 Nielsen in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1937-08-19)19 August 1937 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Store Ubberud,Odense, Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 13 February 2014(2014-02-13) (aged 76) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Odense, Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1955–1962 | Odense BK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959–1961 | Denmark | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1962–1964 | Brobyværk IF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1968 | Odense BK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968–1969 | Esbjerg fB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1974 | Svendborg fB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1975 | B 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1975–1985 | Odense BK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1989 | Denmark U21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | Denmark (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Denmark (futsal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1996 | Denmark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Israel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Kolding FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richard Møller Nielsen (19 August 1937 – 13 February 2014) was aDanishfootball player andmanager. He coached theDenmark national football team that won theUEFA Euro 1992 tournament. In 1995, he was awarded a gold version of theMedal of Merit. He was the father ofTommy Møller Nielsen.
Nielsen was mostly known for his career as a football coach, but he played forOdense BK, and was capped twice for Denmark as a defender. An injury ended his career.
Nielsen coached, among others,Esbjerg fB, Odense BK and the Danish national youth team under head coachSepp Piontek. In 1990 Piontek left his position as national coach, and replacement was required. Nielsen was mentioned early in the race for the job, but theDanish Football Association decided to look abroad for a new coach. They selected GermanHorst Wohlers as the new Danish coach, but he was unable to cancel his contract with German clubBayer Uerdingen,[1] so Nielsen was appointed.[citation needed]
The first aim for Nielsen was to qualify for theEuro 1992 in Sweden. Denmark started out with a secure home victory against theFaroe Islands, followed by an away draw against Northern Ireland and a 2–0 home loss against Yugoslavia. Several players left the squad includingMichael Laudrup,Brian Laudrup andJan Heintze, and several newspapers were demanding that Richard Møller Nielsen step down. Despite the criticism, the team won the rest of their games in the group, including a 2–1 away win against Yugoslavia. It was, however, not enough to qualify. The Danish team finished second in the group just behind Yugoslavia.
However,UEFA bannedYugoslavia from participating in the championship as a result of theYugoslav wars, and Denmark was chosen as the replacement because the team had finished second behind Yugoslavia in the qualification group. The Danish team started out with a 0–0 againstEngland and a defeat against hostsSweden. A 2–1 win againstFrance ensured Denmark a place in the semifinals. The defending European champions,The Netherlands, were the next opponent. The match finished 2–2 in regular time and with a 5–4 win in the penalty shoot-out, Denmark secured a place in the final against reigning world championsGermany. Denmark won the final 2–0, becoming the highlight of Nielsen's coaching career; he went on to win the "World Manager of the Year" awarded byWorld Soccer.[2]
Denmark started the World Cup qualification for the1994 FIFA World Cup with three 0–0 draws, before winning 1–0 against Northern Ireland in Belfast. On 25 August 1993, Michael Laudrup made a comeback in a 4–0 victory home against Lithuania after having reconciled with Nielsen. The comeback of Denmark's most renowned player at the time was not enough to secure a qualification. Laudrup never achieved the same success under Nielsen as he had enjoyed during the 1980s with Piontek as coach andPreben Elkjær next to him in the attack. The last game of the qualification was away against Spain inSeville, and the home team won 1–0, even though the Danes had been playing 11 against 10 for most of the game.
Nielsen could, however, again secure a trophy for Denmark when they participated in theConfederations Cup in 1995. This time the Danish team beat Argentina 2–0 in the final. Nielsen had several players from the nationalDanish league in his squad, with players likePeter Schmeichel missing due to obligations withManchester United.
The Danish team qualified for theEuro 1996 tournament in England, but the team failed to retain the title. Denmark was knocked out in the group stage, where the team finished third behind Croatia and Portugal. The team drew with Portugal, lost to Croatia and won against Turkey in the last game. Nielsen left his position after the championship but is still considered the most successful coach of Denmark.[3]
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Nielsen went on to coach theFinland national football team and came close at securing a play-off game for the1998 World Cup in France. The Finnish team also failed to qualify for theEuro 2000 in Belgium and The Netherlands.
In 2000, Nielsen took over as coach of theIsrael national team, but Israel did not succeed in securing a place at the2002 World Cup. It was Nielsen's last international job. He went on to manage the Danish second division teamKolding FC before retiring in October 2003.
Odense BK has dedicated one of the stands atOdense Stadion to Richard Møller Nielsen Tribunen. The city ofOdense has dedicated a square adjacent to the stadium after the city's legendary coach.[citation needed]
Nielsen died on 13 February 2014,[4] following the unsuccessful removal of a brain tumour in September 2013. He was survived by his wife, three children and six grandchildren.
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Denmark | 1990 | 1996 | 62 | 33 | 17 | 12 | 053.23 |
| Finland | 1996 | 1999 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 022.22 |
| Israel | 2000 | 2002 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 036.84 |
| Total | 99 | 44 | 27 | 28 | 044.44 | ||
Odense BK
Denmark
Denmark squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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