Nicki Niels Bille Nielsen (born 7 February 1988) 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 ...

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 has played for various Danish national youth teams, including 17 games and 8 goals for the

Denmark national under-21 football team The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years. Tournament record UEFA European U-21 Championship *''*Draws include knockout match ...

Club career

Bille Nielsen started his senior career with

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...

club

BK Frem Boldklubben Frem (also known as Frem, BK Frem or BK Frem Copenhagen) is a Danish sports club based in the Valby- Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. It is best known for its semi-professional football team. Since its foundation in 1886, Frem has wo ...

. He was promoted to the first-team in the summer 2005,Ud af vagten i Valby , Tipsbladet
/ref> and made his debut on 31 July 2005 against

Fremad Amager Boldklubben Fremad Amager (meaning in English: The Ball Club Forward Amager ; abbreviated Fremad A) is a Danish professional football club based in the district of Amager Vest, Copenhagen. As of the 2020–21 season, the club's senior men's team ...

. He signed a two-year contract with Frem in October 2005, and was on trial with English club

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

in November 2005, and also had a trial with Portsmouth F.C.En god dreng i banditland , Tipsbladet
/ref> Though he never secured himself in the Frem starting line-up, Bille played a total 38 senior games and scored four goals for the club until August 2006. In September 2006, he moved abroad to play for Italian club

Reggina Calcio Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are ni ...

in the

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

championship, under manager

Walter Mazzarri Walter Mazzarri (; born 1 October 1961) is an Italian former footballer and head coach, most recently in charge of Serie A club Cagliari. After a 14-year playing career with Italian clubs including Reggiana and Empoli, Mazzarri coached several ...

. He scored in his debut game for Reggina, a

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

game on 8 November. He got his Serie A debut on 19 November, and played seven games during the

2006–07 Serie A The 2006–07 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 105th season of top-tier Italian football, the 75th in a round-robin tournament. It was scheduled to begin on 26 and 27 August, but was postponed to 2 September 200 ...

season without scoring any goals. He also played for Reggina's youth team, helping them advance in the 2007

Campionato Nazionale Primavera The Campionato Nazionale Primavera – Trofeo Giacinto Facchetti, was an Italian football youth competition. It is organised by the Lega Serie A and the participating teams that take part in Serie A and Serie B: the first edition was held in th ...

by scoring two goals in two games against

A.C. Milan Primavera Associazione Calcio Milan (AC Milan) are an Italian professional football club based in Milan. Their Youth Sector ( it. ''Settore Giovanile'') encompasses several boys' and girls' age-group teams ranging from under-8s up to under-19s. Angelo ...

. Under new manager

Massimo Ficcadenti Massimo Ficcadenti (born 6 November 1967 in Fermo) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder. Career Playing Ficcadenti started his playing career with Sambenedettese, where he played from 1985 to 1989. He then signed for Messina, pla ...

, Bille had a difficult time securing a place in the starting eleven, and he underwent loan deals with

Serie C1 Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football (soccer), football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1 ...

teams A.C. Martina and

A.S. Lucchese-Libertas Lucchese 1905 s.r.l., or simply Lucchese, is an Italian football club, based in Lucca, Tuscany that plays in Serie C, the third tier of Italian football. The club was first founded in 1905, having last been in Serie A in 1952. History Foundat ...

. Both clubs went bankrupt during his stays,Endnu en dansker i Reggina-problemer , Tipsbladet
/ref> and according to his agent Bille did not get his wage from Reggina either. In August 2008, Bille agreed to rescind all claims of the wages owed to him, in order for his contract to be terminated a year before its expiration. He brought with him an eight match-day suspension incurred following a

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...

for laying his hand on the referee in a May 2008 youth team game for Lucchese. He moved back to Denmark, and trained with

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 ...

team

FC Nordsjælland Football Club Nordsjælland, commonly known as FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland () or FCN, is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum. Founded as ''Farum Boldklub'' from the merger of the town's two football club ...

in August 2008. On 18 September the

Danish Football Association The Danish Football Union ( da, Dansk Boldspil-Union; DBU) is the governing body of football in Denmark. It is the organization of the Danish football clubs and runs the professional Danish football leagues and the men's and women's national t ...

ruled that in order to help him re-establish his career, Bille's eight-day suspension would expire from the ninth match day of the

2008–09 Danish Superliga The 2008–09 Danish Superliga was the 19th season of Danish Superliga league championship, which determines the winners of the Danish football championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. The season started on 19 July 2008 and ende ...

season even though he had not been signed by any club, making him available for selection from the start of October. He signed a contract with Nordsjælland on 25 September, and made his debut in October. He played 10 games in his first season with Nordsjælland, as he was backup for

Martin Bernburg Martin Løfqvist Bernburg (; born 26 December 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He previously notably played for FC Nordsjælland and Brøndby IF and also gained caps for the Danish national team. Club c ...

