Allan Simonsen International career
Where did he start his international career?
Where did Allan Simonsen start his international career?
He debuted for the Danish national team under manager Rudi Strittich in the July 1972 friendly match against Iceland. He scored two goals as Denmark won 5-2, and Simonsen was included in the Danish squad for the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics, he scored three goals in the first three matches to help Denmark advance beyond the first group stage. In the second group stage, Simonsen ran out of steam and he was substituted at half time in two of the last three games as Denmark were eliminated.  He played a crucial part for the Danish national team under manager Sepp Piontek, in Denmark's qualifying campaign for the 1984 European Championship. Denmark led their qualifying group with a single point over second placed England before the two teams met at England's home ground Wembley Stadium in September 1983. Simonsen scored one of the most important Danish goals ever, as he converted a penalty kick against English goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The 1-0 win eventually secured the Danish national team qualification for their first international tournament since the 1972 Olympic Games, and the first European Championship participation since the 1964 tournament. It effectively ended England's hopes of qualification for the tournament. He subsequently finished third in the vote for the 1983 European Footballer of the Year award.  The 1984 European Championship main tournament was a short experience for Simonsen, as he broke his leg in a challenge by Yvon Le Roux in Denmark's first match against France. Even without Simonsen, Denmark reached the semi-finals. He was once more a part of the Danish national team at the 1986 World Cup, Denmark's first World Cup participation. He only played a single match at the tournament, coming on as a substitute against West Germany, as younger players had surpassed him. He played a farewell match against Germany in September 1986 before ending his national team career.  Simonsen played a total 55 games for the Danish national team and scored 20 goals, according to the Danish Football Association. However, some sources chose to include Simonsen's appearance in a February 1981 charity match, to tally his national team career as 21 goals in 56 games. The match was Italy vs. Europe for the benefit of the Irpinia earthquake victims. Simonsen started the game, scored a goal, and was substituted at half time as Europe won 3-0. CANNOTANSWER
He debuted for the Danish national team under manager Rudi Strittich in the July 1972 friendly match against Iceland.
Allan Rodenkam Simonsen (born 15 December 1952) is a Danish former footballer and manager. He most prominently played as a striker for German Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona from Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.

For the Denmark national team, Simonsen was capped 55 times, scoring 20 goals. He represented Denmark at the 1972 Summer Olympics, 1984 European Championship and 1986 World Cup tournaments. He was voted into the Danish Football Hall of Fame in November 2008.

Club career
Born in Vejle, Simonsen started playing football with Vejle FC, before he joined the youth team of local top-flight club Vejle BK (VB) in 1963. He made his senior debut for VB on 24 March 1971 in a 3–1 home win against Karlskoga FF. He won the 1971 and 1972 Danish championship with the club, as well as the 1972 Danish Cup to complete The Double. Following an impressive three goals in six matches at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Simonsen moved to Germany to play professionally for defending German Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

In his first two seasons with Borussia Mönchengladbach, Simonsen had a hard time, as he only played a combined 17 games and scored two goals. However, he was part of the team which won the 1972–73 German Cup trophy. He broke into the starting line-up for the 1974–75 season. He played all 34 games of the season, and scored 18 goals as Mönchengladbach won the Bundesliga championship. Simonsen also scored ten goals in 12 games in the international 1974–75 UEFA Cup competition, including two goals in the 5–1 final victory against FC Twente. In the following season, Simonsen scored 16 goals as Mönchengladbach regained the Bundesliga in the 1975–76 season. He scored four goals in six games of the international 1975–76 European Cup competition, before Mönchengladbach were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Spanish team Real Madrid on the away goals rule.

1977 was the greatest year in Simonsen's career. In the 1976–77 European Cup, Simonsen helped Mönchengladbach to the 1977 European Cup Final against English team Liverpool. In the final, Simonsen scored a memorable goal from a powerful shot to level the game at 1–1, but Mönchengladbach eventually lost 3–1. He was subsequently named the 1977 European Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Danish player to win that award. The race was tight, Simonsen edged past English forward Kevin Keegan by three points and French midfielder Michel Platini by four points to win the prestigious prize. The win was notable in that Simonsen's native Denmark was not among the top footballing nations in the 1970s, leaving little room for him to impress at the international tournaments.

