Morten Nicolas Rasmussen (born 31 January 1985) is a Danish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, better known as Morten Duncan Rasmussen, who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. He works as a forward coach at FC Midtjylland.
He has played 13 times and scored 4 goals for the Denmark national team. Rasmussen scored 37 goals in 60 matches for various Denmark national youth sides and was named the Danish under-19 Player of the Year in 2003. He is the highest scoring player in the history of the Danish Superliga, scoring 141 goals for Aalborg BK, AGF, Brøndby and FC Midtjylland.
Early life
Born in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Rasmussen lived in Valby until he was two years old, at which point he and his parents moved to Tilst, 10 km west of
Aarhus
Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...
.
Club career
AGF Aarhus
Rasmussen started his career in the youth scheme of Aarhus top-flight club AGF. While at AGF, he earned the nickname "Duncan" due to a slight physical resemblance of former Scottish international striker
Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Cowan Ferguson (born 27 December 1971) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Ferguson was the caretaker manager of Everton in 2019 and 2022. He began his career at Dundee United in 1990, and moved to Rangers in 1993 for what was ...
,Mads Glenn Wehlast. "Fem fra Duncan". '' Ekstra Bladet''. 30 April 2002. though he stated at the time that he wasn't a particular fan of Duncan Ferguson himself.
In January 2002, Rasmussen turned professional as he signed a three-year contract with AGF, running to January 2005. He made his debut for AGF in the
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...
championship in May 2002, as he played the last two games of the 2001–02 Superliga season. He made his debut in the 0–1 defeat to Lyngby on 12 May, before scoring his first goal in the 4–0 win against Silkeborg on 16 May. Following two goals in 15 games in the first half of the 2002–03 Superliga season, Rasmussen signed an improved five-year contract running until the summer of 2008.
After meagre goalscoring in his first three full seasons for AGF, scoring 17 goals in 82 games, the 2005–06 Superliga season was Rasmussen's senior-level breakthrough. Rasmussen scored 10 goals in 19 games during the first half of the season, including a scoring streak of six goals in five games. Before the winter 2005
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...
. Following a total of 28 goals in 103 Superliga matches for AGF, Rasmussen left the club in January 2006.
Brøndby
Rasmussen was bought by the defending Superliga champions
Brøndby IF
Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a professional association football club based in Brøndbyvester, Capital Region of Denmark. The club was founded in 1964 as a merger between two local clubs and was p ...
, with whom he signed a five-year contract. With a price tag of 12 million DKK, he replaced striker
Morten Skoubo
Morten Skoubo (; born 30 June 1980) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made six appearances for the Denmark national team scoring once.
Career
FC Midtjylland
Born in Holstebro, Skoubo played for a number o ...
who had been sold to Spanish club
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septem ...
. He started using the moniker "Duncan" when playing for Brøndby. His start at Brøndby was marked by an injury incurred in March 2006, and in the remaining games of the 2005–06 Superliga season, he scored one goal in six matches.
He started the 2006–07 Superliga season by scoring three goals in six games, before an injury sidelined him in August 2006. He returned in February 2007, helping Brøndby win the 2007
Royal League
The Royal League was an annual Scandinavian football tournament held three times between teams from the three Scandinavian monarchies (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. Denm ...
cup tournament, and went on to score 15 goals in 13 games in the second half of the 2006–07 Superliga season. In the 2007–08 Superliga season, Rasmussen scored seven goals in 19 games, before suffering an injury in March 2008. In that season he also helped Brøndby win the 2008 Danish Cup. The 2008–09 season was Rasmussen's first full Brøndby season without major injuries, as he scored nine goals in 25 games.
Celtic
Following 12 goals in 15 games in the first half of the 2009–10 Superliga, Rasmussen attracted the attention of
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the top level league competition for professional football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football' ...
club
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
. On 25 January 2010, Rasmussen arrived in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
for contract negotiations and a medical with Celtic before signing on a three and a half year deal the next day for a fee in excess of £1 million. Rasmussen exclaimed he was delighted to join the Glasgow club saying "I started at Aarhus, before going to Brondby, which was a bigger club, so moving to Celtic is another big step up for me." Rasmussen chose to abandon the moniker "Duncan" when playing for Celtic. He made his debut for Celtic on 27 January, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute for
Georgios Samaras
Georgios Samaras ( el, Γεώργιος Σαμαράς, ; born 21 February 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker.
Samaras started his career at OFI Crete, before moving on to Eredivisie side Heerenveen in 200 ...
as ''the Hoops'' lost 2–1 to Hibernian and scored his first Celtic goal three days later in the 1–0 victory against
Hamilton Accies
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championship, having been relegated from the 2020–21 Scottis ...
. Rasmussen scored a goal in his third game for Celtic in a 4–2 win over Dunfermline Athletic in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic Park.
Rasmussen rarely featured for Celtic under the management of Neil Lennon, making only four starts during his time with the club. He left Celtic in August 2012 after completing loan spells with Mainz, AaB and Sivasspor.
Mainz (loan)
In August 2010, Rasmussen signed for
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
side
1. FSV Mainz 05
1. Fußball- und Sportverein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05, Mainz 05 () or simply Mainz (), is a German sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. 1. FSV Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top ...
on a season-long loan deal from Celtic with a view to a permanent move. He made his debut against
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...
on 21 August 2010 and scored a looping header to make it 2–0. Rasmussen scored in the next game against Wolfsburg on 28 August 2010, the side's first goal of a 4–3 away win. Rasmussen rarely featured after that making only one start and two substitute appearances for the German side after his relatively good start.
In December, Mainz's sporting director
Christian Heidel
Christian Heidel (born 2 June 1963) is a German football executive who works for 1. FSV Mainz 05, FSV Mainz 05 and previously worked for FC Schalke 04, Schalke 04.