.Nicki Bille: Tilskuerne spyttede på os – FCN – Superliga – Fodbold
/ref> As Bernburg was sold, Bille got his breakthrough in the

2009–10 Danish Superliga The 2009–10 Danish Superliga season was the 20th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, which determinates the winners of the Danish football championship. It is governed by the Danish Football Association. The tournament started o ...

season, when he played 32 of 33 games and scored eight goals. He was also a part of the Nordsjælland team which won the 2010

Danish Cup The Danish Cup ( da, Landspokalturneringen; often referred to as Pokalen) is the official "knockout" cup competition in Danish football, run by the Danish Football Association. The cup has been contested annually since 1955. The winner will quali ...

. Nicki Bille gained his first team debut 5 February 2011 in a home fixture against Levante FC, Villarreal CF lost the game 0–1. He was loaned out to

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid, in the neighbourhood of Vallecas. Rayo was founded on 29 May 1924, and currently compete in La Lig ...

for the 2012–2013 La Liga season. On 3 January 2013 he signed a four-year deal with Norwegian side Rosenborg after ending his stay at

earlier than planned. Billie Nielsen changed from number 9 to his favorite number 14 before the 2014 season. In 2014, Rosenborg sold Nielsen for an undisclosed amount to the French club Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C. During his Rosenborg career, he had scored 24 goals in 50 games. On 1 July 2015, he signed a three-year contract with

Esbjerg fB Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the Danish football league system. Foun ...

, but his time at Esbjerg was never a success. He left half a year after signing with the club having played 19 games and scored five goals. On 27 January 2016, he signed a 2.5-year contract with an option of one additional year with Polish champion

Lech Poznań Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation' ...

. He was given shirt number 19 after the former topscorer

Kasper Hämäläinen Kasper Woldemar Hämäläinen (born 8 August 1986) is a Finnish professional football attacking midfielder who plays for Ykkönen side TPS and the Finland national team. Hämäläinen was born in Turku, Finland, where he started his senior ca ...

. Bille got an injury in February 2016 in a match against

Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała TS Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała () is a football club based in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. They currently compete in the I liga, the second tier of Polish football. History The club was essentially founded on 11 July 1997, although it can trace i ...

, where he only played 25 minutes before leaving the pitch. He was out for 1 month . In August 2016, Bille suffered an injury in his

groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...

that kept him out for the next seven months. On 30 January 2018,

Panionios F.C. Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...

officially announced the purchase of experienced Danish international striker Nicki Niels Bille Nielsen from

, for an undisclosed fee. In July 2018 he signed a contract with

Lyngby Boldklub Lyngby Boldklub () is a Danish professional football club founded in 1921. It is based at Lyngby Stadion in Kongens Lyngby, Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality, a northern suburb of Copenhagen. From 1994 to 2001 the club was known as Lyngby FC. The club ...

, who was managed by Bille's former youth coach

Mark Strudal Mark Agner Boecking Strudal (born 29 April 1968) is a Danish football coach and former player who played as a striker. Playing career Strudal was born in Glostrup. He got his national breakthrough while playing for Næstved IF in the Danis ...

. On 26 October 2018 he was sacked from Lyngby following an episode, where he was arrested and charged by the

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 ...

Police Department. On 25 July 2019, Bille joined

Ishøj IF Ishøj IF is a football club from Ishøj, Denmark. The club was founded in 2017. Its first squad plays in the Danish 3rd Division. The club has more than 1,000 members. Ishøj IF started its existence in the Zealand Series in 2017. The club wa ...

in the

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 ...

– the 4th tier of Danish football. He was released without making an appearance, on 20 November 2019. In June 2020 he joined VB 1968 in the Zealand Series, the 5th tier of Danish football. At VB 1968 he joined several other former professional footballers such as

Martin Albrechtsen Martin Albrechtsen (born 31 March 1980) is a Danish football player. He can play in any position across the back four and has played four games for the Danish national team. He is the older brother of Jacob Albrechtsen. Career Akademisk Bol ...

, Quincy Antipas and

Nabil Aslam Mohammad Nabil Aslam ( ur, ; born 3 August 1984) is a retired Pakistani footballer who played as a defender. A versatile defender, Aslam primarily is a centre back, although he is a capable full back on either side. Physically strong and comp ...

