Niki Dige Zimling (born 19 April 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 ...

and current U19 manager of AGF. He was named 2006 Danish ''under-21 Talent of the Year'', and has played 24 games for the Danish national team.

Career

Brøndby IF

Born in

Tårnby Tårnby () is a town in Denmark, the seat of Tårnby Municipality in the Capital Region of Denmark. It is located approximately south of central Copenhagen on the island of Amager. Neighbouring settlements include the Copenhagen suburb of Sundb ...

, Denmark, Zimling started his football career at

AB 70 Amager Boldklub af 1970 is a Denmark, Danish defunct association football club, now a part of AB Tårnby. They played at Vestamager Idrætscenter on Amager, Copenhagen, which has a capacity of 1,000. Founded in 1970, the club played three season ...

when he was four years old. Zimling then joined

Tårnby Boldklub Tårnby Boldklub (or Taarnby Boldklub, ) were a Danish football club based in Tårnby on Amager, which played their home games at Taarnby Stadium. The club was formed on 21 April 1935 as Arbejdernes Idræts Klub Tårnby (AIK Tårnby) and becam ...

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 ...

and

Kjøbenhavns Boldklub Kjøbenhavns Boldklub or KB is a Danish sports club based in Copenhagen. The club was founded 26 April 1876 on the grassy fields in outer Copenhagen which later became Fælledparken. Tennis has been played since 1883. The club hosted, in 1921, on ...

before he moved on to join the youth team of Brøndby. Zimling then progressed through the club's youth system and contributed well for the team, scoring on a regular basis. It was well paid off when he offered a full time contract with Brøndby in July 2002. A month later, Zimling signed his first professional contract with the club and in doing so, he was promoted to the reserve squad. In January 2003, Zimling was promoted to Brøndby's first team squad for the first time. Shortly after, he extended his contract with the club, keeping him until 2005. On 27 April 2003 Zimling made his Brøndby debut, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute, in a 3–1 win against

Aalborg BK Aalborg Boldspilklub is a Danish sports club based in the city of Aalborg. The club is also known as AaB for short (cf. logo) or Aalborg BK. Through time the club has had branches in cricket, tennis, ice hockey, handball, and basketball, but cur ...

in a

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 ...

game. This turns out to be his only appearance of the season. Ahead of the 2003–04 season, it was expected that Zimling would make a first team breakthrough at Brøndby. He then made his European debut, coming on as a second-half substitute, against Dinamo Minsk in UEFA Cup Qualification Round, as Brøndby won 2–0 to advance to the next round. On 17 September 2003 Zimling scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against Aalborg BK. In a match against

FC Midtjylland FC Midtjylland (, "Central Jutland") is a Danish professional football club based in Herning and Ikast in the western part of Jutland. The club is the result of a merger between Ikast FS and Herning Fremad. Midtjylland competes in the Danish Su ...

on 1 November 2003, he set up one of the goals for Brøndby, as the club won 2–0. Zimling played both legs in the UEFA Cup Second Round against

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...

, as Brøndby won on penalties to advance to the next round. Since the start of the 2003–04 season, he found his playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench at the club. However, Zimling was plagued with injuries that saw him out for the rest of the 2003–04 season. At the end of the 2003–04 season, he went on to make seventeen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2004–05 season, it was expected that Zimling would make a first team breakthrough at Brøndby. He made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute, in a 0–0 draw against

FK Ventspils FK Ventspils is a Latvian football club, based at Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadions in Ventspils city and is one of the most popular football clubs in the country. The club played in the Latvian Virsliga since 1997. It was abolished in 2020, but h ...

in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Second Round Qualification. In the return leg, however, the club were eliminated from the tournament through away goal after drawing 1–1 at home. Throughout the 2004–05 season, Zimling's first team opportunities was limited and his playing time mostly came from the substitute bench. Despite this, his contributions for the Brøndby led to the club winning the ''

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

'', both the league and

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 ...

. At the end of the 2004–05 season, he went on to make four appearances in all competitions. By the time Zimling departed from Brøndby, he played a total of 25 matches for the club and scored a single goal.

