Top facts about Christian Poulsen, Ploven

Christian Bjrnshj Poulsen is a former footballer from Denmark. After beginning his career with Holbk, he went on to play for a number of European clubs as a defensive midfielder, winning the Danish Superliga with F.C. Copenhagen, the German DFB-Ligapokal trophy with FC Schalke 04, and the European UEFA Cup with

.

He was born in February 28, 1980, meaning that

Christian Poulsen’s age

is 41. His nickname was "Ploven" - the plow. He later went on to play for Italian Serie A club Juventus, Premier League side Liverpool, French side Evian, and Dutch side Ajax, among others.

Since his debut in 2001, he has been a regular part of the Danish national football team, appearing in 92 appearances and scoring six goals for his country.

The first fact about Christian Poulsen is that he competed for Denmark in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2004 European Championship.

Poulsen was voted the Danish Under-21 Player of the Year in 2001, and he went on to win the Danish Player of the Year title in 2005 and 2006, becoming the first player to do so two years in a row.

During his active career he was under contract with clubs in Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, England, France, and the Netherlands. He made 92 appearances for the Danish national team and retired at the end of 2016.

Top facts about Christian Poulsen:

Poulsen's journey to Anfield was long and winding. Over the years, his aggressive playing style has landed him in a lot of contentious situations. Here, you can find out the most important facts about Christian Poulsen, the man

once called a coward!

Christian Poulsen early life

Poulsen, who was born in Asns, began his football career as a kid with the local team Asns BK. Speaking about

Christian Poulsen’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that at the age of 15, he went to amateur club Holbk, where he made his senior debut at the age of 17, captaining the team on multiple occasions.

In September 1998, he was called up to the Danish under-19 football team and played four games for them. Unfortunately there is no information regarding

Christian Poulsen’s parents

.

Christian Poulsen personal life

His wife is Julie Marie Poulsen. Other than this fact, unfortunately, there is no more information regarding

Christian Poulsen’s personal life

because the player prefers not to share these aspects of his life with the fans.

Christian Poulsen professional career

Christian Poulsen announced himself to the world with a man of the match performance against France during the 2002 World Cup. Poulsen marked legend

out of the game as the Danes eliminated Les Bleus, and his absence through suspension was sorely felt in the second round defeat to England

Poulsen made his full international debut for Denmark vs Holland towards the end of 2001 and moved to German club Schalke after the 2002 World Cup.

Christian Poulsen club career

In September 2000, he completed a trial spell with F.C. Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga, and signed his first professional contract with the club a week later. Following the heart issues of former Norwegian international midfielder Stle Solbakken in March 2001, Poulsen assumed charge of FCK's offensive midfield.

Copenhagen

An important

fact about Christian Poulsen

is that he had an immediate impact on the league, helping his team win the Superliga title in 2000–01. He scored the game-winning goal in a 3–1 victory against second-placed Brndby IF, securing the league championship.

Poulsen was called up for the Danish national football team by national manager Morten Olsen after a strong start to the 2001–02 Superliga season.

On November 10, 2001, he made his debut in a 1–1 tie with the Netherlands. FCK finished second in the Superliga in 2001–02, and Poulsen was voted FCK Player of the Year in 2002.

He was called up to the Danish team for the FIFA World Cup in 2002, where he played as a substitute at first. He played in each of the three group stage games, significantly increasing his playing time with each game.

He was banned after Denmark was eliminated in the knockout round by England after receiving two yellow cards in the group stage. In the 2001-02 season, Christian Poulsen led FC Copenhagen to the Champions League qualifying final, where they lost to Lazio.

Due to the withdrawal of the UEFA Cup, they continued to play and eventually retired against

. Eben That club, who would subsequently go on to win the championship, showed interest in Poulsen a short time afterwards. Poulsen opted to go to arch-rivals when a change owing to the Copenhagen's release criteria failed. Schalke 04 is a German football club.

Schalke 04

After the 2002 World Cup, Poulsen moved to German club Schalke 04 for €7 million, the most expensive sale by a Danish team at the time, with the intention of taking up the role of holding midfielder left vacant by veteran Czech international Ji Nmec.

His transition to Schalke was aided by the fact that his Danish national team teammate, Ebbe Sand, also played for the club. Poulsen started a handful of games at right defense for Schalke during his tenure there, but ultimately moved to center midfield for both club and country.

