Martin Jørgensen
Encyclopedia
Lars Martin Jørgensen (born October 6, 1975), more commonly known as Martin Jørgensen, is a Danish
professional football
player, who currently plays for Danish
club AGF Aarhus. Jørgensen has played 101 matches and scored 12 goals for the Denmark national football team
. He is the only player that has represented Denmark at three FIFA World Cup
s. He has also played at two European Championship
tournaments. After Denmark's elimination from the 2010 World Cup, Jørgensen announced his retirement from the national team. As he was close to reach his anniversary match no.100 for the national team, the coach Morten Olsen
however decided to call him up for one last farewell match, in November 2010. After a brief retirement, he returned to the national team as he was called up for the Euro 2012 qualifying match against Norway
on 6 September 2011.
He is the older brother of retired Danish football player Mads Jørgensen
.
as a youngster. Jørgensen's footballing talent was recognized as he was chosen to represent various Danish youth national teams from 1991 onward. He made his senior debut for AGF in 1993, and was a part of the GF team that won the 1996 Danish Cup
trophy. He was named 1996 Danish under-21 Player of the Year, and eventually set a record of 31 games for the Danish under-21 national team
, scoring 9 goals.
His contract with AGF had a release clause permitting Jørgensen to leave the club on a free transfer in April 1997. He moved to Italy, to play alongside fellow Dane Thomas Helveg
at Udinese Calcio
in the Serie A
championship. He helped Udinese finish third in the 1997–98 season
, and made his debut for the senior Danish national team in March 1998 against Scotland, under national team coach Bo Johansson. He was chosen to represent Denmark at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
, where he got his international breakthrough. He took part in all five Denmark matches at the tournament and scored the opening goal in the 2–3 quarter-final defeat to eventual runners-up Brazil
.
Jørgensen was called up by Johansson to compete for Denmark at the 2000 European Championship
, despite being injured. The tournament was no success for Jørgensen, who played a single game as Denmark were eliminated in the preliminary group stage. He made his second World Cup appearance, under new coach Morten Olsen
, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. He played in Denmark's three group stage matches, before suffering an injury which kept him from playing the 2nd round where Denmark were eliminated. At the 2004 European Championship
, Jørgensen played in all Denmark's four matches before elimination.
After spending seven years at Udinese, Jørgensen moved to league rivals ACF Fiorentina
in August 2004, when Fiorentina bought half of Jørgensen's transfer fee rights.
Jørgensen has proven to be a key asset to Fiorentinas attack and beloved by the fans. He is an attacking midfielder right behind the two strikers and during the 2007–2008 season also served as a right back for a majority of the season. He scored 2 goals in the UEFA Cup against Elfsborg and was a key part of the 3–2 victory over Juventus on March 2, 2008. His 2008–2009 season was plagued by an early onset of muscular injuries that left him out of the team until February 2009. He has stated that once his time in Florence finishes he would like to return to Aarhus before he retires. Despite a difficult season, he signed a contract extension to remain in Florence until June 2010. In the 2008–2009 season, Jørgensen scored a crucial 90th minute equalizer against Lecce which gifted Fiorentina the fourth and final Champions League slot.
On December 9, 2009 Jørgensen scored the first goal in Fiorentina's 2–1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, his first career goal in the Champions League, after receiving a nice pass from Alberto Gilardino on a counterattack. Fiorentina claimed top spot in the group with this win, having already eliminated Liverpool a fortnight prior.
On the second last day of the transfer window, January 31, 2010, Jørgensen returned to his childhood club, Danish
AGF Aarhus for undisclosed fee. He originally had 6 months contract left with La viola.
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...
professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, who currently plays for 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...
club AGF Aarhus. Jørgensen has played 101 matches and scored 12 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...
. He is the only player that has represented Denmark at three FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s. He has also played at two European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
tournaments. After Denmark's elimination from the 2010 World Cup, Jørgensen announced his retirement from the national team. As he was close to reach his anniversary match no.100 for the national team, the coach 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...
however decided to call him up for one last farewell match, in November 2010. After a brief retirement, he returned to the national team as he was called up for the Euro 2012 qualifying match against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
on 6 September 2011.
He is the older brother of retired Danish football player Mads Jørgensen
Mads Jørgensen
Lars "Mads" Jørgensen is a Danish former professional football player, who played as an attacking midfielder and won two Danish Superliga championships and two Danish Cup trophies with Brøndby IF. He started his career with AGF Aarhus, before moving to Brøndby, and abroad to play for A.C. Ancona...
.