Esbjerg fB

With his contract expiring at the end of the 2004–05 season, Zimling chose to leave Brøndby to Superliga rivals

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 ...

on 18 August 2005, signing a three–year contract with the club. Esbjerg fB was interested in signing him a month before the move was made official. He made his debut for Esbjerg fB, starting a match and played 76 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–0 loss against

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 ...

on 28 August 2005. Since joining the club, Zimling quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the midfield position. On 27 November 2005 he scored his first goal for Esbjerg fB, in a 1–1 draw against AC Horsens. After serving a one match suspension in April, Zimling scored on his return from suspension, in a 2–1 loss against

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 ...

on 9 April 2006. This was followed up by scoring his third goal of the season, in a 4–0 win against FC Nordsjælland. He then played in both legs of the semi–finals of the Danish Cup against his former club, Brøndby, and scored in the first leg, as the club won 5–3 on aggregate to reach the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. Zimling started the whole game in the Danish Cup Final, as Esbjerg fB lost 1–0 against

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Viborg on 1 October 2006. He then scored two more goals by the end of the year, coming against

Silkeborg Silkeborg () is a Danish town with a population of 49,747 (1 January 2022).Stade Rennais Stade Rennais Football Club (), commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and pl ...

wanted to sign him. This led the club willing to sell Zimling for the right price, but received no offers yet and he ended up staying at Esbjerg fB. Following his, Zimling then scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against

Odense BK Odense Boldklub (; also known as Odense BK or the more commonly used OB) is a Danish professional football club based in the city Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga ...

on 18 March 2007. Two weeks later on 5 April 2007, he scored his seventh goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against his former club, Brøndby. Zimling then added three more goals for the club against Viborg, Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland. Despite being suspended on two occasions (including being captain, only to be sent–off for a second bookable offence against his former club, Brøndby on 29 April 2007), he went on to make thirty appearances and scoring ten times in all competitions (making him Esbjerg's second top-scorer for the club, just behind

Jesper Bech Jesper Bech (born 25 May 1982) is a Danish former professional footballer. He played as a striker. He has gained two caps for the Denmark national team. Biography Bech played his youth years for Ålholm IF, Skjold Birkerød, B 1903, Lyngby B ...

). Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Zimling continued to be linked a move away from Esbjerg, with European clubs, including

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, th ...

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and even his former club, Brøndby wanted to sign him. Soon after being appointed as captain, he suffered a back injury that saw him miss the first two league matches of the season. On 30 July 2007 Zimling returned to the starting line–up against AGF and helped the club draw 2–2. A week later on 11 August 2007, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–2 loss against Copenhagen. However, during a 2–0 win against Vanløse IF in the second round of the Danish Cup, Zimling suffered a 'serious ligament injury' that saw him out for two months. On 22 October 2007 he returned to the starting line–up against FC Midtjylland and scored the equalising goal, in a 2–2 draw. Zimling then scored two more goals by the end of the year, coming against

Herfølge Herfølge is a suburb of the town of Køge, Denmark, located about 5 kilometers south of Køge, and is a part of Køge Municipality. The suburb is connected to Køge and Næstved by the Lille Syd railway line. Residential areas Holmebækhuse, ...

and

Lyngby Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site of ...

. His performance continued to attract interest from Odense BK and Brøndby, who was interested to sign him in the January transfer window. It was agreed on 20 December 2007 that Esbjerg agreed to sell the player to FC Midtjylland. However, he rejected the move, preferring to leave the club in the summer. Following this, Zimling was continued to plagued with injuries on three occasions as the 2007–08 season was coming to an end. Despite this, he was featured in the Danish Cup Final against his former club, Brøndby, coming on as a second-half substitute, as Esbjerg lost 3–2. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Zimling went on to make twenty–one appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. Ahead of the 2008–09 season, it was reported that Esbjerg was going to offer Zimling a new contract, but the club's chairman Jørgen Jensen denies this and expected him to leave in January. At the start of the 2008–09 season, he started the first four league matches of the season. This lasted until Zimling missed one match, due to an injury. He returned to the starting line–up against Horsens on 31 August 2008, as Esbjerg lost 1–0. However, Zimling's playing time was restricted for the rest of the year, due to being on the sidelines on three occasions. Despite aiming to score five or six goals as his target before leaving in January, Zimling failed to do that, as he went on to make nine appearances.

