Thomas Kahlenberg
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Thomas Zeuthen Kahlenberg (; born 20 March 1983) is a Danish former
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 an
attacking midfielder A midfielder is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As #Cent ...
. He started his career with
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 ...
, winning two
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, and played four seasons at French club
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
. He has played 46 games and scored five goals for the Denmark national team, and represented Denmark at the 2004 European Championship,
2010 FIFA 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 ...
and 2012 European Championship. He was named 2004 Danish under-21 ''Player of the Year''.


Club career


Brøndby

Born in
Hvidovre Hvidovre is the main town in Hvidovre Municipality, Denmark. The town, a suburb of Copenhagen, is about 10 km southwest of the capital's center. It is the 2nd biggest suburb of Copenhagen, only beaten by Frederiksberg. History Hvidovre has ...
, Denmark, Kahlenberg was fifteen years old when he moved from lower-league club
Hvidovre IF Hvidovre Idrætsforening, more commonly known as Hvidovre IF () is a Denmark, Danish professional association football, football club based in Hvidovre. The club competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of Danish football league syste ...
to Brøndby. Kahlenberg progressed through the ranks at the club's youth system and said that he learned a lot from development to "behaving as a professional footballer". In April 2002, Kahlenberg signed his first professional contract with Brøndby. After the club's youth team coach
Tom Køhlert Tom Køhlert (; born 30 April 1947) is a Danish football manager and former player who managed Brøndby IF from 1979 to 1985 and several times later as a caretaker. He led the club to its first ever Danish championship in 1985. He has also funct ...
was promoted to head coach, he made his Superliga debut against arch-rivals,
København 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 12 May 2002, in a 1–1 draw, at the penultimate match of the 2001–02 season and helped Brøndby secure the 2001–02 Danish championship on
goal difference Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
. Kahlenberg went on to make two appearances in all competitions. At the start of the 2002–03 season, Kahlenberg played in the central midfield for Brøndby, where he set up the attacks with his great technique and view for the game. Kahlenberg made his UEFA Champions League debut, coming against
Dinamo Tirana Futboll Club Dinamo Tirana is an Albanian professional football club based in the country's capital Tirana. They play in the Kategoria e Parë, the second tier of Albanian football, in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 1950 during the communist r ...
in the first leg of the tournament second round, starting a match and played 67 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–0 win. In the return leg, Kahlenberg started the whole game, as he helped the club win 4–0 to progress to the next round. Kahlenberg made an interview over his frustration to score his first goal despite making good chances. But on 10 November 2002 he scored his first goal for Brøndby, in a 1–1 draw against
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 ...
. His performance led him to sign a contract extension, keeping him until 2006. Two weeks later on 23 November 2002, Kahlenberg scored his second goal for the club, in a 7–1 win against Farum BK. A month later, he was named Talent of the Year by the Players' Association and Ekstrabladet. His performance attracted interests from European clubs, leading his agent stating Kahlenberg is worth 5 million kroner. He later scored two more goals later in the 2002–03 season, coming 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 ...
and
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 ...
. However, Brøndby failed to defend the league title after they ended up finishing second place in the league. Despite this, Kahlenberg helped the club reach the Danish Cup Final after beating AaB 4–1 on aggregate. In the final against FC Midtjylland, he started the whole game, as Brøndby won 3–0 to win the tournament. Despite suffering injuries during the 2002–03 season, he ended the season, making forty–three appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. At the start of the 2003–04 season, Kahlenberg continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, playing in the central midfield for Brøndby. However, in a match against Viborg on 17 August 2003, he was sent–off for a second bookable offence, in a 2–2 draw and served a one match suspension as a result. Amid to serving a one match suspension, Kahlenberg played in both legs of the UEFA Cup Qualification Round, as he helped the club win 5–0 on aggregate against Dinamo Minsk. Kahlenberg returned to the starting line–up against FC Nordsjælland on 31 August 2003 and set up Brøndby's only goal of the game, in a 1–0 win. This was followed up by scoring his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against
