View source for Sophus Nielsen

{{Short description|Danish footballer and manager (1888–1963)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Sophus Nielsen
| image          = Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Denmark squad (Nielsen).JPG
| caption        = Nielsen with [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]] at the [[1912 Summer Olympics]]
| fullname       = Sophus Erhard Nielsen
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1888|3|15|df=yes}}
| birth_place    = [[Copenhagen]], Denmark
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1963|8|6|1888|3|15|df=y}}
| death_place    = Copenhagen, Denmark
| height         =
| position       = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1    = –1898
| youthclubs1    = Concordia
| youthyears2    = 1898–1902
| youthclubs2    = Stjernen
| youthyears3    = 1902–1904
| youthclubs3    = [[BK Frem]]
| years1         = 1904–1912 
| clubs1         = [[BK Frem]] 
| caps1          = 30
| goals1         = 33
| years2         = 1910–1911 
| clubs2         = [[Holstein Kiel]] 
| caps2          = 
| goals2         = 
| years3         = 1916–1921
| clubs3         = [[BK Frem]]<ref>Number of matches and goals for Frem is for 1904-1910 and 1912-1921 altogether. 125 goals is an estimate, made by BK Frem.</ref>
| caps3          = 107
| goals3         = 92<ref>{{cite web | url=http://fodboldstatistik.com/#/player/462 | title=Fodboldstatistik }}</ref>
| nationalyears1 = 1908–1919
| nationalteam1  = [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]
| nationalcaps1  = 20
| nationalgoals1 = 16
| manageryears1  = 1932–1933
| managerclubs1  = [[Viborg FF]]
| manageryears2  = 1933
| managerclubs2  = [[Holstebro Boldklub]]
| manageryears3  = 1940
| managerclubs3  = [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]
}}
'''Sophus Erhard "Krølben" Nielsen''' (15 March 1888 – 6 August 1963) was a Danish amateur [[association football|football]] player and manager, and the first player in history to score ten goals in a full [[List of men's national association football teams|national team]] match. Nielsen scored a total 16 goals in 20 games for the [[Denmark national football team|Denmark national team]],<ref>17 goals, according to some reports.</ref> and won [[silver medal]]s at the [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] and [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/24676 |title=Sophus Nielsen |work=Olympedia |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref> He was named Denmark national team manager in 1940, and he was a pioneer in educating Danish coaches. His nickname ''Krølben'' (literally: curl-leg) is slang for him being [[bandy-legged]].

==Club career==
Born in [[Copenhagen]], Sophus Nielsen started his senior career with local team [[Boldklubben Frem]]. He made his senior debut in October 1904. Nielsen played as [[centre forward]] and [[inside forward]], and was a skilful player with tricky dribbles and shots, but also with a great heading ability. His bandy legs made it difficult for opponents to tackle the ball away from him. Sophus was the footballing idol of many Copenhagen youth players, including later Danish international team captain [[Pauli Jørgensen]]. With Frem, Sophus won the 1911 [[Baneklubberne Tournaments]].<ref name="frem"/>

Having served his apprenticeship as a [[blacksmith]] with [[MAN B&W Diesel#History|Burmeister & Wain]], Sophus Nielsen and his unemployed [[carpenter]] brother Carl, decided to travel Europe as [[journeyman|journeymen]]. However, the two brothers only made it as far as [[Kiel]] in [[Holstein]]. Here they met the chairman of the local football club [[Holstein Kiel]], whom Sophus knew from an earlier trip with Frem. The chairman provided Sophus and Carl with jobs, as a master blacksmith and [[joiner]] respectively. In exchange, the brothers would agree to play amateur football for Holstein Kiel.<ref name=pallebanks>{{cite book | author=Jørgensen, Palle Banks | title=Landsholdenes 2198 spillerprofiler: fra Krølben til Krøldrup | publisher=Tipsbladet | year=2004 | page=268}}</ref> Nielsen became quite the sensation among German football enthusiasts.<ref name="frem"/>

He later returned to Frem, where he played the remainder of his footballing career. His last game for Frem was in May 1921.<ref name="frem">{{cite web |url=http://www.bkfrem.dk/default.asp?id=19&spillerid=450&todo=arkiv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408192919/http://www.bkfrem.dk/default.asp?id=19&spillerid=450&todo=arkiv |archive-date=8 April 2016 |title=Boldklubben FREM - Spillertrup}}</ref>

==International career==
Nielsen was called up to the first official [[Denmark national football team|Denmark national team]] selection, for the [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="dbuhistorie">{{cite web|url=http://www.dbu.dk/page.aspx?id=809 |publisher=Danish Football Association|title=Hurtig dribling gennem 5000 år|date=5 April 2007}}</ref> Nielsen scored one goal in Denmark's first ever national team game, as the [[France national football B team|France B]] team was defeated 9–0. On 22 October 1908, Denmark played [[France national football team|France A]] and the Danes won 17–1. Nielsen scored a record ten goals; in the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 39th, 46th, 48th, 52nd, 64th, 66th, and 76th minute.<ref>[http://home6.inet.tele.dk/pin/landsholdet/1908.htm#2) Boxscore of Denmark-France match] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306121551/http://home6.inet.tele.dk/pin/landsholdet/1908.htm |date=6 March 2005 }}</ref> Denmark went on to win the silver medal after they were defeated 2–0 by Great Britain in the final.

Nielsen's record was matched in the 1912 Olympics, as [[Germany national football team|Germany]]'s [[Gottfried Fuchs]] scored ten in a 16–0 win against [[Russia national football team|Russia]]. It was not broken until 2001, when [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]]'s [[Archie Thompson]] scored 13 goals in a 31–0 defeat of [[American Samoa national soccer team|American Samoa]].