Udinese

When his contract set to expire in December 2008, it was announced on 20 July 2008 that Zimling would be moving to

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 ...

team

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...

on a free transfer and will join the club in January. The club were interested in signing him while he was playing for Esbjerg fB. At one point, Esbjerg fB and Udinese both reached an agreement to fast-track Zimling's transfer in August, but the compensation prevented it from happening. However, he had to wait for two months to make his debut for the club after spending two months on the sidelines, coming against

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

on 22 March 2009, starting a match and played 67 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–0 loss. Three weeks later on 12 April 2009, Zimling made his second start for Udinese, as he helped the club win 2–0 against

Reggina 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 n ...

. In the last game of the season, he came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute and provided an assist for

Odion Ighalo Odion Jude Ighalo (born 16 June 1989) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal and the Nigeria national team. After starting his career at Nigerian clubs Prime and Julius Ber ...

, who went on just three minutes later just after Zimling went on as a substitute, in a 6–2 win over

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

. Having been placed on the substitute bench in the second half of the season, Zimling went on to make four appearances in all competitions. In the summer transfer window of 2009, Zimling was linked a move away from Udinese, as Italians clubs were interested in signing him. At one point, he went back to Denmark to finalize a possible transfer, but the deal never materialized and he stayed at Udinese, who ultimately wanted to keep him. Zimling made his first appearance of the 2009–10 season, coming in the opening game of the season against

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, as he started the match and played 66 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–2 draw. However, once again, Zimling's first-team opportunities were limited once again, due to emergence of midfield talent like

Gökhan Inler Gökhan İnler (born 27 June 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Adana Demirspor. İnler began his professional career with FC Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zürich, winning the Swiss Sup ...

, Gaetano D'Agostino,

Christian Obodo Christian Obodo (born 11 May 1984 in Warri, Nigeria) is a Nigerian former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Football career He was plucked from relative obscurity in the Nigerian league, playing for Plateau United before he bec ...

and

Fernando Tissone Fernando Damián Tissone Rodrigues (born 24 July 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Eccellenza club Sangiustese. Career Early career Tissone was born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. He start ...

, as well as, his own injury concern. Throughout the 2009–10 season, the club tried to sell him, but failed to do so. On 27 January 2010 he made another first team appearance for the club, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win against

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

in the quarter–finals of the Italian Cup. Following this, Zimling was demoted to Udinese's second team for the rest of the season. In his second season at the club, he went on to make two appearances in all competitions.

NEC Nijmegen (loan)

On 8 June 2010,

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side

NEC is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It prov ...

announced that they had signed Zimling on loan for the rest of the season. Upon joining the club, he was given a number six shirt ahead of the new season. Zimling made his NEC Nijmegen debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over

VVV-Venlo VVV-Venlo (, ''VVV'' stands for ''Venlose Voetbal Vereniging'' meaning "Venlo Football Club") is a Dutch football club from Venlo, a city on the border with Germany. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following ...

in the opening game of the season. This was followed up providing an assist when he won a penalty, allowing

Björn Vleminckx Björn Vleminckx (; born 1 December 1985) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Career Born in Boom, Antwerp, Vleminckx began his career with Beveren and joined in July 2005 Oostende on loan. In summer 2006 he ...

to convert in a 5–3 win over Willem II. However, Zimling suffered a knee injury that saw him miss two matches. On 19 September 2010 he returned to the starting line–up against

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss. Since returning from injury, Zimling quickly regained his first team place, playing in the midfield position. On 13 February 2011 he scored his first goals for the club, in a 2–0 win against

Excelsior Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry * "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...

. This was followed up by scoring his third goal for NEC Nijmegen, in a 1–1 draw against

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...

