Lars Jacobsen

Football player infobox
playername = Lars Jacobsen


fullname = Lars Christian Jacobsen
height = height|m=1.81
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1979|9|20
cityofbirth = Odense
countryofbirth = Denmark
currentclub = Everton
clubnumber = 15
position = Right Back
years = 1996–2002
2002–2003
2004–2007
2007–2008
2008–
clubs = Odense Boldklub
Hamburger SV
F.C. Copenhagen
1. FC Nuremberg
Everton FC
caps(goals) = 112 (2)
022 (1)
103 (3)
007 (0)
000 (0)
nationalyears = 1995
1995–1996
1996–1998
1998-2001
2006–
nationalteam = Denmark U16
Denmark U17
Denmark U19
Denmark U21
Denmark
nationalcaps(goals) = 002 (0)
011 (0)
019 (1)
026 (0)
018 (0)
pcupdate = 28 June 2008
ntupdate = 10 September 2008

Lars Christian Jacobsen, (born September 20, 1979), is a Danish professional football player, who currently plays as a defender for English Premier League side Everton. He is the first choice right full back for the Danish national team.

Biography

Born and raised in Odense on Funen, Jacobsen started his career with local top-flight team Odense Boldklub (OB). His talent was quickly discovered, as he played 58 matches for various youth national teams, and won the 1997 "Danish under-19 Player of the Year" award. He made his senior debut for OB in the 1996-97 Danish Superliga season.

He got his big break-through the following season, when he played 15 first team matches, even though the club was relegated to the 1st Division. He helped the club win promotion the very next season. His most notable result with OB came in the 2002 Danish Cup final. OB won 2-0 against defending Superliga champions F.C. Copenhagen, and Jacobsen was named "Cup Fighter" (man of the match) as the club won its first trophy in nine years. After the cup triumph, he moved abroad to play for German club Hamburger SV (HSV). HSV was no success for Jacobsen, as he played 22 German Bundesliga matches in his one and a half year at the club. In the 2003 winter transfer window, he moved back to Denmark to play for F.C. Copenhagen (FCK).

At FCK, Jacobsen was assigned the number 2 shirt, and he quickly became a part of the starting line-up, playing in different defender positions. He established himself at right full back, and in FCK's 2005–06 season, he played full time as the club won the Superliga championship; 2,970 minutes in 33 matches. He was selected by national team coach Morten Olsen for the Danish national team in spring 2006. He made his national team debut on March 1, 2006, and played all 90 minutes of the friendly match 2-0 win against Israel. He went on to play eight national team games in a row, before Morten Olsen decided to spare the FCK players in November 2006, due to FCK's tough fall schedule with several games in the international UEFA Champions League 2006–07 tournament.

Jacobsen was one of several FCK players who gathered international attention in FCK's UEFA Champions League games, and as he looked to leave the club on a free transfer in June 2007, he was rumoured to be sold in the 2006 winter transfer window. A number of European clubs were reportedly interested in buying him, among them Everton FC, Paris SG and his former club Hamburger SV. In December 2006, Jacobsen agreed with FCK to stay at the club until his contract ran out, helping the club defend the Superliga championship. [cite web | url = http://fck.dk/index.php?pageid=754&newsid=6280 | title = Lars Jacobsen bliver i F.C. København sæsonen ud | publisher = F.C. Copenhagen | language = Danish | date= 2006-12-08 | accessdate = 2008-08-26]

Days later he signed a contract with German club 1. FC Nuremberg starting from July 2007. His stay with the German club was troubled because of injuries, and the club also failed to stay in the German Bundesliga. He therefore requested to leave and it was granted by the club in late June 2008. [cite web | url =http://www.bold.dk/nyt/index.php?vis=85645 | title = Lars Jacobsen forlader Nürnberg | publisher = Bold.dk | language = Danish | date = 2008-06-28 | accessdate = 2008-08-26]

In August 2008, Jacobsen signed for English Premier League club Everton on a free transfer, on a one-year deal, and was assigned squad number 15. [cite web|url=http://evertonfc.com/news/archive/jacobsen-deal-completed.html|title=Jacobsen Deal Completed|first=Matthew|last=Gamble|date=2008-08-26|publisher=www.evertonfc.com|accessdate=2008-08-26]

Honours

;Team
*Danish 1st Division: 1998–99, with Odense
*Danish Cup: 2000–01, with Odense
*Danish Superliga: 2003–04, 2005-06 & 2006–07, with Copenhagen

;Individual
*1997 "Danish under-19 Player of the Year"
*2001 "Danish Cup Fighter"
*2005 and 2006 "Danish Team of the Year" (Right back)

References

External links

* [http://www.dbu.dk/lbase/playerInfo.aspx?playerid=4222 Danish national team profile] da icon
* [http://www.fussballdaten.de/spieler/jacobsenlars/ FussballDaten career statistics] de icon
* [http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=7701&pn=Lars_Jacobsen FootballDatabase profile]