.jpg) Olsen in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morten Per Olsen | ||
| Date of birth | (1949-08-14)14 August 1949 (age 76) | ||
| Place of birth | Vordingborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1957–1969 | Vordingborg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | B 1901 | 40 | (2) |
| 1972–1976 | Cercle Brugge | 132 | (8) |
| 1976–1980 | Racing White | 106 | (4) |
| 1980–1986 | Anderlecht | 173 | (2) |
| 1986–1989 | 1. FC Köln | 80 | (2) |
| Total | 531 | (18) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1970–1974 | Denmark U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 1970–1989[2] | Denmark | 102 | (4) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1990–1992 | Brøndby | ||
| 1993–1995 | 1. FC Köln | ||
| 1997–1998 | Ajax | ||
| 2000–2015 | Denmark | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of[3][4] ‡ National team caps and goals as of[1] | |||
Morten Per Olsen (Danish pronunciation:[ˈmɒːtn̩ˈoːl.sn̩]; born 14 August 1949) is a Danish formerfootball manager and former player. He was the head coach of theDenmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding Denmark to the2002 FIFA World Cup,2004 European Championship,2010 FIFA World Cup and2012 European Championship. He has also managedBrøndby to twoDanish Superliga championships andAjax tothe Double of the 1998Eredivisie championship andDutch Cup trophy. He is one of only two persons ever in football, alongsideDidier Deschamps, to achieve 100 national matches for his country both as player as well as coach.
In his active career, Olsen predominantly played as adefensive midfielder andlibero. He played professionally in Belgium and Germany, and won the1983 UEFA Cup and threeBelgian First Division championships withAnderlecht. Olsen played a total 102 matches and scored four goals for the Danish national team from 1970 to 1989, and was named 1983 and 1986DanishPlayer of the Year. He captained the Danish national team in 50 games during the 1980s, and represented Denmark at the1984 European Championship,1986 FIFA World Cup, and1988 European Championship. Towards the end of his active career, Olsen was characterized as the most important player in the history ofDanish football.[5]
Born inVordingborg, Morten Olsen started playing youth football at the local club in 1957.[6] He started his career playing as a right winger.[7] In 1970,[6] at 20 years of age, he was brought toB 1901 in the top-flightDanish 1st Division championship by coachKurt "Nikkelaj" Nielsen.[8] At B 1901, Olsen was moved from right winger to central midfielder, in order to accommodate another right winger in the squad.[7]
Olsen played three seasons at B 1901, before he moved abroad to play professionally withBelgian clubCercle Brugge in 1972,[6] who had beenpromoted to the top-flightBelgian First Division championship one year earlier. At Brugge, Olsen played alongside fellow Danish internationalBenny Nielsen, who had recommended Olsen to Brugge managerUrbain Braems.[9] In Olsen's first year with the club, Cercle Brugge finished in eleventh place in the1972–73 Belgian First Division and went on to establish itself in the mid-table. While at Brugge, Olsen was used as a multi-purpose player, playing every position except fromgoalkeeper.[10] In 1976, Olsen moved to league rivalsMolenbeek,[6] who had won the1974–75 Belgian First Division. Olsen joined Danish internationals Benny Nielsen andKresten Bjerre at Molenbeek.[11] His time at Molenbeek featured even better league results, and consistent finishes in the top third of the league.
In 1980, Olsen moved to 16-time Belgian championsAnderlecht,[6] to play alongside Danish internationals Benny Nielsen andKenneth Brylle.[12] In his first year at Anderlecht, the club won the1980–81 Belgian First Division, conceding only 24 goals in 34 games. It was for Olsen the first trophy of his senior career. He played six years at Anderlecht, winning three Belgian championships with the club, and he was eventually named Anderlechtteam captain.[13] During most of 1982, Olsen suffered from a severe shin injury, which prompted Anderlecht managerTomislav Ivic to move him back from the midfield into the libero position.[14] As the libero at Anderlecht, Olsen controlled an aggressive form ofoff-side trap, which had 3–4 players converge towards the ball-possessing player as the off-side trap was sprung, in order to prevent the ball-possessing player from countering the off-side bydribbling on his own.[15]
Olsen was a part of the Anderlecht team which beat Portuguese teamPorto and Spanish teamValencia, among others, to reach the final game of the international1982–83 UEFA Cup tournament. Anderlecht faced Portuguese teamBenfica in the final, and won 2–1 onaggregate score. Olsen was subsequently named 1983DanishPlayer of the Year.[16] Anderlecht also reached the1983–84 UEFA Cup final againstTottenham Hotspur fromEngland. Olsen scored a goal in the first leg, but missed his shot in the decidingpenalty shoot-out which Tottenham won.[17]
Aged 36 years old, Olsen left Anderlecht following the 1986 World Cup.[6] He moved to Germany, to play for1. FC Köln in theBundesliga. While at Köln, Olsen was moved back to his previous defensive midfield position.[18] He helped Köln reach third and second-place finishes in the1987–88 and1988–89 Bundesliga seasons respectively. Olsen played 80 games and scored two goals for Köln in the Bundesliga,[19] before retiring from his active career in June 1989, 39 years of age.[6]