Poulsen was a member of the Danish team that competed in the 2004 European Championships. Before Denmark was eliminated from the competition, he played three of the country's four games. Poulsen won the DFB Ligapokal cup with Schalke in 2005.

He was named Danish Player of the Year in 2005 for his performances with Schalke and the Danish national team. In June 2006, his contract with the club terminated after four seasons and well over 100 games. Long-running rumors connected him to a number of teams, notably

and

in Italy.

Sevilla

He finally accepted a deal with Sevilla FC of Spain, the reigning UEFA Cup winners who knocked Schalke out of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup campaign.

A notable

fact about Christian Poulsen

is that he helped Sevilla win the European Super Cup title in his first match for the club, a 3–0 triumph against FC Barcelona on August 25. He was awarded the greatest new acquisition in Spain by Spanish sports newspaper Marca during his first month at the club.

When he again won the 2006 title, he became the first player to be named Danish Player of the Year for two years in a row. He assisted Sevilla in defending their UEFA Cup championship in 2006–07, as well as winning the Spanish Cup that year.

Juventus

Poulsen was officially acquired by Juventus from Sevilla FC on July 14, 2008. Poulsen signed a four-year contract worth three million euros each year for a transfer fee of €9.75 million. Poulsen scored his first goal for Juventus in the 90th minute against Catania on February 8, giving his side a victory when the game was going for a 1–1 draw.

Liverpool

Poulsen signed a three-year deal with Liverpool on August 12, 2010, for a price of £4.5 million. He was given the number 28 jersey that Damien Plessis had previously worn.

Poulsen made his Europa League debut against Trabzonspor of Turkey on August 19, 2010, in a match won by

1–0, in which he had a goal disallowed.

On August 29, 2010, Poulsen made his league debut for Liverpool in a 1–0 victory against West Bromwich Albion. He did not, however, endear himself to Liverpool supporters, who often deemed his on-field displays to be lacking in quality.

He put up perhaps his greatest performance in the heart of Liverpool's midfield against West Ham at Anfield on November 20, a game that the Reds won 3–0.

The winds of change shifted not just for Liverpool, but also for Poulsen, after Roy Hodgson's dismissal and the arrival of new manager Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish commended Poulsen's efforts in the 1–2 loss to Blackpool on January 16, 2011, the 3–0 victory over Wolverhampton on January 22, 2011, and the 1–0 victory against Fulham on January 26, 2011.

Soon after, it became evident that Dalglish favored Jay Spearing, a promising developing midfielder, over Poulsen.

Liverpool and Évian agreed on an undisclosed sum for Poulsen's move to the French Ligue 1 team on August 30, 2011.

Évian

An important fact about Christian Poulsen is that he signed a one-year contract with the French side on August 31, 2011. Following Florin Răducioiu's departure to France, he became the second player in history to play in all five major leagues (Germany, Spain, Italy, England and France).

Ajax

Poulsen arrived on a free transfer from Évian Thonon Gaillard on August 22, 2012, and signed a two-year deal with Dutch club Ajax, which he would hold until June 30, 2014.

signed the defensive midfielder as a replacement for Vurnon Anita, who left the club lately.

Poulsen was a regular starter in his debut season in Amsterdam, helping his team win their third straight national title and Christian's first in twelve years.

Copenhagen

Poulsen signed a one-year deal with Danish team F.C. Copenhagen on September 30, 2014, reuniting him with his previous club 12 years after leaving them.

He set up the winning goal for Brandur Olsen in the Danish cup final on 14 May 2015, as Copenhagen defeated F.C. Vestsjlland 3-2 in extra-time. On June 7, 2015, he played his last competitive match against Hobro.

Christian Poulsen style of play

Poulsen is a defensive midfielder who is noted for his tough tackling. He is an aggressive, hardworking, and tactically adaptable defensive midfielder with strong technique. Although he is most often used as a holding midfielder, he can also play in more forward midfield roles.

Christian Poulsen controversies

Following a 0–0 draw with Italy in the 2004 European Championship group stage, Danish television showed Poulsen getting spit on by Italian playmaker Francesco Totti.

After failing to prove that he was provoked by Poulsen, Totti got a three-match suspension and issued a "full public apology." Following that, Italy was eliminated from the competition at the group round.

Poulsen's club Schalke played two games against A.C. Milan in the 2005–06 Champions League campaign. Poulsen was labeled as a "coward" by Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti after their first encounter, a 2–2 draw, with Ancelotti stating that Poulsen physically kicked Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaká.

