View source for Per Nielsen

{{short description|Danish former professional footballer (born 1973)}}
{{About||the Danish musician and trumpet player|Per Nielsen (musician)|the Danish Olympic shooter|Per Nielsen (sport shooter)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Per Nielsen
| image= Per Nielsen JM 0286.jpg
| image_size = 250
| fullname = Per Lundgren Nielsen
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|10|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Århus]], Denmark
| height = 1.91 m
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Defender]]
| youthyears1 = 1979–1993
| youthclubs1 = [[Brøndby IF]]
| years1 = 1993–2008
| clubs1 = [[Brøndby IF]]<ref name="df"/>
| caps1 = 394
| goals1 = 23
| nationalyears1 = 1993
| nationalteam1 = [[Denmark national under-19 football team|Denmark U-19]]<ref name="dbuofficial"/>
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1994–1996
| nationalteam2 = [[Denmark national under-21 football team|Denmark U-21]]<ref name="dbuofficial"/>
| nationalcaps2 = 19
| nationalgoals2 = 2
| nationalyears3 = 2002–2006
| nationalteam3 = [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]<ref name="dbuofficial"/>
| nationalcaps3 = 10
| nationalgoals3 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2008–2010
| managerclubs1 = [[Brøndby IF]] (youth)
| manageryears2 = 2011–2014
| managerclubs2 = [[Hvidovre IF]]
| manageryears3 = 2015–
| managerclubs3 = [[Brøndby IF (women)]]
}}

'''Per Lundgren Nielsen'''<ref name="haslund"/> ({{IPA|da|ˈpʰɛɐ̯ ˈne̝lsn̩}}; born 15 October 1973) is a Danish former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played in the [[defender (association football)|central defense]] of [[Brøndby IF]] in the [[Danish Superliga]] for his [[List of one-club men in association football|entire club career]]. With Brøndby, Nielsen won five [[Danish football champions|Danish championships]] and three [[Danish Cup]]s since his senior debut in 1993. He played 547 official games for Brøndby IF and scored 26 goals, and from 2002 to 2008 he was named [[Captain (association football)|team captain]]. He played 10 matches for the [[Denmark national football team]] and is noted for 19 matches for the [[Denmark national under-21 football team|national under-21 team]] from 1994 to 1996. Following his retirement, he has worked as first as an assistant coach, later as head coach. Since 2015 he has been coaching Brøndby's women's team.

==Club career==
Born in [[Århus]],<ref name="haslund">[http://www.haslund.info/danmark/as/nieper.asp Per Nielsen] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013044722/http://www.haslund.info/danmark/as/nieper.asp |date=13 October 2010 }} at Haslund.info</ref> Nielsen's parents moved to [[Brøndby]] when he was a child, and he enrolled at Brøndby IF at the age of five.<ref name="brøndby">{{in lang|da}} [http://www.brondby.com/player.asp?sid=7&id=33 Brøndby IF profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128145151/http://www.brondby.com/player.asp?sid=7&id=33 |date=28 November 2006 }}</ref> Nielsen made his senior debut in the Brøndby IF jersey on 26 June 1993,<ref name="brøndby"/> and debuted in the [[Danish Superliga]] championship in March 1995.<ref name="df"/> Nielsen was touted as the long-term successor of central defender [[Uche Okechukwu]] and was permanently moved into the senior squad in December 1993, coming from a Brøndby youth team that included several future first team regulars, including [[Kim Daugaard]], [[Allan Ravn]] and later [[Denmark national football team|Danish national team]] player [[Ebbe Sand]].<ref>Kurt Stendal, "Brøndbys unge garde", ''[[Berlingske Tidende]]'', 6 December 1993.</ref>