Olsen made his debut for theDenmark under-21 national team in September 1970, scoring a single goal in a 2–2friendly match draw with thePoland U21 team.[1] Three weeks later, he was called up for the senior Danish national team under the Austria national team managerRudi Strittich, and Olsen made his national team debut in September 1970 againstNorway.[1] He played his first national team game as a right winger,[5] but eventually settled as adefensive midfielder.[20] He helped Denmark qualify for the1972 Summer Olympics, but could not participate at the tournament, as he had signed a professional contract with Cercle Brugge beforehand.[5]
While at Anderlecht, Olsen became the seventh Dane to play 50 games for the national team, in June 1981.[21] For Olsen's 53rd national team game in April 1983, the Germany national team manager of Denmark,Sepp Piontek, named Olsen permanent nationalteam captain, as Olsen replaced the retiringPer Røntved as both libero and team captain.[22] Olsen played as an attacking libero, and had defensive midfielderJens Jørn Bertelsen cover for him when he was on the attack.[23] Olsen, alongside defenderSøren Busk,[24] persuaded Piontek to implement the aggressive off-side trap they practiced at Anderlecht.[25]
Olsen captained the Danish team that qualified for the1984 European Championship; Denmark's first international tournament participation since the 1972 Olympics. Denmark reached the semi-finals, before being eliminated bySpain in apenalty shootout.[1] In October 1985, Olsen became the second Dane, after Per Røntved, to play 75 national team matches.[21] He captained Denmark at the1986 World Cup, Denmark's first World Cup participation, which ended in a second round defeat to Spain.[1] Olsen's most noticeable effort at the tournament came in the 2–0 group stage win againstWest Germany. He took the ball from his own half and made an irresistible dribbling run that was only stopped by afoul in the West Germanpenalty area,[26] withJesper Olsen scoring the 1–0 goal on the resultingpenalty kick. Olsen was identified as one of the overall top performers at the World Cup,[26] and he was subsequently named 1986DanishPlayer of the Year.[16]
While he was moved to a midfielder position at Köln, Olsen continued to play as a libero for Denmark.[27] He captained Denmark at the1988 European Championship, which ended in the preliminary group stage.[1] During the tournament, Olsen proved too slow for the libero position,[28] and was moved up as defensive midfielder, leaving the libero position forLars Olsen.[28] Morten Olsen ended his international career following the 1988 European Championship, having played 99 national team games, but was called up again 10 months later.[29] Olsen became the first Dane to play 100 games for the national team in April 1989, before ending his national team career in June 1989.[1] Olsen played a record 102 games and scored four goals for the national team,[1] and set a record of 50 games as Danish national team captain.[30] His team captain record was broken by Lars Olsen in 1992, while his game tally was bested byPeter Schmeichel in 1998. In his entire international career, Morten Olsen only got oneyellow card.[1]
Olsen played a wide variety of positions, includingright winger,[7]central midfielder,[20] andlibero.[14] In his youth, Olsen's strengths were his acceleration, agility, and play intelligence and he played as a winger.[31] In his first senior years, Olsen played all positions exceptgoalkeeper, maturing him into a versatile team-player.[10] He eventually found his place as acentral midfielder. Though initially filling the role ofplaymaker rather than a ball-winningtackler,[32] Olsen eventually excelled as adefensive midfielder possessing great determination, dedicated professionalism, and organisational skills.[12] He gradually took on a strong leadership role, a trait he worked hard to develop.[31]
At the age of 32,[14] Olsen was moved back to the libero position, which transformed him from an established player to an international star-player.[33] Olsen employed a wide variety of skills for a defensive player, including attacking surges and technicaldribbling, taking advantage of his acceleration and vision of the game.[14] He provided long passes from his deep position, while his forward surges helped create numerical advantages in the midfield.[26] He was a consummate professional,[34] known as a gentleman of the game.[14]
Olsen started his coaching career in January 1990, at the defending Danish championsBrøndby,[35] and guided the club to twoDanish championships. He put the team through tough fitness training which, even though it disgruntled some players,[36] elevated the team into European top class, as Brøndby reached the semi-final of the1990–91 UEFA Cup with Olsen at the helm. With the notable exception ofNigerian international defenderUche Okechukwu, his dabblings in the transfer market were not equally successful. This caused anger among the amateur department of the club, whose youth scheme they felt Olsen overlooked.[37] As the club faced financial hardship and results began to lack in 1992, Olsen was fired from the club in May.[38]
In April 1993,[4] Olsen moved to his former team1. FC Köln which he saved from relegation, when coming to its aid in the last six games of the1992–93 Bundesliga season.[39] In his time in Germany, he would become a certified coach, earning his "Fußball-Lehrer-Lizenz" diploma in 1993.[40] For two seasons, he had the club positioned somewhat safely from relegation, despite not having any especially good players. At the start of the 1995–96 season, Köln were eliminated in theDFB-Pokal by an amateur team fromBeckum,[41] and Olsen was fired in August 1995.[4]