. Two weeks later on 5 March 2011, Zimling received a straight red card for a serious foul on Aleksandar Radosavljević, which the club lose heavily 5–1 against

ADO Den Haag Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...

, resulting in him serving four games. After serving a four match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up against

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

, as NEC Nijmegen lost 2–1 on 17 April 2011. This was followed by scoring his fourth goal for the club, in a 3–1 loss against

FC Groningen Football Club Groningen () is a Dutch professional association football club based in Groningen, province of Groningen. Founded on 16 June 1971 as the successor of GVAV, the team compete in the Eredivisie, the highest tier of Dutch football. G ...

. Despite missing three more matches due to suspension, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

Club Brugge

On 27 May 2011, Zimling signed a four-year contract with Belgian football club

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062.

, for a fee estimated to be around €500,000. Upon joining the club, he spoke about the fondness of Club Brugge, describing them as a "big club". Zimling made his debut for Club Brugge debut, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 win against Qarabağ in the first leg of the third round of the UEFA Europa League. In the return leg, the club went through to the next round despite losing 1–0. Zimling made his league debut for Club Brugge, starting the whole game, in a 5–0 win over

Westerlo Westerlo () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises seven towns: * Westerlo centrum * * Tongerlo * Heultje * Voortkapel * Oosterwijk * In 2021, Westerlo had a total population of 25,288. The ...

in the opening game of the season. He played in both legs of the UEFA Europa League Play–Off Round against

Zestafoni Zestafoni or Zestaponi ( ka, ზესტაფონი, tr, ) is the administrative center of Zestafoni District in Western Georgia. Zestafoni is the center of an ancient, historical part of Georgia – Margveti, which is a part of Imereti ...

, as the club won 5–3 on aggregate. Since making his debut for Club Brugge, Zimling established himself in the first team, making impressive performance in the midfield position. Zimling scored his first goal coming against

Gent Gent is a shortened form of the word gentleman. It may also refer to: * Ghent (Dutch: Gent), a Belgian city ** K.A.A. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** K.R.C. Gent, a football club from Ghent ** Gent RFC, a rugby club in Ghent ** .gent, a ...

in the second round of

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...

, leading the match to go to penalty shootout following a 4–4 draw, and he converted the second penalty, as the club lost 4–2 in the shootout. Zimling captained Club Brugge in a number of matches along the way. He then scored his first league goal for the club, on 1 May 2012, in a 2–0 win over

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...

at the league play-offs. However, Club Brugge finished second place in the league after surrendering their title chances to

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

. Despite being plagued with injuries and suspension throughout the 2011–12 season at the club, Zimling went on to make forty–six appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. In the 2012–13 season, Zimling made six appearances in the first two months to the start of the season, including Club Brugge's elimination in a 3–2 loss against

in the third round of the UEFA Champions League. However, he suffered a calf injury during a 2–0 win against Debreceni on 23 August 2012 and was sidelined for several months. Earlier this month, Zimling suffered the same injury that kept him out for one match. By early December, he was able to make a full recovery and returned to training for the first time in four months. On 9 December 2012 Zimling made his return by scoring his first goal for the club in a 7–1 win over Beerschot. After this, he went on to make three more appearances by the end of the month. By th time Zimling departed from Club Brugge, he went on to make ten appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

Mainz 05

After two-years at Belgium, Zimling joined Bundesliga side

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 four-year contract, which will keep him until 2017 and the deal believed to be worth around £1.75million. Upon joining the club, he said joining Mainz 05 was the next step to his career. Zimling made his debut for the club on 2 February 2013 against German giant

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute, in a 3–0 loss. Three weeks later on 23 February 2013, he scored his first Mainz 05 goal, in a 1–1 draw against

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's hea ...

. Three days later on 26 February 2013, Zimling scored his second goal for the club, in a 3–2 loss against

SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...