Despite a goal by Poulsen, Schalke fell 2–3 in the second encounter. Following the final whistle, Gennaro Gattuso, an Italian player, approached Poulsen and accosted him. Poulsen gave him a sarcastic thumbs up when Gattuso made gloating comments, later adding that he regarded Gattuso juvenile and wished he felt humiliated for himself.

Markus Rosenberg of Sweden attacked Poulsen in the 89th minute of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark, who then punched Rosenberg.

Referee Fandel sent Poulsen off after consulting with his deputy official and awarding Sweden a penalty, which was never executed because a supporter stormed onto the field and attempted to hit the referee. The supporter was seized by the Danish player Michael Gravgaard, but the game was called off due to the referee's intervention.

An enraged supporter sought to file charges against Poulsen for striking Rosenberg after the game. A member of the Copenhagen Metropolitan Police demanded a month in prison, and Danish Minister of Justice Lene Espersen demanded that Poulsen be kicked from the national team.

On the 18th of June, the prosecution office dismissed the case, and national team coach Morten Olsen recalled Poulsen to the national team.

For a summary of additional occurrences in the contentious encounter between

and

, see UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier crowd assault.

Christian Poulsen international playing career

On 10 November 2001, Poulsen made his Denmark debut in the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Copenhagen.

An important fact about Christian Poulsen is that he made 92 appearances for the national team and scored six goals. Poulsen took part with the national team at the 2002 World Cup, the Euro 2004, the World Cup 2010 and the Euro 2012.

The final group game of the Euro 2012 on June 17, 2012 against Germany was his last game for the Danish national team. In August 2012 he resigned from the national team.

Christian Poulsen coaching career

Poulsen and Per Krldrup, a former Danish international player, were signed as special coaches at B.93 in the summer of 2016. Poulsen was also pursuing a master's degree in business coaching.

Poulsen returned to Ajax in September 2018 for a year-long coach internship, where he will follow the coaching staff of the club's first team.

A notable fact about Christian Poulsen is that he joined Ajax as an assistant manager under manager Erik ten Hag on July 1, 2019. On July 1, 2021, he quit the team.

Poulsen was introduced as the next assistant coach of the Danish national team under Kasper Hjulmand on September 25, 2021.

Christian Poulsen, a bad signing for Liverpool

The only way to properly commemorate Roy Hodgson's management career is to recall what may have been his worst signing.

Christian Poulsen, the inept midfielder and terrible sod, is the player most closely identified with Hodgson's catastrophic Anfield reign.

The Dane had played for Hodgson at Copenhagen a decade before, and the Liverpool manager was keen to praise the traits that he had quickly seen when Poulsen showed up for a trial all those years before.

"I recall him having to take time off work to come and complete the trial; the intention was for Christian to train with us for a week, but after the first day, I convinced the Sporting Director that he should be signed."

"His skill was much, far above the level at which he was performing. He made his debut as a right-back in a friendly against Rosenborg, but when he was given the opportunity to play in midfield, he jumped right in and never looked back. Since then, it's been a steady upward climb."

It's very nice. Hodgson, on the other hand, seems to have overlooked the fact that 2010 was not 2000, and Liverpool was not Copenhagen.

Poulsen didn't come cheap at £4.5 million, but he did come from Juventus, which carries some weight. He was also a two-time Danish Player of the Year, one of many Laudrups, Schmeichels, Olsens, and Christian Eriksens that came before him. He did, however, immediately follow Jon Dahl Tomasson, which should have served as a warning.

Despite his extensive European experience and pedigree, it was evident early on that Poulsen would not be a success at Liverpool.

The fans needed little encouragement to turn on Hodgson, whose problems were exacerbated by having replaced the much-loved Rafa Benitez in the Anfield big chair, and the very real prospect of things devolving into a genuine relegation scrap, the Reds spent three weeks in the drop zone after winning just one of their first eight Premier League games.

Poulsen was a disaster, but the fact that he was clearly Hodgson's guy ensured he never had a chance. Hodgson was never going to be considered as a successor for Benitez, and Poulsen was never going to be considered as a replacement for Javier Mascherano.

He was lumpy, leaden, and miles behind schedule. Even though one of the other seven was Paul Konchesky, he was the weakest signing of the eight Hodgson managed to get past the Anfield doors.

Most heartbreakingly, Hodgson himself, who often appeared to be murdering his lovely flaxen-haired kid with compassion, was the most scathing assessment of Poulsen's piss-poor performance. He twisted the knife unwittingly the more he sought to protect and encourage Poulsen.