In the following two Bundesliga seasons, Simonsen continued his prolific goalscoring, as Mönchengladbach finished 2nd and 8th respectively. He won another international trophy with Mönchengladbach in 1979, when he scored eight goals in eight games to guide the club to the final games of the 1978–79 UEFA Cup. He scored the deciding goal in the 2–1 1979 UEFA Cup Final win against Red Star Belgrade. Simonsen had been approached by Spanish club FC Barcelona in 1978, but Mönchengladbach refused to let him go. Instead, Simonsen waited for his contract to expire and moved to FC Barcelona in 1979, rejecting offers from Hamburger SV, Juventus, and several Arabian clubs.

Barcelona
Simonsen spent three successful seasons with Barcelona. In his first Barcelona season, Simonsen was the top goal scorer of the team with ten goals in 32 games, as Barcelona finished in fourth place in the 1979–80 La Liga season. The following season saw several new players at Barcelona, and the club won the 1981 Copa del Rey. Simonsen's ten goals saw him as third top goalscorer behind new players Quini (20) and Bernd Schuster (11), as Barcelona finished in fifth place in the 1980–81 La Liga. Simonsen was second goal scorer behind Quini, as the club finished second in the 1981–82 La Liga. He also helped Barcelona reach the final of the continental 1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup competition. In the 2–1 final victory against Standard Liège, Simonsen scored the deciding goal on a header to help Barcelona lift the trophy.

Charlton Athletic
When Barcelona signed Argentinian forward Diego Maradona in 1982, Spanish league restrictions meant Simonsen was to compete with Maradona and Bernd Schuster for only two places allowed for foreign players in each starting line-up. Simonsen saw it as a personal insult, and asked Barcelona for his contract to be annulled. He made a shock move to English Second Division side Charlton Athletic for £300,000 in October 1982. He rejected offers from Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur, in order to play for a club with less stress and attention. Despite scoring nine times in 16 appearances, the club had trouble funding his transfer and wages after three months, and he was put up for sale. Simonsen then chose to return to his childhood club VB in 1983.

Vejle BK

He missed the last half of the 1984 season for VB because of an injury he sustained at the 1984 European Championship, but the club managed to win the 1984 Danish championship without him. He returned as a profile of the top-flight Danish 1st Division, but never reached his former form. Simonsen retired from football in 1989 at age 37, and played his last game for VB in November 1989. He played a total 282 games and scored 104 goals, including 208 games and 89 goals in the league, for Vejle Boldklub.

International career
He debuted for the Danish national team under manager Rudi Strittich in the July 1972 friendly match against Iceland. He scored two goals as Denmark won 5–2, and Simonsen was included in the Danish squad for the 1972 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics, he scored three goals in the first three matches to help Denmark advance beyond the first group stage. In the second group stage, Simonsen ran out of steam and he was substituted at half time in two of the last three games as Denmark were eliminated.

He played a crucial part for the Danish national team under manager Sepp Piontek, in Denmark's qualifying campaign for the 1984 European Championship. Denmark led their qualifying group with a single point over second placed England before the two teams met at England's home ground Wembley Stadium in September 1983. Simonsen scored one of the most important Danish goals ever, as he converted a penalty kick against English goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The 1–0 win eventually secured the Danish national team qualification for their first international tournament since the 1972 Olympic Games, and the first European Championship participation since the 1964 tournament. It effectively ended England's hopes of qualification for the tournament. He subsequently finished third in the vote for the 1983 European Footballer of the Year award.