International career

Bille got his international debut for the

Denmark national under-18 football team The Denmark national under-19 football team is a team under the Danish Football Association, selected among all Danish football players under the age of 19, to represent Denmark in international U / 19 football tournaments organized by FIFA and ...

in September 2005, and played four games for the team until February 2006. He was called up for the Danish under-20 national team for the 2006

Milk Cup SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of ...

in August, as a replacement for the injured

Nicklas Pedersen Nicklas Pedersen (born 10 October 1987) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently U17 manager at HB Køge. Club career Pedersen started his senior career with Herfølge BK in the Danish 1st Division ...

, and scored one goal in two games at the tournament. From September 2006 to June 2007, he scored three goals in nine matches for the Danish U19 team. He was again included in the U20 squad for the 2007 Milk Cup, scoring one goal in three games. After his loan to Martina, he was called-up for the

to replace the injured

Bo Storm Bo Storm (born 3 February 1987 in Nordborg) is a retired Danish footballer, who currently is the assistant manager of Danish 1st Division club FC Roskilde. Career He has played several games for the Danish youth national teams (U-16, U-17, U-18 ...

, and made his under-21 debut in September 2007. He was not called up again before he moved to FC Nordsjælland. In November 2008, Bille played his sixth and last under-20 international game. He rejoined the under-21 team in January 2009, and established himself in the team. In May 2010, he joined the under-21 team for a series of unofficial games at the international

2010 Toulon Tournament The 2010 Toulon Tournament was the 38th edition of the Toulon Tournament and began on 18 May and ended on 27 May 2010. Chile were the defending champions. Participant teams * * * * * * * * Venues The matches were played in these communes: *A ...

. He scored five goals in four appearances, becoming the top scorer of the tournament and helping Denmark finish runners-up.

International goal

:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.''

Personal life

Bille Nielsen's cousin is

Daniel Wass Daniel Wass (born 31 May 1989) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for Danish Superliga club Brøndby and the Denmark national team. He is capable of playing as a midfielder and full-back. Early years During the majority of his chil ...

. In the early hours of 27 September 2013, Nielsen was arrested by Norwegian police in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

after a series of incidents at two pubs. He was detained overnight and subsequently given a fine in lieu of prosecution of for disturbing the peace. On 8 July 2014, Nielsen was charged by Danish authorities with committing violence against police officers during an incident in Copenhagen during Easter 2014 when he was approached by police after allegedly conducting acts of vandalism. The charges led to Rosenborg banning Nielsen from several days of training. Nielsen denied all charges by the Danish authorities. On 15 June 2018, Nielsen was sentenced to one month in jail in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

for hitting a woman and possessing cocaine. On 22 October 2018, he was arrested on

Strøget Strøget () is a pedestrian, car free shopping area in Copenhagen, Denmark. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe at 1.1 km. Located at the centre of the old city o ...

in Central

and charged with threats. This led to him being sacked by

. On 25 December 2018, Nielsen was seriously injured in the right arm, when three people entered his flat in the

Sydhavnen Kongens Enghave ("king's meadow"), commonly known as Sydhavnen ("south harbour") or the postal district of 2450 Copenhagen SV (southwest) is a district in southern Copenhagen. While its core is a largely pre-WWII former working class district, it ...

District of

and shot him with a shotgun.

Career statistics

Club

¹ Including

Polish SuperCup The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2021, the Polish Super Cup has been pl ...

Honours

Club

;FC Nordsjælland *

: 2009–10,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

;Lech Poznań *

Polish Super Cup The Polish Super Cup (, ) is an annually held match between the champions of the Ekstraklasa and the Polish Cup winners or, if the Ekstraklasa champions also win the Polish Cup, the Cup's runners-up. As of 2021, the Polish Super Cup has been pl ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

References

External links

Nicki Bille
DBU
Danish Superliga statistics

Serie A statistics
*
Boldklubben Frem profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bille Nielsen, Nicki 1988 births Living people Footballers from Copenhagen Danish men's footballers Denmark men's international footballers Denmark men's under-21 international footballers Denmark men's youth international footballers Men's association football forwards Danish Superliga players Danish 1st Division players Boldklubben Frem players FC Nordsjælland players Serie A players Reggina 1914 players A.S.D. Martina Calcio 1947 players Lucchese 1905 players La Liga players Segunda División players Villarreal CF B players Villarreal CF players Elche CF players Rayo Vallecano players Eliteserien players Rosenborg BK players Ligue 1 players Thonon Evian Grand Genève FC players Danish expatriate men's footballers Lech Poznań players Ekstraklasa players Panionios F.C. players Super League Greece players Lyngby Boldklub players Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Norway Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Poland Expatriate footballers in Greece Danish expatriate sportspeople in Norway Danish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Danish expatriate sportspeople in France Danish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Danish expatriate sportspeople in Poland Danish expatriate sportspeople in Greece Ishøj IF players