The team's performance improved sufficiently in the fall to allay early relegation worries, but Hodgson never seemed completely at ease.

Hodgson was fired barely six months after coming at Anfield with his Danish protégé in tow following a run of four losses in six games, ending in a dreadful 3-1 thrashing by Blackburn with Poulsen an unused replacement.

Poulsen finished the season on the bench before joining Evian in the summer as it became evident that

favored Jay Spearing in the Liverpool midfield.

Christian Poulsen legacy

Christian Poulsen signed a three-year contract with Liverpool in August 2010. Prior to joining the Barclays Premier League, the midfield enforcer had a varied and colorful career that included stops in the Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A.

His football career began with his local club Asnaes, but he quickly moved on to Holbaek and made his professional debut at the age of 17 - and his meteoric ascent continued with a call-up to the Danish U19 side in September 1998.

Poulsen was given a trial at FC Copenhagen two years and 82 appearances later by a certain

, who was sufficiently impressed to act fast and sign the tough-tackling star.

Poulsen was crowned Denmark's Young Player of the Year after a tremendously successful 2000-01 season in which Copenhagen won the league and Poulsen was voted Young Player of the Year.

Hodgson's time at the Parken Stadium had come to an end in the summer of 2001, but Poulsen would stay with Byens Hold for another season, guiding them to a second-place finish and earning Player of the Year honors.

Anyone who had seen his strong midfield performances would have expected him to be recognized internationally, and he received his first cap against Holland in November 2001. Poulsen was named to Denmark's World Cup roster in 2002, and he started all three group games from the bench.

He did, however, pick up two bookings and therefore missed Denmark's knockout round loss at the hands of England. Despite this, Schalke came in after the tournament to purchase Poulsen for 7 million Euros, a then-record amount for a Danish league player.

His popularity continued to grow in the Bundesliga, and by the time of Euro 2004, he had established himself as a defensive midfielder for both club and country, having advanced to the final eight in Portugal before losing to the Czech Republic.

Poulsen was awarded Denmark's Player of the Year in 2004-05, when Schalke won the German League Cup and placed second in the Bundesliga, and he went on to become the first player in history to retain the award a year later.

Denmark's inability to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, on the other hand, forced him to seek fresh pastures. Seville, the current holders of the UEFA Cup, won off fierce competition to sign the midfielder, and his first act for the club was to assist them in defeating reigning European Champions Barcelona in the Super Cup final in Monaco.

Poulsen played a key role in Sevillistas' UEFA Cup and Copa del Rey victories in 2006-07. Seville, on the other hand, had a dismal 2007-08 season, and Juventus came knocking for the Dane's talents.

His first term in Turin resulted in a second-place finish, but Italy's Old Lady fell to seventh in his second Italian campaign. Poulsen, a staple of the Danish team, played 882 minutes out of a possible 900 in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals, scoring two goals.

The lynchpin played in all three of South Africa's matches, but was unable to prevent his nation from exiting the championship at the group stage. His dissatisfaction was quickly alleviated by a transfer to Anfield.

Some quick facts about Christian Poulsen:

An important

fact about Christian Poulsen

is that he started playing football in 1985 at Asnæs BK. After the stopover at Holbæk B&I, where he became team captain at the age of 17, he went to FC Copenhagen in 2000, with whom he won the Danish championship in 2001.

Eliminated by Lazio in the Champions League qualifier, Poulsen continued to play with FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Cup.

There they were eliminated against the eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund. At the end of the 2001/02 season Poulsen was runners-up with FC Copenhagen; the final in the Danish cup competition was 1-2 against Odense BKlost. Thus, Poulsen failed to win a title with FC Copenhagen.

Shortly after FC Copenhagen's UEFA Cup match with Poulsen against Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund expressed an interest in Poulsen. However, the negotiations between Copenhagen and Dortmund failed because of the transfer fee to be paid for the player.

Poulsen later opted for a move to Borussia Dortmund's arch-rivals FC Schalke 04, which was completed for the 2002/03 season.

A notable fact about Christian Poulsen is that he made his debut for Schalke 04 on the first day of the new season, in which Schalke 04 finished seventh in the table; Poulsen made 24 appearances and scored one goal. In the 2004/05 season he was runner-up with Schalke.

Roy Hodgson gave Poulsen his first major opportunity at FC Kbenhavn when he was twenty years old, and he was part of the team that won the Danish Superliga championship in 2001 and finished second in 2002, when he was named the club's Player of the Season.

