Lars Olsen
Encyclopedia
Lars Christian Olsen is a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 former professional association football player and manager, who currently coaches Faroe Islands national team
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...

. He started his coaching career with Randers FC
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...

 in 2003, guiding them to promotion for the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...

. He led the team to the 2006 Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...

 trophy, and Olsen was named 2006 Danish Manager of the Year. He then coached Odense Boldklub from 2007 to 2010.

In his active career, Olsen played in the central defense position. He won six Danish championships
Danish football champions
The Danish football champions are the winners of the highest league of football in Denmark. The title has been contested since 1913, in a varying form of competitions. Since 1991, the winners have been found through the Danish Superliga championship...

 with Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...

 and the 1992 Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...

. Olsen played 84 matches and scored four goals for the Denmark national football team
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...

 from 1986 to 1996, and was named 1988 Danish Player of the Year
Danish Player of the Year
The Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best Danish football player by the Danish Football Player Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote amongst the professional Danish footballers....

. He was team captain of the Danish national team in a record 69 matches, and captained the Denmark team that won the 1992 European Championship.

Club career

Born in Glostrup
Glostrup
Glostrup Kommune is a suburban municipality and town in Region Hovedstaden on the island of Zealand approx. 10 km west of Copenhagen in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 13 km², and has a total population of 20,673 . Its Zip code is 2600...

, Olsen started his career at local Danish 3rd Division team Glostrup IF 32 in 1980. He was selected for various national youth teams, and moved to top-flight Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...

 team Køge BK
Køge BK
Køge Boldklub is a Danish football club from Køge, Zealand, they currently compete in the Sjællandsserie.-History:In 1954, the club became the first outside Copenhagen to win the Danish Championship....

 before the 1981 season. He stayed four years at the club, playing 105 games and scoring 11 goals for Køge in the 1st Division. Before the 1985 season
Danish 1st Division 1985
The 1985 Danish 1st Division season was the 40th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....

, he moved to league rivals Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF
Brøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...

. In his first year at the club, he helped secure Brøndby's first Danish championship.

He won both the 1987 and 1988 Danish championships, and following several games as captain of the national team he received the 1988 Danish Player of the Year
Danish Player of the Year
The Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best Danish football player by the Danish Football Player Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote amongst the professional Danish footballers....

 award. Having won the 1989 Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...

 trophy as well as a further two Danish championships, he left Brøndby in 1991.

Olsen moved abroad to play for Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor won six championships in Turkish Super League. The Club won their first Championship title in 1975 which is also the Club's initiation year...

 in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, with whom he won the 1992 Turkish Cup. He moved on to Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 club R.F.C. Seraing
R.F.C. Seraing
R.F.C. Seraing is a Belgian football club from the municipality of Seraing, province of Liège.-History:It was created in 1900 as F.C. Sérésien and it registered to the FA the same year as the matricule n°17. The prefix Royal was added in 1928. The named changed in 1994 to R.F.C...

 in the summer of 1992, before playing for Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 side FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...

 from 1994 to 1996. He moved back to Brøndby in 1996, where he finished his career winning the 1996 Danish championship, now called the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...

. He played his last Brøndby game in November 1996.

International career

Olsen was called-up by Danish national team coach Sepp Piontek in April 1986, and made his national team debut in the 0–3 defeat to Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...

. He played his second national team game in May 1987, and went on to become a constant player in the starting line-up.

He was selected to represent Denmark at the 1988 European Championship
1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...

, where he started the tournament on the bench as Morten Olsen
Morten Olsen
Morten Per Olsen is a Danish football manager and former football player. He has been the head coach of the Danish national team since 2000, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2010 FIFA World Cup...

 was selected team captain and defensive organizer. Lars Olsen came on as a substitute in Denmark's first game, and went on to play the remaining two games, though Denmark were eliminated from the tournament.

