Michael Jakobsen

Michael Jakobsen
Personal information
Full nameMichael Jakobsen
Date of birth2 January 1986
Place of birthCopenhagen, Denmark
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing positionDefender
Club information
Current team
Esbjerg fB
Number2
Youth career
B 1908
B.93
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2002–2003B.93
2003–2005PSV1(0)
2005–2010AaB153(13)
2010–2011→ Almería (loan)5(0)
2011–2012Almería49(1)
2012–2013FC Copenhagen7(0)
2013→ FC Nordsjælland (loan)13(0)
2014–Esbjerg fB38(1)
National team
2001Denmark U-163(0)
2001–2003Denmark U-1723(4)
2003–2005Denmark U-1913(2)
2006Denmark U-202(0)
2005–2008Denmark U-2131(4)
2009–Denmark5(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 April 2015.
† Appearances (Goals).

Michael Jakobsen (born 2 January 1986) is a Danish professional footballer, who plays as a defender for Esbjerg fB in the Danish Superliga. He was named 2002 Danish Under-17 Player of the Year, and has played five games for the Denmark national football team.

Club career

Jakobsen started playing football with Boldklubben 1908 and Boldklubben af 1893 in the Danish 1st Division. He made his senior debut for B 93, and after a year at the club, Dutch team PSV Eindhoven spotted Jakobsen's talent and brought him into their youth scheme in 2003.[1] He only played 10 minutes in a single first team match for PSV. But his time at PSV was 'forgettable' after his first team opportunities at PSV was limited.

Jakobsen left PSV in February 2005, and returned to Denmark. He signed a contract with Aalborg BK (AaB), playing the second half of the 2004–05 Danish Superliga season. Jakobsen made his debut on 13 March 2005, in a 1–1 draw against Brøndby. Here, he proved himself a solid defender with good passing, and played all remaining 15 Superliga games for AaB. After nine months at AaB, he signed a much-improved contract, running until December 2009.

In the 2006–07 Danish Superliga season, Jakobsen played 32 of 33 games, as AaB won bronze medals, their best result in eight years. During the 2006–07 season, Jakobsen scored his brace of his career in a 4–0 win over Vejle Boldklub on 30 July 2006. In the following 2007–08 Danish Superliga season, he played a vital part in the AaB-squad that ended up champions with a margin of 9-point to second placed FC Midtjylland.

Jacobsen's performances for AaB in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League campaign, including a goal in the 2–2 draw with Manchester United, brought him to the attention of several clubs from both the FA Premier League and German Bundesliga,[2] but in December 2008, he chose to extend his AaB contract until June 2012.

In July 2010, it was announced that Spanish La Liga club UD Almería bought Jakobsen from Aalborg BK, signing a 5-year deal.[3] However, in August same year, Aalborg BK CEO, Poul Sørensen, announced that it was actually a 1-year loan with a buying-demand, when the loan-period had ended. This way, Almeria was able to wait 1 year before paying the transfer expenses.[4] In his first season at Almería, Jakobsen made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Osasuna in the opening game of the season on 29 August 2010. After another appearance for Almería against Espanyol, Jakobsen didn't feature in another La Liga game for two months. After two months without featuring, he became a more regular part of the first team. On 1 May 2011, Jakobsen received a straight red card in a 1–1 draw against Sevilla[5] The same season Almeria was relegated to the Segunda División after four years at the La Liga Division. In the Segunda División season, Jakobsen was increasingly used in the first team but Almeria was unable to be promoted to La Liga. On 10 September 2011, Jakobsen scored his first goal of his Spanish career in a 2–0 win over Real Murcia.

In August 2012, Almeria announced that Jakobsen would transfer to Copenhagen after he passes medical tests in Copenhagen.[6][7] On 25 August 2012, Jakobsen made his debut, playing in a centre back, in a 3–2 win over Randers.

International career

While at B 93, Jakobsen played a number of games for various Danish youth national teams, winning the 2002 Danish Under-17 Player of the Year award. He played a combined total of 72 youth national team matches, scoring 10 goals, for the Danish youth selections until October 2008.

While at PSV, he was dropped from the Danish under-19 football team in May 2004. After his move to AaB, he was once more called up for the Danish national youth teams, and made his debut for the Danish under-21 national team in June 2005. In May 2006, he was selected for the Denmark under-21 national team to compete at the 2006 European Under-21 Championship. He played in Denmark's three matches, before they were eliminated from the tournament.

In March 2009, Jakobsen made his debut for the senior Denmark national football team.

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "PSV sign Danish star". Sky Sports. 25 June 2003. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "English eyes on AaB star". Sky Sports. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Official: the Almería tab to Dane Michael Jakobsen" [Mercado: Es oficial, el Almería ficha al danés Michael Jakobsen] (in Spanish). Goal.com. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "AaB still own Michael Jakobsen" [AaB ejer stadig Michael Jakobsen] (in Danish). Tipsbladet. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Match: Almeria V Sevilla FC". ESPN Soccernet. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  6. ↑ "Danish left-back joins FCK". Official Copenhagen Page. 11 August 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "FCK download Michael Jakobsen" [FCK henter Michael Jakobsen] (in Danish). Indkast.dk. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2013.

External links