Poulsen began his career in Denmark as an offensive midfielder, scoring 10 goals in 45 appearances for the Copenhagen squad before joining German club Schalke following the 2002 World Cup. He remained at Gelsenkirchen for four seasons, winning the German league cup, before going to Sevilla, the defending UEFA Cup champions, in 2006.

An important fact about Christian Poulsen is that he was the first player to win the Danish Player of the Year award for two years in a row in 2005 and 2006, and he entered with a high profile to uphold. Poulsen was a huge hit at Sevilla, and the Spanish daily Marca named him the finest summer purchase in the country.

The Spanish team won the UEFA Cup in Glasgow after beating

on penalties; the game went to penalties and Poulsen played the whole 120 minutes.

Following two seasons in Spain, the Dane moved to Juventus. Despite signing a four-year deal upon his arrival in Italy, he would only stay with the Turin club for two seasons, appearing in 48 of their 76 league games.

Juve were planning to release him after a single season due to interest from Turkish teams, but he remained to battle for his spot. Poulsen is a no-holds-barred sort of player, with uncompromising being a popular descriptor of his style of play.

Totti and Kaká were two of his most notable opponents, with the former losing his cool and spitting in Poulsen's face in the 2004 European Championship, earning him a three-match suspension.

After Schalke's match against Milan in the 2005/06 Champions League, then-Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti called Poulsen a coward, claiming, "When the referee isn't looking, he begins swinging kicks and shoving his opponents when the official's back is turned. He's a coward who has no business playing football."

Many fans saw Roy Hodgson's team's arrival on Merseyside as one of the key reasons for their hard work. Daniel Agger, a fellow Dane, cautioned Poulsen that English football was unlike anything he had seen before.

"Perhaps the speed here will be a cultural shock for him; he'll have to adjust to the extra-fast pace and won't be able to enjoy café lattes like he does in Italy."

To say the least, Poulsen certainly struggled with the English game! Poulsen's sloppy play was a distressing sight for any Liverpool fan who grew up seeing Graeme Souness, Steve McMahon, and

patrol the middle.

Poulsen signed a one-year contract with Evian Thonon Gaillard, the French Ligue 2 champions, in the summer of 2011. Evian performed well in the top flight, ultimately placing ninth, while Poulsen participated in 24 of the 38 league games.

After Romanian Florin Raducioiu, he became just the second player to have played professionally in the top level of all five of the so-called main European Leagues: Germany, Spain, Italy, England, and France. When Poulsen joined Ajax in August 2012, he added the Netherlands to his resume.

In 2012/13, Poulsen played in thirty-seven first-team games for Ajax. For the thirty-second time, the Amsterdam club has won the Dutch title. It was the first championship-winning club with which the Dane had been engaged in almost a decade.

In the 2013/14 season, the Danish midfielder was a regular part of the Ajax squad, featuring in 29 of the 34 league games as the Amsterdam club regained its domestic crown.

During the season, Poulsen also played in all eight of his club's European matches. He subsequently signed a one-year contract with FC Copenhagen, where he helped them win the Danish Cup. He was unable to find a club in the next three transfer windows, and his agency declared his retirement from the game in December 2016.

During the European Championship match against Italy on June 14, 2004 in Guimarães (0-0), he was spat on by Italian player Francesco Totti after provoking him. Totti was then suspended for three games.

In the European Championship qualifier against Sweden on 2 June 2007, Poulsen punched Sweden's Markus Rosenberg in the stomach and was sent off, prompting a fan to attack referee Herbert Fandel.

A notable fact about Christian Poulsen is that he is the only player, along with Florin Răducioiu and Stevan Jovetić, to have played in the five biggest leagues in Europe (England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France)

In September 2018, Christian Poulsen started an internship with the Ajax Amsterdam professional team. Later he got a permanent job and finally joined the coaching team; for the 2019/20 season, Christian Poulsen became the new assistant coach under head coach Erik ten Hag.

Christian Poulsen social media

Regarding

Christian Poulsen social media

, it should be mentioned that he does not have any pages on any social media platforms.

Christian Poulsen body measurements

Speaking about

Christian Poulsen body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former player is 182 cm and 76 kg.

Christian Poulsen net worth and salary

Christian Poulsen’s net worth

is estimated to be from $1 million to $4 million USD. From his major profession as a soccer player, he has amassed a significant fortune.

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