. Since joining Mainz 05, he quickly established himself in the midfield position for the rest of the season. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Zimling went on to make fourteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. At the start of the 2013–14 season, Zimling started in the first four league matches of the season, including scoring his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up Mainz's second goal of the game, in a 2–1 win against SC Freiburg on 17 August 2013. However, he suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty and was sidelined for a week. On 24 September 2013 Zimling returned to the starting line–up against 1. FC Köln, playing 77 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 loss. Throughout the 2013–14 season, he found himself in and out of the first team, due to facing his own injury concern. At the end of the 2013–14 season, Zimling went on to make sixteen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. However ahead of the 2014–15 season, Zimling tore his muscle fibre during a 5–1 win against

Rot-Weiß Darmstadt Rot-Weiß Darmstadt is a German association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club's greatest success has been promotion to the Hessenliga, which it achieved for the first time in 2010. History ''Rot-Weiß'' was formed in 1954, shor ...

in a friendly match. He was featured twice in the 2014–15 season for Mainz 05, including scoring against

Chemnitzer FC Chemnitzer Fußballclub e.V. is a German association football club based in Chemnitz, Saxony. The club competes in Regionalliga Nordost, the fourth tier of German football. The roots of the club go back to its establishment as Chemnitzer BC 193 ...

in the first round of DFB–Pokal. Following his loan spell at Ajax came to an end, Zimling continued to struggle with injuries throughout the first half of the 2015–16 season. In the first half of the 2016–17 season, Zimling was demoted to

1. FSV Mainz 05 II 1. FSV Mainz 05 II is a German association football club from the town of Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the reserve team of 1. FSV Mainz 05. The team's greatest achievement came in 2014 when it won promotion to the 3. Liga for the first tim ...

, the club's second team and continued to be plagued by injuries. In the second half of the 2016–17 season, he began to play regularly in the 1. FSV Mainz 05 II, including scoring against 1. FC Magdeburg on 4 March 2017. Despite the club's reserve side ended up being relegated, Zimling went on to make twenty–one appearances and scoring once in all competitions for 1. FSV Mainz 05 II. Following this, he was released by the club as his contract expired at the end of the 2016–17 season.

AFC Ajax (loan)

On 1 September 2014, it was announced that Zimling was sent on loan to Dutch

side

until the end of the season, with an option to buy. He made his debut for the club, coming on as a 61st-minute substitute for the injured

Nicolai Boilesen Nicolai Møller Boilesen (born 16 February 1992) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a left back for FC Copenhagen in the Danish Superliga and the Denmark national team. Club career Ajax Boilesen started playing football in local ...

, in a 2–1 win against

Heracles Almelo Heracles Almelo is a Dutch professional football club based in Almelo, founded in 1903. The club has won the Dutch national title twice, in 1927 and 1941. Heracles won the Eerste Divisie title during the 2004–05 season, gaining promotion to th ...

on 13 September 2014. Four days later on 17 September 2014, Zimling made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming as a second-half substitute, in a 1–1 draw against

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

. However, he found his playing time mostly, coming from the substitute bench. Zimling also suffered injuries along the way that affected his time at Ajax. At the end of the 2014–15 season, he went on to make nine appearances in all competitions. Following this, the club decided against making a permanent move on Zimling and allowed him to return to his parent club.

FSV Frankfurt (loan)

On 1 February 2016 it was confirmed that Zimling was loaned out to

FSV Frankfurt Fußballsportverein Frankfurt 1899 e.V., commonly known as simply FSV Frankfurt, is a German association football club based in the Bornheim district of Frankfurt am Main, Hesse and founded in 1899. FSV Frankfurt also fielded a rather successfu ...

for the rest of the season due to lack of playing time. He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against

Karlsruher SC Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the D ...

on 7 February 2016. Zimling followed up by setting up FSV Frankfurt's only goal of the game, in a 2–1 loss against Greuther Fürth. However, in his third appearance for the club against

St. Pauli St. Pauli (Sankt Pauli; ) is a quarter of the city of Hamburg belonging to the centrally located Hamburg-Mitte borough. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the nearby Landungsbrücken is a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. ...

on 19 February 2016, he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and was substituted in the 19th minute, as FSV Frankfurt won 3–1. Eventually, Zimling was sidelined with the injury for the rest of the 2015–16 season. As a result, his loan spell at the club ended on 5 May 2016 and returned to his parent club. Despite this, he went on to make three appearances for FSV Frankfurt.

