Allan Simonsen
Allan Simonsen in 2000
Allan Simonsen (* December 15, 1952 in Vejle, Denmark ) is a Danish former football player and current coach.
Simonsen was one of the first football stars of his country and was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1977. His greatest success, the Dane in the 1970s with Borussia Mönchengladbach and later with FC Barcelona. Still applies Simonsen as one of the best footballers who has ever produced the country.
Later Simonsen worked as coach of Luxembourg and the Faroe Islands.
- 3.1 Title and other success with his teams
- 3.2 Personal Achievements
Career
Association
Early 1960s came Simonsen the club of his hometown, Vejle BK, and was trained there in footballing terms in the youth department. At age 18 he made his debut in March 1971 in the senior team in Denmark's first league and also won the same championship. The following year, the offensive player was already an integral part of the team and took the Jutlanders the "Double" league and cup.
The agile striker, who turned out to be strong in spite of its small body size of only 1.65 m, was awarded in 1972 an appeal in Denmark's Olympic team. At the games in Munich, the team was eliminated in the second round; Simonsen, however, was the most prominent players of Denmark, who came in all six games for use and scored three goals.
Move to the Bundesliga and the breakthrough
One of the observers at the Munich Olympic Stadium ( venue of the Olympic Games in Munich) was Hennes Weisweiler, coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach, who undertook Simonsen virtue of its performance. He took the striker for 200,000 DM detachment to the Bökelberg.
Gladbach's playmaker and captain Günter Netzer had first great doubt as to the accuracy of this obligation, and found: " Whom they blow yet to the Bundesliga. " With this assessment, he was not wrong, because Simonsen had major teething problems with the football in Germany, since he did not get along with the hard style of play in the Bundesliga. In the first two years he came only on 17 appearances (two goals) in the Bundesliga. His transfer appeared to have failed, and it should even be sold again, but found himself no interested. Simonsen worked hard on and was rewarded. The season 1974/75 brought the breakthrough for him: he was used in all 34 games, scoring 18 goals, and formed with Jupp Heynckes ( 27 goals, top scorer ) and Henning Jensen (13 goals) one of the best storm ranks of the league. Mönchengladbach played attractive attacking football, and the " foal " brought the championship. Likewise, Simonsen played in the European Cup on large and led his team with eight goals in the final of the UEFA Cup, where Twente defeated with 0:0 and 5:1 was ( Simonsen two - goals). The next year Gladbach defended (now with Udo Lattek as new coach ) Master Title. With 16 hits Simonsen was the best attacker of his team, and with a goal in the penultimate round at Kickers Offenbach ( 1:1) he secured Gladbach the first place. The Borussia was the mid-1970s the strongest German club team and was Bayern Munich this rank expired. Besides Simonsen played with Jupp Heynckes, Berti Vogts, Uli Stielike and Rainer Bonhof many national players in the team of Borussia.
1977 should Simonsens be the best year: Gladbach took his third championship in a row ( 12 Simonsen - goals) and led his team even reach the final of the European Cup of Champions, where you had to give yourself Liverpool defeated with 1:3 ( Simonsen scored the goal for interim compensation). To top it off he was even elected as the first Dane to European Footballer of the Year. The most famous footballers of Denmark was courted by several European top clubs (including Juventus ), but he remained Gladbach two more years of faithful and stood again in the 1979 UEFA Cup Final. Simonsen had led his team with eight goals in eight games into the finals and was the celebrated hero on the Bökelberg. After a 1-1 draw at Red Star Belgrade enough in the return match in Dusseldorf 1-0, with Simonsen scored the only goal and he reiterated his call to meet in crucial games ever.
Moving to Spain
It was Simonsens last title with Borussia, as he moved for a transfer fee of around 1.3 million DM for FC Barcelona. In his first season (1979 /80) reach him ten hit, and he was the best scorer of the Catalans. The team was reinforced with Bernd Schuster and Quini further and won the 1981 Spanish Cup ( Copa del Rey ). The next year he won under his old coach Udo Lattek the European Cup Winners' Cup and was again the match winner when he scored the equalizer in a 2-1 final win against Standard Liege and prepared the winning goal of Quini. But in the summer was with Argentinian Diego Maradona a third foreigner commits (next Simonsen and Schuster ), which is why Simonsen preferred a change, since only two foreigners were allowed per team.
Charlton Athletic and career finale
Simonsen turned down lucrative offers from Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur and joined Charlton Athletic in early 1983, which only played in the Second Division. He did not want to move to a big club and round off his career in peace.
But in the summer he returned to Denmark after three months back, to where the career of the 31 -year-old superstar had begun, and he joined his old home club Vejle BK. After a serious injury, he won another championship in 1984 Vejle, Simonsen but could not build on its earlier peak condition. With 37 years Simonsen announced in November 1989, the end of his career.
Career in the national team
In July 1972, the 19 -year-old made his debut in the match against Iceland in the Danish national team. In the 5-2 victory, he scored two goals and was henceforth a regular player. However, with the national Simonsen initially had very little success and was able to qualify for any major tournament.
Not until the early 1980s, when the German coach Josef Piontek, formed the numerous Danish soccer players abroad to a quick-witted team came first successes. Allan Simonsen, who was then successful Danish players and great football star in the country, was their captain. It was possible to qualify for a major tournament for the first time: the EURO 1984 in France. This was the beginning of the most successful period of Danish football. Simonsen played as captain of the opening game of the European Championships in Paris against the hosts and eventual champions France. In this game, he collided with his opponent Yves Leroux and broke his leg. From his sickbed he persecuted the performance of the Danish team, which failed to Spain until the semi-finals. This injury initiated the end of his international career.
Although Simonsen drove with the 1986 World Cup in Mexico (first World Cup finals in Denmark ), but, however, the now 33 -year-old was no more than regular players and was substituted only in the third round match against Germany (2-0).
On September 24, 1986, he resigned from the national team when he was replaced twenty minutes past start of the game against Germany.
Career as a coach
After his retirement in 1990 Simonsen moved into management of Vejle BK, where he worked until 1994 and moved to the coach compartment. From 1994 to 2001 he coached the Faroese national football team and from 2002 to 2004 Luxembourg.
In 2011 he became employed initially for two years as Sports Director ( konceptmanager ) in the Danish second division club FC Fredericia.
Achievements
Title and other success with his teams
- Danish Championship: Champion in 1971 and 1984
- Danish Cup: 1972 Cup Winners
- German Championship: Champion 1975, 1976 and 1977
- DFB - Cup: winner 1973
- UEFA Cup: finalist in 1973 and winner in 1975 and 1979
- European Champion Clubs' Cup: Finalist 1977
- European Cup Winners' Cup: Winner 1982
- Spanish Cup: Winner 1981
Personal Achievements
- European Footballer of the Year 1977
- Scorer of the European Cup Winners' Cup 1978/79
- Member of the Hall of Fame of the Danish Sports since 1995
Private
Allan Simonsen lives in Sitges, near Barcelona.