Nielsen became a mainstay in the team during the [[1995–96 Danish Superliga|1995–96 Superliga]] season,<ref name="df">[http://www.danskfodbold.com/spiller.php?spillerid=10109&ligaid=2001 Per Lundgren Nielsen] at DanskFodbold.com</ref> as Brøndby won the Danish championship, and established himself as a regular starter. He helped Brøndby repeat the Superliga win in the [[1996–97 Danish Superliga|1996–97 Superliga]] and [[Double (association football)|the Double]] of both Superliga championship and [[Danish Cup]] title in 1998. Following the [[2001–02 Danish Superliga|2001–02 Superliga]] championship triumph with Brøndby, Danish international [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]] [[Mogens Krogh]] retired, and Nielsen was chosen as new [[Captain (association football)|team captain]]. After his second Danish Cup triumph in 2003, Nielsen was elected the 2003 Brøndby IF ''Player of the Year''.<ref name="playeroftheyear">[http://brondby.com/article.asp?aid=33492 Årets Spiller] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709091818/http://brondby.com/article.asp?aid=33492 |date=9 July 2010 }} at [[Brøndby IF]]</ref>

In 2004, the Danish football players' association announced a [[strike action]]. Brøndby was still in European competition, and would be forced to field a team consisting of retired Brøndby professionals, youth team players and recent signings who had yet to become members of the players' association, in the August 2004 [[UEFA Cup]] qualification re-match against [[FK Ventspils]]. Two days before the match, Nielsen and teammate [[Dan Anton Johansen]] broke the strike and returned to the Brøndby training,<ref>{{in lang|da}} [http://www.brondby.com/article.asp?aid=33698 Brøndby IF – 2004] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060305121735/http://www.brondby.com/article.asp?aid=33698 |date=5 March 2006 }}, [[Brøndby IF]], 4 January 2005.</ref> causing a lot of controversy in the process. The day after, the players' and football clubs' associations reached a provisorical agreement,<ref>{{in lang|da}} [http://www.danskmetal.dk/sw18806.asp?usepf=true OK04: Spillerkonflikt afblæst] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050225191956/http://danskmetal.dk/sw18806.asp?usepf=true |date=25 February 2005 }}, [[Dansk Metal]] 25 August 2004.</ref> and Brøndby's first team players were selected for the match, though they were eliminated on aggregate.

He captained Brøndby to the Double of the [[2004–05 Danish Superliga|2004–05 Superliga]] and Danish Cup titles, and was named 2006 Brøndby IF ''Player of the Year''.<ref name="playeroftheyear"/> In February 2008, Nielsen chose to resign from the position of [[Captain (association football)|team captain]], stating that he would spend his remaining one and a half years at Brøndby helping the club move on, also if that meant him taking a place on the bench.<ref>{{in lang|da}} [http://www.brondby.com/article.asp?aid=45940 Per Nielsen overdrager anførerhvervet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811094602/http://brondby.com/article.asp?aid=45940 |date=11 August 2011 }}, Brøndby IF, 22 February 2008.</ref> [[Stefán Gíslason]] was named his successor. Nielsen helped Brøndby win the 2008 Danish Cup, his last trophy with the team. Nielsen announced that he would retire as an active footballer in late June 2008. Instead he will continue as a scout in Brøndby. His last game in the blue and yellow jersey was his [[testimonial match]] against Spanish team [[Deportivo La Coruna]] on 12 July 2008.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080701160742/http://www.brondby.com/article.asp?aid=47510&id=5 Per Nielsen testimonial mod La Coruna], Brøndby IF, 27 June 2008.</ref> Nielsen played a total 547 games in all competitions,<ref>[http://brondby.com/article.asp?aid=32438 1. holdsspillere i Brøndby IF] at [[Brøndby IF]]</ref> including 394 games and scored 23 goals for Brøndby in the Superliga.<ref name="df"/>