Biography
Born in Ryomgaard at Djursland he began his club career at the local club IF Midtdjurs. Jørgensen moved to AGF AarhusAarhus Gymnastik Forening
Aarhus Gymnastikforening is one of the oldest sport clubs in Denmark. AGF participates in a variety of activities in both individual and team sports. AGF is best known for its football team which has the longest streak in the Danish top division and also holds the record for most number of cup wins...
as a youngster. Jørgensen's footballing talent was recognized as he was chosen to represent various Danish youth national teams from 1991 onward. He made his senior debut for AGF in 1993, and was a part of the GF team that won the 1996 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. He was named 1996 Danish under-21 Player of the Year, and eventually set a record of 31 games for the Danish under-21 national team
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
, scoring 9 goals.
His contract with AGF had a release clause permitting Jørgensen to leave the club on a free transfer in April 1997. He moved to Italy, to play alongside fellow Dane Thomas Helveg
Thomas Helveg
Thomas Lund Helveg is a former Danish professional Association football player who played as a defensive midfielder and defender for Odense Boldklub in the Danish Superliga, with whom he won the 1989 Danish championship...
at Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
in the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championship. He helped Udinese finish third in the 1997–98 season
Serie A 1997-98
Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the...
, and made his debut for the senior Danish national team in March 1998 against Scotland, under national team coach Bo Johansson. He was chosen to represent Denmark at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, where he got his international breakthrough. He took part in all five Denmark matches at the tournament and scored the opening goal in the 2–3 quarter-final defeat to eventual runners-up Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
Jørgensen was called up by Johansson to compete for Denmark at the 2000 European Championship
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
, despite being injured. The tournament was no success for Jørgensen, who played a single game as Denmark were eliminated in the preliminary group stage. He made his second World Cup appearance, under new coach 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...
, at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. He played in Denmark's three group stage matches, before suffering an injury which kept him from playing the 2nd round where Denmark were eliminated. At the 2004 European Championship
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
, Jørgensen played in all Denmark's four matches before elimination.
After spending seven years at Udinese, Jørgensen moved to league rivals ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
in August 2004, when Fiorentina bought half of Jørgensen's transfer fee rights.
Jørgensen has proven to be a key asset to Fiorentinas attack and beloved by the fans. He is an attacking midfielder right behind the two strikers and during the 2007–2008 season also served as a right back for a majority of the season. He scored 2 goals in the UEFA Cup against Elfsborg and was a key part of the 3–2 victory over Juventus on March 2, 2008. His 2008–2009 season was plagued by an early onset of muscular injuries that left him out of the team until February 2009. He has stated that once his time in Florence finishes he would like to return to Aarhus before he retires. Despite a difficult season, he signed a contract extension to remain in Florence until June 2010. In the 2008–2009 season, Jørgensen scored a crucial 90th minute equalizer against Lecce which gifted Fiorentina the fourth and final Champions League slot.
On December 9, 2009 Jørgensen scored the first goal in Fiorentina's 2–1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, his first career goal in the Champions League, after receiving a nice pass from Alberto Gilardino on a counterattack. Fiorentina claimed top spot in the group with this win, having already eliminated Liverpool a fortnight prior.
On the second last day of the transfer window, January 31, 2010, Jørgensen returned to his childhood club, 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...
AGF Aarhus for undisclosed fee. He originally had 6 months contract left with La viola.
International goals
- Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 July 1998 | Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
1–0 | 2–3 | 1998 FIFA World Cup 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 2 | 8 September 1999 | Napoli, Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
1–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 3 | 13 November 1999 | Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with... , Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
4–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2000 Qual. 2000 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2000 final tournament, took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups. All teams played against each other, within their groups, in a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for... |
|
| 4 | 10 November 2001 | Copenhagen Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... , Denmark 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... |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly match | |
| 5 | 11 October 2003 | Sarajevo Sarajevo Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans.... , Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the... |
1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. 2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Qualification for the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship took place between September 2002 and November 2003.Fifty teams were divided into ten groups, with each team playing the others in their group twice, once at home and once away... |
|
| 6 | 16 November 2003 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
1–1 | 3–2 | Friendly match | |
| 7 | 16 November 2003 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly match | |
| 8 | 18 February 2004 | Adana Adana Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia... , 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... |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly match | |
| 9 | 4 September 2004 | Copenhagen Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... , Denmark 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... |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 10 | 9 October 2004 | Tirana Tirana Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over... , Albania Albania Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea... |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 11 | 8 June 2005 | Copenhagen Copenhagen Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region... , Denmark 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... |
3–0 | 3–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. | |
| 12 | 1 September 2006 | Brøndby Brøndby Brøndby Kommune is a municipality in the former Copenhagen County on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 21 km², and has a total population of 33,831... , Denmark 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... |
3–2 | 4–2 | Friendly match |
Honours
- 1996 Danish CupDanish CupThe 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...
- 1996 Danish under-21 Player of the Year