He would have to wait for almost two years untilAjax in theNetherlands hired him on a contract starting from July 1997.[42] He attracted Danish national team captainMichael Laudrup to the club, and together they wonthe Double of theEredivisie championship andDutch Cup trophy, as well as reaching the quarter-finals in the UEFA Cup. In his second year at the club, tension arose in the Ajax dressing room, asDutch internationalsRonald de Boer andFrank de Boer boycotted training in order to leave the club in favour ofBarcelona.[43] As results began to suffer, Olsen was sacked in December 1998.[44]
In the fall of 1999, Olsen signed a two-year contract with theDanish Football Association (DBU) to manage the Danish national team, effective after Denmark's participation at the2000 European Championship.[45] In July 2000, he replacedSwedish coachBo Johansson as the manager of the Denmark national football team. As his assistant coach, Olsen chose Michael Laudrup. The duo guided Denmark to qualification for the2002 FIFA World Cup tournament, a campaign which ended in the round of 16 match against England in a 0–3 defeat after Denmark won the initial stage group.[46] Prior to the 2002 World Cup, Olsen signed a new four-year contract until June 2006.[45] When Laudrup went on to coach Brøndby, Olsen choseKeld Bordinggaard as his new assistant coach. With Bordinggaard, Olsen guided Denmark to the2004 European Championship tournament, which once again ended at the first knock-out stage. Olsen failed to qualify Denmark for the2006 FIFA World Cup, but prolonged his contract with DBU in November 2005.[47] A part of the new deal, which ran until and including the2010 FIFA World Cup, was the added responsibility of defining a "red thread", or common denominator, in the talent work of the Danish national youth teams, thus giving Olsen a large influence on the future football being played by Denmark.[47]
In March 2008, Olsen stated that he would like to seeMichael Laudrup succeed him as coach of the Danish national team.[48] Olsen did not qualify Denmark for the2008 European Championship, and in August 2008 Olsen stated that he planned to let his contract expire in 2010, in order to return to coaching on club level.[49] On 10 October 2009 he coached his 100th match as national team coach, as Denmark won 1–0 againstSweden and qualified for the2010 FIFA World Cup.[50] In January 2010, Olsen extended his contract until and including the2012 European Championship.[45] On 13 December 2013, Olsen further extended his contract to stay on as national coach until June 2016.[51] Denmark failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "Many of us are disappointed that we didn't make it through this time after making the finals in the past two competitions," Olsen said in the press release.[52] On 17 March 2015, Olsen stated that he would step down when his contract with Denmark ends, after theEuro, in 2016.[53] However, his contract was mutually terminated immediately after the Danish national team failed toqualify for Euro 2016, beaten by Sweden 4–3 on aggregate on 17 November 2015. With 15 years of tenure, Morten Olsen is the longest-serving manager of Denmark.
Morten Olsen has been married to his Belgian wife and lived inBeersel nearBrussels. In addition toDanish he speaks alsoDutch,German,French andEnglish.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 1970 | 3 | 0 |
| 1971 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1972 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1973 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1974 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1975 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1976 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1977 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 3 | 0 | |
| 1979 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1981 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 11 | 0 | |
| 1987 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1989 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 102 | 4 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 May 1971 | Idrætsparken,Copenhagen, Denmark |  Switzerland | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1972 Olympic Games qualifier |
| 2 | 1 August 1971 | Aalborg Stadion,Aalborg, Denmark |  England | 2–1 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 3 | 5 June 1988 | Odense Stadion,Odense, Denmark |  Belgium | 1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 18 June 1989 | Idrætsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Brazil | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1989 Tri Tournament |
| Club | From | To | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Brøndby | January 1990 | May 1992 | 97 | 49 | 32 | 16 | 050.52 | ||
| 1. FC Köln | 28 April 1993 | 26 August 1995 | 86 | 33 | 22 | 31 | 038.37 | ||
| Ajax | 1 July 1997 | 12 December 1998 | 72 | 49 | 10 | 13 | 068.06 | ||
| Denmark | 1 July 2000 | 17 November 2015 | 163 | 79 | 42 | 42 | 048.47 | ||
| Total | 418 | 210 | 106 | 102 | 050.24 | ||||
Anderlecht[56]
Individual
Brøndby[63]
Ajax[64]
Media related toMorten Olsen at Wikimedia CommonsAwards | |
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