In June 1992, he captained the national team of manager Richard Møller Nielsen
Richard Møller Nielsen
Richard Møller Nielsen , nicknamed Ricardo, is a Danish former football player and football manager. His greatest triumph came when he coached the Danish national football team which surprisingly won the 1992 European Championship tournament. In 1995, he was knighted as Knight 1st Degree of the...

 in Denmark's first trophy win at the 1992 European Championship
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...

. While at Basel, he lost his place in the Danish national team in November 1994. He re-entered the Danish national team in April 1996 and Olsen was chosen to help Denmark defend the trophy at the 1996 European Championship
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...

. He did not play any games at the tournament, and he ended his international career in 1996.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from his active career, Olsen coached various teams at Brøndby. He coached the reserve team, he was assistant manager of the first team, and he was youth team coach.

In January 2003, Olsen was signed as manager of Randers FC
Randers FC
Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...

 in the Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...

, the second best league in Danish football. He managed the team into promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 for the 2004–05 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 2004-05
The 2004-05 Danish Superliga season was the 15th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 24, 2004 to the final match on June 19, 2005....

, but the team was relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 after only one year in the Danish top-flight football. He stayed at the club and managed Randers to the 2006 Danish Cup
Danish Cup
The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...

 victory, while the club secured promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 for the 2006–07 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 2006-07
The 2006–07 Danish Superliga season was the 17th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, which determined the winners of the Danish football championship. It was governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 19, 2006 to the final match on May...

. He was named 2006 Danish Manager of the Year.

In January 2007, Olsen announced he was moving to become manager of league rivals Odense Boldklub (OB), effective from July 2007. He managed OB into second place of the 2008–09 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 2008-09
The 2008–09 Danish Superliga was the 19th season of Danish Superliga league championship, which determines the winners of the Danish football championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. The season started on 19 July 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009. The defending champions were Aalborg...

, and was nominated for the 2009 Danish Manager of the Year award. In September 2010 he and OB sports director Kim Brink
Kim Brink
-Coaching career:Kim Brink started as manager of Odense Boldklub, and later managed Ikast fS and F.C. Copenhagen.-OB:He was the Odense Boldklub manager, at the time of the 'Miracle in Madrid', a match between Odense Boldklub and Real Madrid on 6 December 1994 in the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid in...

 was fired due to lacking results.

Honours

Player
  • Danish championship
    Danish football champions
    The Danish football champions are the winners of the highest league of football in Denmark. The title has been contested since 1913, in a varying form of competitions. Since 1991, the winners have been found through the Danish Superliga championship...

     (6): 1985
    Danish 1st Division 1985
    The 1985 Danish 1st Division season was the 40th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....

    , 1987
    Danish 1st Division 1987
    The 1987 Danish 1st Division season was the 42nd season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....

    , 1988
    Danish 1st Division 1988
    The 1988 Danish 1st Division season was the 43rd season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....

    , 1990
    Danish 1st Division 1990
    The 1990 Danish 1st Division season was the 45th season of the Danish 1st Division, and the last in which it was the country's top flight. At the end of the season the new Danish Superliga was formed as the country's new top division....

    , 1991
    Danish Superliga 1991
    The 1991 Danish Superliga season was the 1st season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association.After about 33 years it had been decided to abandon the format where the league would follow the calendar year, therefore the first superliga season was a...

     and 1995–96
    Danish Superliga 1995-96
    The 1995-96 Danish Superliga season was the 6th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association....

  • Danish Player of the Year
    Danish Player of the Year
    The Danish Player of the Year award is an annual prize, which has been given to the best Danish football player by the Danish Football Player Association since 1963. The winner is decided in a vote amongst the professional Danish footballers....

    : 1988
  • Danish Cup
    Danish Cup
    The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...

    : 1989
  • Turkish Cup: 1992
  • 1992 European Championship

Manager
  • Danish Cup
    Danish Cup
    The Danish Cup is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955...

     : 2006

External links

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