SønderjyskE

It was announced on 30 June 2017 that Zimling returned to Denmark after eight years by signing for

SønderjyskE SønderjyskE is a Danish sport corporation. They have a football team (SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two handball teams (SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female based in Aabenraa) and an ice hockey team (S ...

on a two–year contract. Upon joining the club, SønderjyskE's sporting director, Hans Jørgen Haysen said about the player: "Zimling is a warrior, and if he can approximately reach the level he has previously had, he will surely become a profile for the club." Zimling made his debut for SønderjyskE debut, starting a match in the defensive midfield position and played 77 minutes before being substituted, in a 0–0 draw against Randers in the opening game of the season. After the match, local newspaper JydskeVestkysten praised his debut performances. Since making his debut for the club, he quickly established himself in the first team, playing in the defensive midfield position. On 8 September 2017 Zimling scored his first goal for SønderjyskE, in a 3–2 loss against

Hobro Hobro () is an old market and railway town in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 12,071 (1 January 2022). The town is situated in a hilly terrain at the head of Mariager Fjord, close to the for ...

. However, during a 2–2 draw against FC Nordsjælland on 22 September 2017, he suffered a foot injury in the 27th minute and was substituted. After the match, it was announced that Zimling was sidelined between two and four weeks. On 29 October 2017 he returned to the starting line–up against Hobrom and helped the club draw 1–1. This was followed up by scoring his second goal for SønderjyskE, in a 3–0 win against Odense BK on 5 November 2017. After serving a one match suspension, Zimling returned to the starting line–up and captained the club for the first time against Jammerbugt in the Round of 16 of Sydbank Pokalen, in a 4–1 win. He then captained SønderjyskE on two separate occasions between February and March. Seven days later on 18 March 2018, Zimling scored his third goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against FC Midtjylland. Two weeks later on 2 April 2018, he scored his third goal for the club, in a 2–1 loss against Odense BK. However, SønderjyskE were unsuccessful to qualify for the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

next season after losing 4–2 on aggregate against AGF. Despite being sidelined on three more occasions later in the 2017–18 season, Zimling went on to make twenty–five appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. After missing the opening game of the season due to injury, Zimling made his first appearance of the 2018–19 season, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute, in a 2–2 draw against Odense BK on 22 July 2018. Since returning from injury, he was featured in the next eight matches for SønderjyskE. This lasted until Zimling missed two matches due to suspension. After missing two matches due to suspension, Zimling returned to the starting line–up against

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

on 5 October 2018 and scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win. Following this, he was then featured in the next eight matches for the club. However, Zimling suffered an injury that eventually kept him out for four months. On 21 April 2019 he returned to the starting line–up against AC Horsens, as SønderjyskE won 1–0. This was followed up by captaining the club for the second time this season, in a 4–1 win against Vejle to help the club avoid relegation. At the end of the 2018–19 season, Zimling went on to make twenty appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Despite keen on extending his contract at SønderjyskE when it is going to expire at the end of the 2018–19 season, he was among four players to be released by the club.

Retirement

On 14 June 2019 it was confirmed, that

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

Kolding IF Kolding IF is an association football club based in Kolding, Denmark. The team competes in the Danish 2nd Division, the third tier of Danish football, after suffering relegation at the end of the 2020–21 season. Founded in 1895, Kolding IF pl ...

had hired Zimling as the club's new sporting director. In doing so, he announced his retirement from professional football. At Kolding IF, Zimling's role was to handle scouting, community work, player recruitment and development for the club. His contributions saw Kolding IF finish in sixth place in

the league ''The League'' is an American sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, Illinois, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football league ...

. At the beginning of January 2021, Kolding IF abolished the position of sports director and Zimling became development director of the club instead. On 27 August 2021, Zimling made his comeback as a player, when he was in the starting lineup of

in the

Danish 2nd Division The 2nd Division ( da, Danmarksturneringens 2. division or Herre-DM 2. division) is a semi-professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Footb ...

match against Middelfart Boldklub. On 12 January 2023, Zimling left Kolding to join AGF, where he was hired as U19 manager.