Akademisk Boldklub Akademisk Boldklub Gladsaxe (or AB) is a Danish professional football club from Gladsaxe north of Copenhagen, currently playing at the 3rd highest level of Danish domestic football in the Danish 2nd Division group 1. The club was established on F ...
. Six days later, on 20 September 2003, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against
Nordsjælland North Zealand, also North Sealand ( da, Nordsjælland), refers to the northern part of the Danish island of Zealand which is not clearly defined but generally covers the area north of Copenhagen. The Danish tourist authorities have recently in ...
. It was announced on 3 October 2003 that Kahlenberg signed a contract with Brøndby, keeping him until 2008. This was followed up by scoring in the next two matches against Esbjerg fB (brace) and AGF. He then scored two more goals by the end of the year. Kahlenberg also played an important role in the UEFA Cup matches when he helped the club beat
Viktoria Žižkov Viktoria usually refers to Viktoria, a name which is the same as Victoria (name), but may also refer to: Places * FK Viktoria Stadion, stadium of Viktoria Žižkov * Viktoria-Luise-Platz, building in Berlin * Viktoriastadt, now known as Victoria ...
and
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 ...
. A month later, Kahlenberg, once again, was named Talent of the Year by the Players' Association and Ekstrabladet. Despite signing a contract with Brøndby, his performance continued to attract interests from European clubs, mostly from Germany, but he ended up staying at the club. Kahlenberg then scored two separate in two separate matches; the first one came between 18 April 2004 and 24 April 2004 against AaB and Viborg respectively; and the second one came between 16 May 2004 and 23 May 2004 against FC Midtjylland and
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 ...
. However, Brøndby, once again, finished second in the league. Despite facing setbacks during the 2003–04 season, he went on to make forty–two appearances and scoring twelve times in all competitions, making him the club's top scorer. In the 2004–05 season, Kahlenberg was moved out as left midfielder, following the sale of Swedish international left winger
Mattias Jonson Olof Mattias Jonsson (; born 16 January 1974) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a winger. Starting off his career with Örebro SK in the early 1990s, he went on to represent Helsingborgs IF, Brøndby IF, and Norwich Ci ...
. He started the season well by setting up two goals in the first two league matches of the season. However, Kahlenberg was sent–off for a second bookable offence 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 second leg of the UEFA Cup Second Round Qualification, as the club were eliminated from the tournament. On 25 September 2004 Kahlenberg scored twice for the club, as they won 4–1 against
Herfølge Boldklub Herfølge Boldklub is a Danish football club founded in 1921. It is based in Herfølge, a southern suburb of Køge in the eastern part of Zealand. In 2009, the club shared its licence, and merged its professional football with Køge BK to form ...
. He later scored three more goals, including a brace against AGF on 21 November 2004. Cutting into the field from his wide position, Kahlenberg scored eight more goals, including a two braces against København and Herfølge Boldklub. Kahlenberg managed to become Brøndby's 2004–05 league top goal scorer with 13 goals. He also helped the club win 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, Kahlenberg went on to make forty appearances and scoring thirteen times in all competitions. By the time he departed the club, Kahlenberg played a combined total of 130 games for Brøndby IF, including 97 games and 28 goals in the Danish Superliga championship. Since leaving Brøndby, the club would suffered a set-back when they find themselves in relegation threatening and economic problems. Kahlenberg expressed sadness and sympathy of the club of what they been through.