Career
1. FSV Mainz 05 (1992–2016)
Heidel became Mainz 05's manager in 1992 an ...
announced the club would not be making a permanent move after the end of the loan deal.
AaB (loan)
In February 2011, Rasmussen signed for Danish side AaB on loan from Celtic after his loan spell with Mainz was cut short. He did not score any goals in his first five league matches for AaB in the league, but he scored six goals in the following five, including a goal against former team Brøndby.
Sivasspor (loan)
In September 2011, Rasmussen signed for Turkish side Sivasspor on a six-month loan deal. In Rasmussen's second game for the club, he was forced to play in goal after goalkeeper,
Milan Borjan
Milan Borjan ( sr-cyr, Милан Борјан; born 23 October 1987) is a professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Red Star Belgrade and the Canadian national team.
Early life
Borjan was born on 23 October 1987 in Knin, SFR Yug ...
, had been sent off and all three substitutes had been used. Rasmussen picked up a yellow card after conceding a penalty during the match, but this was the only goal he let in.
Midtjylland
Rasmussen signed a four-year contract with Danish club Midtjylland in August 2012.
In the
2014–15 Danish Superliga
The 2014–15 Danish Superliga season was the 25th season of the Danish Superliga, which decides the Danish football championship.
Since Denmark dropped from fifteenth to nineteenth place in the 2014 UEFA association coefficient rankings at the ...
season, Rasmussen scored 13 league goals in 23 appearances, helping Midtjylland to their first league title.
AGF
Rasmussen return to his first professional club, AGF, in January 2016 and signed a three-year contract.
Pogoń Szczecin
Duncan signed for Polish club Pogoń Szczecin on 30 January 2018.
International career
Rasmussen made his international debut with the Danish under-16 national team in 2001, scoring three goals in three under-16 national team games. He represented Denmark at the 2002 European Under-17 Championship, scoring six goals in four games, including five goals in 20 minutes in the 6–0 win against the Finland under-17s. Having scored 17 goals in 19 matches for the under-17 national team, he moved into the under-19 national team in September 2002, still aged 17. Following six goals in 11 matches for the under-19 team, he was awarded 2003 Danish under-19 Player of the Year. On 3 September 2004, aged 19, Rasmussen got his debut for the Denmark under-21 national team. He scored eight goals in 13 games to help Denmark qualify for the 2006 European Under-21 Championship. However, at the main tournament, Rasmussen had to relinquish his place in the
starting line-up
In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as ''starters'', whereas the others are ''substitutes'' o ...
to
Nicklas Bendtner
Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack, and occasionally on the left. A large, ...
, though he played as a substitute in all three Denmark games. In total, Rasmussen scored nine goals in 21 games for the under-21 team.
Rasmussen made his debut for the senior Danish national team on 11 October 2008, as he played the last 13 minutes of the 3–0 win against
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
in the
2010 World Cup qualification
Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oce ...
. In January 2009, he was a part of the unofficial
Denmark League XI national football team
The Denmark League XI national football team is an unofficial national football team run by the Danish Football Association.
The team generally consists of Danish players playing in the Danish Superliga, or other leagues if their clubs agree to r ...
which won the
2009 King's Cup
The 39th King's Cup finals was held from 21 to 23 January 2009 at the Surakul Stadium in Phuket, Thailand. The King's Cup (คิงส์คัพ) is an annual football tournament; the first tournament was played in 1968.
This edition of the t ...
invitational tournament, under the management of Danish national coach Morten Olsen. He played a further two senior international friendly games in November 2009. In January 2010, he once again joined the League XI team for the
2010 King's Cup
The 40th King's Cup finals was held in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from 17 January until 23 January. The King's Cup is an international football competition held in Thailand. This edition featured four teams and reverted to a round robin group s ...
. Rasmussen scored for the Danish side in their first game, a 3–1 win over
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, as his team went on to defend their title.
On 10 May 2010, Rasmussen was included in Olsen's preliminary 30-man squad for the
2010 World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
. After first-choice striker
Nicklas Bendtner
Nicklas Bendtner (; born 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. His preferred position was centre-forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack, and occasionally on the left. A large, ...
picked up an injury, Rasmussen was called up for the Danish squad on 21 May to act as cover, but was eventually left out of the final 23-man squad on 28 May.
Coaching and later career
After retiring at the end of the 2018/19 season, FC Midtjylland announced, that they had hired Duncan as a forward coach. Beside, Duncan also played for
Denmark Series
The Denmark Series ( da, Danmarksserien) is the fifth tier in the Danish football league system. Teams are divided into four groups of ten. The top team in each group is promoted to the Danish 3rd Division. The bottom three teams in each group are ...
4 team, TIF All Stars. He scored six goals in his first game which the club won 16-1. Other former players such as
Kristian Bach Bak
Kristian Bach Bak (né Bak Nielsen; born 20 October 1982) is a Danish former professional footballer. Bak usually played centre-back, but he has a past as a striker. He has played one game for the Danish under-21 national team.
Club career Mi ...
,
Jens Berthel Askou
Jens Berthel Askou (born 19 August 1982) is a Danish football coach and former professional player. He is in charge of AC Horsens.
Askou has played for a number of Danish clubs before moving abroad, first to Turkish club Kasımpaşa and then t ...
and
Søren Mussmann
Søren Mussmann (born 29 June 1993) is a retired Danish professional football defender.
Retirement and later career
Mussmann retired on 17 January 2017 at the age of 23, due to several hip operations.
However, in April 2019, Mussmann signed wit ...
also played for TIF All Stars.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rasmussen goal.''
Royal League
The Royal League was an annual Scandinavian football tournament held three times between teams from the three Scandinavian monarchies (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. Denm ...
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...