International

Youth career

As Zimling started out his professional football career, he was called up to the Denmark U15 and Denmark U-16 and Denmark U-17. At one point playing for the U17 side, Zimling once captained the team, which came against Italy U17 on 14 February 2002, as they won 3–0. Two months later, he was called up to the Denmark U17 squad for the

UEFA European Under-17 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship or simply UEFA Under-17 Championship, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-17 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain is the most successful team in this ...

in Denmark. Zimling started the tournament well when he scored the national side's second goal of the game, in a 2–2 draw against Netherlands U17 on 27 April 2002. Zimling appeared in the next two matches to help Denmark U17 reach the knockout stage, but the national U17 side were eliminated from the tournament after he missed the penalty in a shootout in a 4–3 defeat against Spain U17 on 4 May 2002. Having been called up to the Denmark U18, Zimling was called up to the Denmark U-19 squad for the first time in September 2002. On 27 February 2003 he made his debut for the U19 team. Zimling went on to make twelve appearances and scoring once for Denmark U19. In June 2004, Zimling was called up to the Denmark U-20 for the first time ahead of the Milk Cup tournament. He went on to make appearances for the U20 national team. In March 2006, Zimling was called up to the Denmark U21 squad for the first time. He made his debut for the U21 side, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Croatia U21 on 1 March 2006. In May 2006, Zimling was included in the Denmark U21 squad for the

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...

. However, he suffered an injury, leading him not to play any games at the tournament, as the U21 side were eliminated in the Group Stage. Zimling then captained two more matches for the U21 squad by the end of the year. He went on to represent Denmark 48 times for various national youth teams. Later in the same year, Zimling was selected for the Danish under-21 national team for the

UEFA U-21 Championship 2006 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 15th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Championship. In December 2005, Portugal was selected to host the finals of the competition, which took place from 23 May–4 June 2006. The tournament was w ...

, and was named 2006 Danish ''under-21 Talent of the Year''.
On 20 November 2006, Zimling was called up for the

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 ...

, for the trip to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

in January 2007, by national team manager

Morten Olsen Morten Per Olsen (born 14 August 1949) is a Danish football manager and former player. He was the head coach of the Denmark national team for 15 years from 2000 until 2015, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championshi ...

. He went on to make two appearances for the team. Zimling was also a part of the League XI team for their January 2008 tour. On 6 February 2008, he made his senior Danish national team debut in a friendly game against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Senior career

On 12 November 2006, Zimling was called up to the

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

squad for the first time, but withdrew due to injury. On 11 November 2010, after two and a half years waiting, he returned to the Danish national football team in a friendly against

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, earning his second match for the national team. Zimling made his first appearance for Denmark in two years against Czech Republic on 17 November 2010, coming on as a 69th-minute substitute, in a 0–0 draw. He was called up again when Denmark had to face

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, and played from the beginning because

Christian Poulsen Christian Bjørnshøj Poulsen (born 28 February 1980) is a Danish former footballer. After starting his career with Holbæk, he played for a number of European clubs as a defensive midfielder, winning the Danish Superliga championship with F. ...

was in lack of match fitness. Zimling made his first start for the national team against

on 4 June 2011, playing the whole game, in a 2–0 win. He played the rest of the qualification alongside his childhood friend

William Kvist William Vitved Kvist (né Kvist Jørgensen; born 24 February 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Danish club Copenhagen as well as for the Denmark national team. He played 43 matches and scored four g ...

on the Danish midfield, as Denmark qualified for the

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

In May 2012, Zimling was inducted in the final squad for

Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

. However, on 8 June 2012, he suffered a toe injury while training for Denmark, putting his chances of playing in the tournament in doubt. But Zimling was given an injection and made his first appearance of the UEFA Euro 2012, against

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 9 June 2012, starting the whole game in the tournament, as the national team won 1–0. After the match, Ekstrabladet said about his performance, saying: "There was doubt about the big toe to the last. Zimling got ready and it was very important to make the central midfield work optimally. He often had a look at

Mark van Bommel Mark Peter Gertruda Andreas van Bommel (born 22 April 1977) is a Dutch football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the manager of Belgian side Royal Antwerp. His FIFA World Cup profile describes him as "a tackli ...

