 Madsen withSparta Rotterdam in 1965 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ole Eduard Fischer Madsen | ||
| Date of birth | (1934-12-21)21 December 1934 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Date of death | 26 March 2006(2006-03-26) (aged 71) | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1957 | BK Stefan | ||
| 1958–1965 | Hellerup IK | ||
| 1965–1968 | Sparta Rotterdam | 71 | (22) |
| 1968–1969 | Hellerup IK | ||
| International career | |||
| 1958–1969[1] | Denmark | 50 | (42) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ole Eduard Fischer Madsen (21 December 1934 – 26 March 2006[2]) was a Danish internationalfootballer, who scored 42 goals in 50 matches for theDenmark national team and competed at the1964 European Nations' Cup. He is best remembered for scoring on a heel kick againstSweden in 1965. He played 11 seasons for Danish lower-league clubs, before signing a professional contract for Dutch clubSparta Rotterdam, winning the 1966KNVB Cup with the team.
In 1964, he was namedDanishPlayer of the Year and became the first Dane to receive a vote in theEuropeanFootballer of the Year poll. Ole Madsen was regarded as the most popular Danish footballer sincePauli Jørgensen.
Despite his qualities, Ole Madsen never played in the top-flightDanish championship, but stayed with local lower-league clubs.[3] Madsen made his senior debut with minor league team BK Stefan in 1954.[4] In 1958, he moved toDanish 3rd Division teamHellerup IK (HIK).[4] He helped HIK gainpromotion for theDanish 2nd Division for the 1961 season, where the club stayed for three seasons. For the 1964 season, HIK wasrelegated to the 3rd Division once more.[5]
Despite a low-key club career, Madsen's international performances for theDenmark national team got the attention of European professional clubs. As an amateur player, he was afree agent able to sign with any professional club without the need of atransfer fee. In 1963, a contract with Italian clubAtalanta was hindered by a broken nose and subsequent hospitalization.[6] He was offered a contract by Spanish clubFC Barcelona in 1964, but he turned it down in order to stay an amateur with the Denmark national team and HIK in the Danish 3rd Division.[7] In 1965, Madsen signed a professional contract with Dutch teamSparta Rotterdam, where he enjoyed success.[2] He stayed three seasons with Sparta, with whom he won the 1966KNVB Cup.[8] He scored the only goal, as Sparta beatADO Den Haag 1–0 in the KNVB Cup final.[6] In theEredivisie championship, he scored a total 22 goals in 71 games for Sparta.[4]
When his contract with Sparta ended in 1968, several big clubs were poised to sign Madsen.[6] However, he decided to return to Denmark in 1968, in order to play for HIK in the 3rd Division. He tried, unsuccessfully, to move HIK towards his own, more professional ways.[6] He was forced to end his career with HIK in 1969, following an injury sustained while playing an international game for Denmark.[6]
Within his first year at HIK, Madsen made his debut for theDenmark national team in October 1958. He was not selected for the1960 Summer Olympics, but became a mainstay in the team following that tournament. He was eventually named team captain, and scored six goals in three games againstLuxembourg to help Denmark qualify for the1964 European Nations' Cup.[6] He captained Denmark to a fourth-place finish in the final tournament. That year, Madsen was the first Danish player ever to receive votes in theEuropeanFootballer of the Year poll, getting one point and a shared 19th place.[7] He was subsequently named 1964DanishPlayer of the Year.
On 20 June 1965, Madsen scored an extraordinary goal in an international game against theSweden. The ball fell to him in an inconvenient angle, with himself facing away from goal, but he hit the ball awkwardly with his heel, and it went past Swedish goalkeeperArne Arvidsson for a 1–0 lead. Denmark eventually won the game 2–1, the first Danish victory against their neighbors in 14 years.[9] He was then seen as the most popular Danish footballer sincePauli Jørgensen.[9] When he signed a professional contract in 1965, he was automatically banned from the amateur-only national team.