The 1984 European Championship main tournament was a short experience for Simonsen, as he broke his leg in a challenge by Yvon Le Roux in Denmark's first match against France. Even without Simonsen, Denmark reached the semi-finals. He was once more a part of the Danish national team at the 1986 World Cup, Denmark's first World Cup participation. He only played a single match at the tournament, coming on as a substitute against
West Germany, as younger players had surpassed him. He played a farewell match against Germany in September 1986 before ending his national team career.

Simonsen played a total 55 games for the Danish national team and scored 20 goals, according to the Danish Football Association. However, some sources chose to include Simonsen's appearance in a February 1981 charity match, to tally his national team career as 21 goals in 56 games. The match was Italy vs. Europe for the benefit of the Irpinia earthquake victims. Simonsen started the game, scored a goal, and was substituted at half time as Europe won 3–0.

Managerial career
Following his retirement, Simonsen went on to coach his former club Vejle Boldklub from 1991 to 1994. During his time at the club, VB were relegated from the new top-flight Danish Superliga to the now second-tier Danish 1st Division. He later coached the national teams of the Faroe Islands from 1994 to 2001 and Luxembourg from 2001 to 2004.

In 2011, he became General Manager of the Danish 1st Division team FC Fredericia. When Fredericia sacked manager Thomas Thomasberg on 8 April 2013, Simonsen and Steen Thychosen took charge of the team as caretaker managers. Following the end of the 2012–13 season Simonsen left both his positions at Fredericia.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simonsen goal.

Managerial statistics
Updated 16 June 2016

Honours
Vejle Boldklub
 Danish championship: 1971, 1972, 1984
 Danish Cup: 1972

Borussia Mönchengladbach
 Bundesliga: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
 DFB-Pokal: 1972–73
 DFL-Supercup: 1977
 European Cup: runners-up 1976–77
 UEFA Cup: 1974–75, 1978–79; runners-up 1972–73

Barcelona
 Copa del Rey: 1980–81
 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1981–82

Individual
 Ballon d'Or: 1977, 1983 (Third place)
 Onze de Bronze: 1977
 kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77
 IOC European Footballer of the Season: 1976–77
 European Cup Top Scorer: 1977–78
 UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 1978–79
 Danish Football Hall of Fame

References

External links

Vejle Boldklub profile 
Official Spanish career profile 
Complete League statistics at danskfodbold.com 

1952 births
Living people
People from Vejle Municipality
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Danish footballers
Denmark international footballers
Ballon d'Or winners
Danish football managers
Vejle Boldklub players
Borussia Mönchengladbach players
La Liga players
FC Barcelona players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Bundesliga players
Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers of Denmark
UEFA Euro 1984 players
1986 FIFA World Cup players
Vejle Boldklub managers
Danish expatriate football managers
Expatriate football managers in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team managers
Luxembourg national football team managers
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Danish expatriate sportspeople in England
Association football forwards
UEFA Cup winning players
Tore André "Totto" Dahlum (born 21 June 1968) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a forward. During his playing career, he had three spells at Start and two spells at Rosenborg. He also played briefly in Denmark, Greece and Belgium.

Club career
Born in Kristiansand, Dahlum's career started with FK Vigør. In 1992, he went on a two-week trial at Manchester United. Dahlum had his best years in the early 1990s. As a member of Start, he became the top goalscorer in the Norwegian top division in 1990, with 20 goals. He also made his international debut the same year.

In 1992, Dahlum was signed by Rosenborg, where he failed to live up to expectations, and was subsequently dropped by both the club and the national team, although he scored the first goal in the 3–2 Norwegian Cup final win against Lillestrøm. After two seasons at the Trondheim club, he returned to Start. Following Start's relegation in 1996, he had a short spell at Greek side Skoda Xanthi, before returning home the following year for a second spell at Rosenborg.

He later played briefly at Belgian club K.A.A. Gent and Danish club AaB, before finishing his professional career in 2001 where it began, for his hometown club Start. He later played a few games in the lower leagues with local Kristiansand club Flekkerøy IL.

After retiring he worked as a commentator for TV 2 before moving into management.