==Coaching career==
Following three years Brondby IF youth coach, he spent four years as Hvidovre IF head coach. In 2015, he took over as coach for Danish women's champions [[Brondby IF (women)|Brondby IF]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.uefa.com/womenschampionsleague/news/021c-0e15bd39a3c2-3a8ceefbfe35-1000--nielsen-succeeds-lisdorf-as-brondby-coach/ | title=Nielsen succeeds Lisdorf as Brøndby coach | publisher=[[UEFA]] | date=30 December 2014 | access-date=10 January 2015}}</ref> In April 2019 Per Nielsen prolonged his contract with [[Brondby IF (women)|Brondby IF]] so that he would stay with the team until 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://3point.dk/per-nielsen-forlaenger-med-broendby-women/ | title=Per Nielsen forlænger med Brøndby Women | publisher=3point.dk | date=15 April 2019 | accessdate=20 October 2019}}</ref> The team won the championship in 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://3point.dk/per-nielsen-efter-mesterskab-det-bliver-jeg-aldrig-traet-af/ | title=Per Nielsen efter mesterskab: Det bliver jeg aldrig træt af | publisher=3point.dk | date=9 May 2019 | accessdate=20 October 2019}}</ref>

==International career==
Nielsen's first international game was a single [[Denmark national under-19 football team|under-19 national team]] match in December 1993.<ref name="dbuofficial"/> He was called up to play for the [[Denmark national under-21 football team|Danish national under-21 team]] in March 1994, and went on to play 19 games and score two goals for the under-21 national team until July 1996.<ref name="dbuofficial">[http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/landsholdsdatabasen/PlayerInfo/2319&allmatch=1#match Per Nielsen – Alle hold (Alle kampe)] at [[Danish Football Association]]</ref>

Despite winning several trophies with Brøndby, Nielsen never broke into the Danish national team, but he was selected to play for the league national team, consisting of the best players from the domestic Danish Superliga championship. He went on his first trip with the league national team in 1997, playing three games at the [[US Cup]] in [[California]], United States.<ref name="dbuunofficial">[http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/landsholdsdatabasen/PlayerInfo/2319&teamtypeid=2165&off=0#match Per Nielsen – Ligalandshold (Alle uofficielle kampe)] at [[Danish Football Association]]</ref> He likewise took part in the league national team campaign in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela in 1999,<ref name="dbuunofficial"/> with injuries forcing him out of the 1998 tour. Nielsen was once again included in the Danish league national team's trip to California in 2004, where he made his 10th and last appearance for the team,<ref name="dbuunofficial"/> with injuries forcing him out of the 2003 tour. In January 2006, Nielsen was called up for his sixth trip with the Danish league national team. However, he chose not to travel with the team to the [[Lunar New Year Cup|Carlsberg Cup]] in [[Hong Kong]], citing personal reasons, which national team coach [[Morten Olsen]] fully supported.<ref>{{in lang|da}} [http://www.dbu.dk/news/newsShow.aspx?id=41183 Ligalandsholds-afbud fra Per Nielsen], [[Danish Football Association|DBU]], 5 January 2006.</ref>

Nielsen finally debuted for the Danish national team in September 2002 as a late substitute,<ref name="dbuofficial"/> and he would go on to be among the fringe players of the Danish squad. He played a total 10 national team games until November 2006, helping Denmark qualify for the [[2004 UEFA European Football Championship|2004 European Championship]].<ref name="dbuofficial"/>

==Honours==

===Player===
* [[Danish Superliga]]: [[1995–96 Danish Superliga|1995–96]], [[1996–97 Danish Superliga|1996–97]], [[1997–98 Danish Superliga|1997–98]], [[2001–02 Danish Superliga|2001–02]], [[2004–05 Danish Superliga|2004–05]]
* [[Danish Cup]]: [[1997–98 Danish Cup|1997–98]], [[2002–03 Danish Cup|2002–03]], [[2004–05 Danish Cup|2004–05]], [[2007–08 Danish Cup|2007–08]]
* Brøndby IF ''Player of the Year'': 2003, 2006

===Manager===
* [[Elitedivisionen|Danish Women League]]: 2015, 2017, 2019

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{DBU player|2319}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061128145151/http://www.brondby.com/player.asp?sid=7&id=33 Brøndby IF profile] {{in lang|da}}

{{Brøndby IF Player of the Year}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Per}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Danish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Danish Superliga players]]
[[Category:Brøndby IF players]]
[[Category:Denmark men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Denmark men's under-21 international footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Aarhus]]
[[Category:Men's association football defenders]]
[[Category:Elitedivisionen managers]]
[[Category:Brøndby IF non-playing staff]]