, but deserves huge praise for offering himself even in difficult situations. A great running job and above all a great overview." While

Het Nieuwsblad ''Het Nieuwsblad'' (; en, The Newspaper) is a Flemish newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports. History and profile In 1929, ''Het Nieuwsblad'' was published by ...

said Zimling played an important part of the game, saying: "No other Danish player has hit the ball more than the player. He touched the leather 65 times, which is 13 times more than goalkeeper

Andersen Andersen () is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Anders" (itself derived from the Greek name " Ανδρέας/Andreas", cf. English Andrew). It is the fifth most common surname in Denmark, shared by about 3.2% of the population.< ...

and 15 times more than

Poulsen Poulsen is a Danish patronymic surname meaning "son of Poul" (Danish version of Paul). The form Paulsen is a less common cognate. People with the name include: Sportspeople * Aage Poulsen (1919–1998), Danish long-distance runner * Anders Pou ...

. In the Netherlands, only

Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he sta ...

(95 ball contacts) and

Ron Vlaar Ron Peter Vlaar (born 16 February 1985) is a Dutch former Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back. Vlaar came up through AZ Alkmaar, AZ's youth ranks. After making his professiona ...

(72 ball contacts) did better. Zimling was also at the top of the list in Denmark in the number of successful passes. No fewer than 51 passes from the player successfully reached a teammate." Zimling then featured two more matches in the tournament for the national team, playing in the left–back position against Portugal and Germany, as they were eliminated in the Group Stage. He made one more appearance by the end of the year, coming against

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

on 15 August 2012, starting a match and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half time, as Denmark lost 3–1. Niki Zimling - Jetro Willems 20120609

On 5 February 2013 Zimling was called up to the national team for the first time in five months. The following day, he made his first appearance for Denmark in five months, starting a match and playing 80 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–0 loss against Macedonia. A month later on 22 March 2013, Zimling scored his first national team goal, in a 2–0 win against Czech Republic for the

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

. He appeared three more matches of the qualification, as Denmark failed to earn a place in the World Cup after finishing second place. Following the national team's failure of qualifying for the World Cup, Zimling made two more appearances, coming against

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He then went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring once for Denmark.

Career statistics

International goals

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

Personal life

Zimling has a younger brother, Jannik Zimling, who is followed his brother's footstep by becoming a footballer. At one point, Jannik went on trial at Club Brugge in 2012, around the same time, his older brother was playing. Zimling is in a relationship with his long-term girlfriend, Christina, and became a first time father in April 2012 when she gave birth to a baby boy, Oskar. Zimling stated that if he was not a footballer, he would be a carpenter. Zimling once said he does not use social media, saying: "

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

doesn't interest me". Zimling is a fan of tattoos, having first received it when he was eighteen years old.

Honours

*2006 Danish ''under-21 Talent of the Year''

References

External links

Danish Football Association (Dansk Boldspil-Union) player profile

Official Superliga stats

Career stats
at La Gazzetta dello Sport {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimling, Niki 1985 births Living people Danish footballers Association football midfielders Denmark youth international footballers Denmark under-21 international footballers Denmark international footballers Brøndby IF players Esbjerg fB players Danish Superliga players Udinese Calcio players NEC Nijmegen players Club Brugge KV players 1. FSV Mainz 05 players AFC Ajax players FSV Frankfurt players SønderjyskE Fodbold players Kolding IF players Danish expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in Belgium Serie A players Eredivisie players Belgian First Division A players Bundesliga players UEFA Euro 2012 players People from Tårnby Municipality 1. FSV Mainz 05 II players 3. Liga players Danish 2nd Division players AB Tårnby players Sportspeople from the Capital Region of Denmark