International career
Dahlum made his international debut for the Norway national team in 1990. Overall, he played 15 internationals and scored six goals for Norway. His finest moment at international level was probably the European Championship qualifier against Italy in 1991, where Dahlum scored Norway's first goal in a 2–1 win.

After playing 12 international games from 1990 to 1992, he did not feature again for Norway until 1999, when he made three additional appearances (all as substitute), scoring one goal.

Managerial career
In November 2007 he was announced as the new coach of fourth-tier club FK Jerv.

Personal life
Dahlum is married to Kirsti and has two children, Henrik and Karine. He currently lives in Kristiansand.

Career statistics

Honours
Rosenborg
Norwegian top division: 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999
Norwegian Cup: 1992, 1999

Individual
Tippeligaen top scorer: 1990
Kniksen award: Attacker of the year 1990

References

External links
 Jerv FK profile

1968 births
Living people
Norwegian footballers
Norway international footballers
Norwegian expatriate footballers
Eliteserien players
Norwegian First Division players
Super League Greece players
Belgian First Division A players
Danish Superliga players
IK Start players
Rosenborg BK players
K.A.A. Gent players
Xanthi F.C. players
Kniksen Award winners
Expatriate footballers in Greece
Expatriate footballers in Belgium
Expatriate footballers in Denmark
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium
Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Denmark
Norwegian football managers
Association football forwards
Sportspeople from Kristiansand
FK Jerv managers Tommy Svindal Larsen (born 11 August 1973) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a midfielder for Odd, Start and Stabæk in his home country, in addition to a four-year spell at 1. FC Nürnberg in Germany. Svindal Larsen was capped 24 times for Norway.

Club career
Svindal Larsen was born in Skien. In his youth, he was regarded as an exceptionally talented player. He made his senior debut for Odd in the First Division as a 15-year-old, and was signed by Start at 17 ahead of the 1991 season. While he played regularly for the Kristiansand club, he was overshadowed by other players and left Start at the end of the 1994 season, having only briefly showcased his great potential. He then joined newly promoted Stabæk.

At Stabæk, Svindal Larsen became a first-team regular. In the early years of his career, Svindal Larsen had been regarded as a creative attacking midfielder, but during his time at Stabæk he was converted to more of a midfield anchor, and thrived in that role. He formed an excellent midfield partnership at Stabæk alongside Martin Andresen, and won his first major trophy in 1998, when he captained the Stabæk side that won the Norwegian Cup.

After six years at Stabæk, Svindal Larsen wanted to play abroad, and joined German side 1. FC Nürnberg on a Bosman free transfer at the end of the 2001 season. He spent four years with the Bundesliga side, playing more than a hundred games before returning home to his first club Odd where he spent the remainder of his career, captaining his hometown team for six seasons before retiring in 2011.

International career
Svindal Larsen was capped by Norway at every youth level from Under-15 to Under-21, and is current record holder for most total international games played for Norway's age-delimited national teams, with 99 youth caps in total, including a record 41 caps for Norway Under-21.

However, despite his success at youth level, Svindal Larsen never truly made his mark in senior international football. He had to wait until April 1996, a few months before his 23rd birthday, before he got his full international debut in a friendly against Spain, and did not start an international match until a January 1999 friendly against Israel. In total, Svindal Larsen was capped "only" 24 times by Norway's senior national team, and ten of those appearances was as a substitute. Tired of being selected for the international squad only to sit on the bench, Svindal Larsen announced his retirement from international football in 2007.

Personal life
Svindal Larsen is married and has four children.

Career statistics
Source:

References

External links
 

Living people
1973 births
Association football midfielders
Norwegian footballers
Norway youth international footballers
Norway under-21 international footballers
Norway international footballers
Norwegian expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Germany
1. FC Nürnberg players
IK Start players
Odds BK players
Stabæk Fotball players
Eliteserien players
Norwegian First Division players
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Sportspeople from Skien