Following his return to HIK in 1968, Madsen was once more part of the Danish selection. He was the first player to benefit from new rules by theDanish Football Association allowing ex-professionals to re-enter the national team.[7] He was called up for Denmark in May 1969, and scored two goals in seven games, before injuring hiscruciate ligaments in a September 1969 game against theNorway.[8] This was the last international game for Madsen. He ended his career with 42 international goals, the third overall goalscorer for Denmark behindPoul "Tist" Nielsen (52) and Pauli Jørgensen (47). Since then,Jon Dahl Tomasson has also overtaken Madsen.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 October 1958 | Råsunda Stadium,Stockholm, Sweden |  Sweden | 1-1 | 4-4 | 1956–59 Nordic Football Championship | [10] |
| 2 | 4-4 | ||||||
| 3 | 26 June 1959 | Laugardalsvöllur,Reykjavík, Iceland |  Iceland | 2-0 | 4-2 | 1960 Summer Olympics qualification | [11] |
| 4 | 4-1 | ||||||
| 5 | 2 July 1959 | Idrætspark,Copenhagen, Denmark |  Norway | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1960 Summer Olympics qualification | [12] |
| 6 | 28 May 1961 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  East Germany | 1-1 | 1-1 | Friendly | [13] |
| 7 | 18 June 1961 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Sweden | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [14] |
| 8 | 17 September 1961 | Ullevaal Stadion,Oslo, Norway | Norway | 3-0 | 4-0 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [15] |
| 9 | 15 October 1961 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Finland | 4-0 | 9-1 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [16] |
| 10 | 8-0 | ||||||
| 11 | 23 May 1962 | Zentralstadion,Leipzig, Germany | East Germany | 1-1 | 1-4 | Friendly | [17] |
| 12 | 11 June 1962 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Norway | 2-1 | 6-1 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [18] |
| 13 | 3-1 | ||||||
| 14 | 6-1 | ||||||
| 15 | 28 June 1962 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Malta | 1-0 | 6-1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [19] |
| 16 | 2-0 | ||||||
| 17 | 4-0 | ||||||
| 18 | 11 September 1962 | Odense Stadion,Odense, Denmark |  Netherlands Antilles | 3-1 | 3-1 | Friendly | [20] |
| 19 | 16 September 1962 | Olympic Stadium,Helsinki, Finland | Finland | 4-1 | 6-1 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [21] |
| 20 | 6-1 | ||||||
| 21 | 26 September 1962 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Netherlands | 1-0 | 4-1 | Friendly | [22] |
| 22 | 28 October 1962 | Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden | Sweden | 2-1 | 2-4 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [23] |
| 23 | 8 December 1962 | Empire Stadium,Gżira, Malta | Malta | 1-0 | 3-1 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [24] |
| 24 | 12 December 1962 | Mithatpaşa Stadium,Istanbul, Turkey |  Turkey | 1-1 | 1-1 | Friendly | [25] |
| 25 | 29 June 1963 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Albania | 2-0 | 4-0 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [26] |
| 26 | 6 November 1963 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Sweden | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1960–63 Nordic Football Championship | [27] |
| 27 | 4 December 1963 | Stade Municipal,Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 1-1 | 3-3 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [28] |
| 28 | 2-2 | ||||||
| 29 | 3-2 | ||||||
| 30 | 10 December 1963 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Luxembourg | 1-1 | 2-2 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [29] |
| 31 | 2-1 | ||||||
| 32 | 18 December 1963 | Olympic Stadium,Amsterdam, Netherlands | Luxembourg | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1964 European Nations' Cup qualification | [30] |
| 33 | 11 October 1964 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Norway | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1964–67 Nordic Football Championship | [31] |
| 34 | 2-0 | ||||||
| 35 | 21 October 1964 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Wales | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification | [32] |
| 36 | 29 November 1964 | Spyros Louis Stadium,Athens, Greece |  Greece | 2-2 | 2-4 | 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification | [33] |
| 37 | 9 June 1965 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Finland | 2-1 | 3-1 | 1964–67 Nordic Football Championship | [34] |
| 38 | 3-1 | ||||||
| 39 | 20 June 1965 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark | Sweden | 1-0 | 2-1 | 1964–67 Nordic Football Championship | [35] |
| 40 | 5 July 1965 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland | Iceland | 1-0 | 3-1 | Friendly | [36] |
| 41 | 6 May 1969 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Mexico | 2-1 | 3-1 | Friendly | [37] |
| 42 | 15 June 1969 | Idrætspark, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Hungary | 3-2 | 3-2 | 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification | [38] |
At 1.71 m of height,[6] Madsen was a short, exceptionally faststriker with immense fighting spirit, and a knack for physical infighting. He had a selfish streak to his game, and would rarely pass the ball to his teammates. This was a source of his extraordinary goalscoring talent, but would sometimes frustrate his teammates.[9]
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