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Christian Poulsen Biography
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Christian Bager Poulsen (born February 28, 1980) is a Danish professional football (soccer) player who currently plays for Sevilla FC. He has been a regular member of the Denmark national football team since his debut in 2001, and has played more than 40 matches, scoring two goals. He represented Denmark at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2004 European Championship tournaments.
Biography
Born in Asnæs, Christian Poulsen started playing youth football in the local club. He moved to amateur club Holbæk B&IF, where he made his senior debut at 17 years of age, captaining the side on several occasions.[1] He was called up for the Danish under-19 football team in September 1998, and played four games for the team.
National breakthrough
In September 2000, he tried out for F.C. Copenhagen (FCK) in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship,[1] and signed his first professional contract with the club within a week. Poulsen got his breakthrough in Denmark when he took a commanding role in the attacking midfield of FCK, following the heart problems of former Norwegian international midfielder Ståle Solbakken in March 2001. Poulsen quickly made his mark on the league, and helped his club win the 2000-01 Superliga championship. He scored to 1-0 in the 3-1 win against second-placed Brøndby IF, which secured the league title.
Following a good start of the 2001-02 season, Poulsen was called up for the Danish national team by national manager Morten Olsen. He got his debut when he started the 1-1 draw with the Netherlands on November 10, 2001. FCK ended runners-up in the 2001-02 Superliga, and Poulsen was named FCK Player of the Year 2002. Christian Poulsen was called up for the Danish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where he was initially used as a substitute. He took part in all three group stage matches, gradually getting more playing time in each game. Following two yellow cards in the group stage, he was suspended when Denmark were eliminated in the knock-out phase.
Moving abroad
After the 2002 World Cup, Poulsen made a €7M move, the then most expensive sale by a Danish club, to German club FC Schalke 04, where he looked to take over the position as holding midfielder left by veteran Czech international Jiří Němec. His start in Schalke was made easier by the fact that his team mate in the Danish national team, Ebbe Sand, also played for the club. Through his time at Schalke, Poulsen played a number of matches at right back, but eventually secured himself a spot in the central midfield for both club and country.
Poulsen was selected for the 2004 European Championship, where he would play a controversial role. Following the 0-0 draw with Italy, Danish television showed Poulsen being spat on by Italian Francesco Totti, who received a three-match ban and gave a "full public apology", though still claiming he was provoked by Poulsen. Poulsen played three of Denmark's four games, before the team was eliminated from the tournament.
In the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League tournament, Poulsen and Schalke were in the same preliminary group as Italian team A.C. Milan. Following their first match, a 2-2 draw, Poulsen was described as "a coward" by A.C. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti,[4] this time for Poulsen's marking of A.C. Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaká. Schalke were eliminated from the Champions League tournament, as A.C. Milan won their second match 3-2, despite a goal by Christian Poulsen. Following the final whistle, Italian player Gennaro Gattuso steered towards Poulsen and confronted him.[5] Gattuso made gloating taunts, while Poulsen gave him an ironic thumbs up, afterwards declaring he found Gattuso childish and hoped he felt embarrassed for himself. His displays for Schalke and the Danish national team earned him the 2005 Danish Player of the Year award.
In June 2006, Christian Poulsen's contract with Schalke ran out. Long-lasting rumours linked him to several teams, including Italian clubs Internazionale F.C. and A.C. Milan, despite the earlier Italian criticism of Poulsen's playing style.[7] He eventually signed a contract with defending UEFA Cup champions Sevilla FC from Spain. In his debut match for the club, Poulsen helped Sevilla win the European Super Cup trophy, with a 3-0 victory against FC Barcelona on August 25. Following his first month at the club, he was named the best new signing in Spain by Spanish sports daily Marca.[8] He became the first player to be named Danish Player of the Year for two consecutive years, when he also won the 2006 award.
source: wikipedia.org
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