Ken Ilso ke Pulau Pinang". Sinar Harian. 16 January 2018.
  33. "TRANSFER: PKNS make mid-season capture from Kelantan, who announce new import". Goal.com. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  34. Aziman Rosdi (29 May 2018). "Ilso may file a complaint against Penang to Fifa". New Straits Times.
  35. "Adelaide United land 'versatile' Danish forward". FourFourTwo. 6 July 2018.
  36. "Reds run-out 0-2 winners over Para Hills". Adelaide United. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
  37. "Adelaide United player suspended after testing positive for cocaine". 7NEWS.com.au. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  38. "FFA Media Release: Ken Ilso Larsen". Hyundai A-League. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  39. "Denmark – K. Ilsø – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  40. "Ken Ilsø » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.