Nielsen went on to win another silver medal at the [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Summer Olympics]], in which he scored two goals in three games, thus totalizing 13 Olympic goals, making him the all-time top goal scorer in Olympic Football history alongside Hungary's [[Antal Dunai]] (Dunai scored six in [[Football at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968]] and seven in [[Football at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972]]). While playing for Holstein Kiel, Nielsen still represented Frem in the Danish national team. Following the 1912 Olympics, Nielsen played another 12 international games, scoring four goals. He ended his national team career in October 1919.

==Coaching career==
After his retirement, Sophus Nielsen coached the Frem youth team from 1924 to 1926,<ref name="frem"/> and he was a temporary coach in a number of Danish clubs, including [[Holstebro Boldklub]] in 1933. Sophus Nielsen was a member of the Denmark national team committee from 1927 to 1951, which selected the players for the national team.<ref name="ankerdal"/> In 1940, Nielsen was named the first manager of the Denmark national team(as opposed to the temporary coaches of the past), and he also pioneered the education of Danish coaches.<ref name="ankerdal">Steen Ankerdal, "Landsholdet", Aschehoug, 2006, p.48</ref> He made speeches and seminars around the country on coaching and training methods.<ref name="lundberg"/> Sophus Nielsen managed Denmark for two games, both [[tie (draw)|draws]] with [[Sweden men's national football team|Sweden]] in October 1940.

As national team manager, he replaced temporary English coach [[Edward Magner]], but Nielsen lacked the authority of Magner, in making the players comply with the physical training regime.<ref name="lundberg">{{cite book |title=Dansk Fodbold | last=Lundberg |first=Knud |author-link= Knud Lundberg|volume=1. Fra Breslau til Bronceholdet |year=1986 |publisher=Rhodos |location=Copenhagen |isbn=87-7245-132-7 |pages=98–99 }}</ref> His training was criticized as being too basic, by the young [[Knud Lundberg]], who would later go on to captain the Danes at the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]. However, Sophus Nielsen and Lundberg later became friends, and shared the same tactical outlook on the attacking game. Nielsen would have deployed the wingers in a more defensive role, while having two centre-forwards (anticipating the later [[Formation (association football)#4–2–4|4–2–4 formation]]), but this was blocked by the rest of the Denmark national team committee.<ref name="lundberg"/>

==Career statistics==
:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nielsen goal.''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of international goals scored by Sophus Nielsen
|-
!scope="col"|No.
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Venue
!scope="col"|Opponent
!scope="col"|Score
!scope="col"|Result
!scope="col"|Competition
|-
| style="text-align:center"|1 || {{dts|format=dmy|1908|10|19}} || London, England || {{fb|FRA}} B || style="text-align:center"|9–0 || style="text-align:center"|9–0 || [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908 Olympics]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|2 || rowspan="10"|{{dts|format=dmy|1908|10|22}} || rowspan="10"|London, England || rowspan="10"|{{fb|FRA}} A || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || rowspan="10" style="text-align:center"|17–1 || rowspan="10"|1908 Olympics
|-
| style="text-align:center"|3 || style="text-align:center"|2–0
|-
| style="text-align:center"|4 || style="text-align:center"|3–0
|-
| style="text-align:center"|5 || style="text-align:center"|6–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|6 || style="text-align:center"|7–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|7 || style="text-align:center"|8–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|8 || style="text-align:center"|9–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|9 || style="text-align:center"|11–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|10 || style="text-align:center"|12–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|11 || style="text-align:center"|15–1
|-
| style="text-align:center"|12 || rowspan="2"|{{dts|format=dmy|1912|06|30}} || rowspan="2"|[[Stockholm]], Sweden || rowspan="2"|{{fb|NOR}} || style="text-align:center"|6–0 || rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|7–0 || rowspan="2"|[[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympics]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|13 || style="text-align:center"|7–0
|-
| style="text-align:center"|14 || {{dts|format=dmy|1914|05|17}} || [[Copenhagen]], Denmark || {{fb|NED}} || style="text-align:center"|3–3 || style="text-align:center"|4–3 || [[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]]
|-
| style="text-align:center"|15 || {{dts|format=dmy|1914|06|05}} || Copenhagen, Denmark || {{flagicon|ENG}} [[England national amateur football team|England Amateurs]] || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 || Friendly
|-
| style="text-align:center"|16 || {{dts|format=dmy|1917|06|03}} || Copenhagen, Denmark || {{fb|SWE}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || Friendly
|}

==Honours==
*1911 [[Baneklubberne Tournaments]]
*2014 (post mortem) [[Fodboldens Hall of Fame]]
{{MedalTop}}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Football (soccer)|Football]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908 London]] | [[Football at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Team competition]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Stockholm]] | [[Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics|Team competition]]}}
{{MedalBottom}}

==Footnotes and references==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{DBU player|968}}
* [http://www.dbu.dk/landshold/landsholdsdatabasen/LBaseCoachInfo.aspx?coachid=2838 Danish national team manager profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071023012015/http://www.haslund.info/danmark/as/niesop.asp Haslund.info profile]

{{Olympic top scorers}}
{{Denmark Squad 1908 Olympic Football Tournament}}
{{Denmark Squad 1912 Olympic Football Tournament}}
{{Denmark national football team managers}}
{{Danish Football Hall of Fame}}
{{Viborg FF managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Sophus}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Copenhagen]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Danish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Denmark men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Danish football managers]]
[[Category:Boldklubben Frem players]]
[[Category:Holstein Kiel players]]
[[Category:Boldklubben Frem managers]]
[[Category:Denmark national football team managers]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1908 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic footballers for Denmark]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Denmark]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in football]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]