Auxerre

It was announced on 13 July 2005 that the French club
Auxerre Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
signed Kahlenberg on a four–year contract with the club for a
fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contra ...
of £2.5 million (30 million. kr). After the move, Kahlenberg says he is looking forward to play in Ligue 1. Kahlenberg made his debut for Auxerre debut, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 loss against
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
in the
Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries. His ...
. In a follow–up match, he made his league debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
in the opening game of the season. Since joining Auxerre, Kahlenberg quickly established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the midfield position. On 24 September 2005 he scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–0 win against
Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy Soc ...
. Kahlenberg then scored his second goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of Auxerre's goals, in a 2–1 win against
AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Fre ...
on 5 January 2006. Following the match, he was named Team of the Week by L’Equipe. This was followed up by scoring against
Olympique Noisy-le-Sec Olympique Noisy-le-Sec Banlieue 93 is a French association football team founded in 1943. They are based in Noisy-le-Sec, France and are currently playing in Regional 1, Paris Île-de-France, the sixth tier in the French football league system, ...
in the first round of the Coupe de France. Kahlenberg scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 2–0 win against
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...
on 28 January 2006. He later scored five more goals later in the 2005–06 season, including two consecutive goals in two separate matches. Kahlenberg also made the most assists of all players in the 2005–06 championship season. In his first season at the club, he went on to make forty–three appearances and scoring nine times in all competitions. At the start of the 2006–07 season, Kahlenberg started the season well when he scored his first goal of the season to help Auxerre beat Farul Constanța 4–2 on aggregate in the third round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Kahlenberg continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position. He then played a role for Auxerre by setting up two goals, in a 2–1 win against AS Monaco on 9 September 2006. Kahlenberg scored his first goal of the season a week later on 20 September 2006, in a 2–0 win against Strasbourg. He helped the club beat
Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
5–2 on aggregate to reach the group stage of the
UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
. However, during a 1–0 loss against
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
on 28 October 2006, Kahlenberg suffered a knee injury and was substituted in the 9th minute; and was sidelined somewhere between six and eight weeks. On 6 January 2007 he scored on his return to the starting line–up against
Chamois Niortais Chamois Niortais Football Club (often referred to as ''Les Chamois'', Chamois Niortais, or simply Niort) is a French association football club based in the commune of Niort, in the Deux-Sèvres department of western France. It was founded in 1 ...
in the first round of Coupe de France, as the club lost 5–4 in a penalty shootout following a 2–2 draw. Three weeks later on 28 January 2007 when Kahlenberg scored his fourth goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of Auxerre's goals, in a 2–0 win against
AS Nancy Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, or simply Nancy, is a French association football club founded in 1967 in Nancy, Grand Est and located in Tomblaine, in the inner suburbs of Nancy. The club currently ...
. He later scored three more goals later in the season, including scoring consecutive goals coming against
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
and
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
in the last two remaining matches of the 2006–07 season. In his second season at the club, Kahlenberg went on to make thirty–nine appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions. At some point during the 2006–07 season, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2010. Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Kahlenberg was linked a move away from Auxerre, with European clubs wanted to sign him, but he ended up staying at the club. At the start of the 2007–08 season, Kahlenberg continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position. He then helped Auxerre with a hat–trick of assists, in a 5–3 win against
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
on 20 October 2007. On 10 November 2007 Kahlenberg scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Sochaux. This was followed up by providing two assists, in a 3–0 win against
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
. This was also followed by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 1–0 win against
Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
on 1 December 2007. He then captained the club for the first time against
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...
on 6 January 2008 in the first round of Coupe de France and scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–2 win after playing extra time. However, Kahlenberg suffered a knee injury that kept him out for a month. On 5 April 2008 he returned to the first team from injury, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Sochaux. Since returning from injury, Kahlenberg was featured in the last remaining six matches of the 2007–08 season. In his third season at Auxerre, he went on to make thirty–nine appearances and scoring seven times in all competitions. At the start of the 2008–09 season, Kahlenberg suffered a hip injury while on international duty and was sidelined for a month. On 13 September 2008 he returned to the starting line–up from injury and set up Auxerre's opening goal of the game, in a 1–1 draw against AS Nancy. Two weeks later on 27 September 2008, Kahlenberg scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of the club's goals, in a 3–0 win against
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
. Since the start of the 2008–09 season, he continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position. In a match against Lille on 14 February 2009, Kahlenberg set up Auxerre's second goal of the game, but was sent–off in the 78th minute, as the club won 2–0. After a successful appeal, he returned to the starting line–up against Le Havre in a follow–up and scored his third goal of the season, in a 2–0 win. Kahlenberg later scored three more goals later in the 2008–09 season, coming against Lyon, Sochaux and Monaco. In his fourth season at Auxerre, he went on to make thirty–seven appearances and scoring times times in all competitions. In his four seasons at Auxerre, Kahlenberg played 130 games and scored 19 goals in the Ligue 1.


VfL Wolfsburg

In May 2009, Kahlenberg signed a four-year contract with the defending German champions
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 ...
for a €4 million transfer fee, effective from the end of the season. He was also linked with a move to
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
side
Getafe Getafe () is a municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality. Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city centre, within a flat ar ...
before decided to move to Die Wölfe instead. Immediately after joining the club, Kahlenberg suffered a hip injury which kept him out until October 2009. While on the sidelines, he was dropped from Wolfsburg's 25-man squad for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
. Kahlenberg made his
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 ...
debut for Wolfsburg in the 3–3 draw with
Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
on 31 October 2009. However, since returning from injury, Kahlenberg struggled to make his progress into the first team at Wolfsburg, having failed to make an impact and found his playing time from the substitute bench. This led to him contemplated his future at the club, as it could affect his chances of being chosen in the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
. Despite this, he went on to make twelve appearances in all competitions. Following this, Kahlenberg, along with
Karim Ziani Karim Koceila Yanis Ziani ( ar, كريم زياني; born 17 August 1982) is an Algerian former professional footballer. He played in different midfield positions but was best known as a playmaker. He is now the sporting director of JS Kabylie. ...
, was informed by the club that they are no longer needed. Having started out on the substitute bench at the start of the 2010–11 season, Kahlenberg was featured more often in the first team for the next two months, under new manager
Steve McClaren Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club. McClaren began his coaching care ...
. On 2 October 2010, he soon scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against
Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...
. By November, however, Kahlenberg found his playing time, mostly from the substitute bench. In mid-February, both he and Alexander Madlung, were suspended by Wolfsburg's interim manager
Pierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder o ...
, citing lack of commitment. A month after his suspension, Kahlenberg went on trial with English Premier League side
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
, but did not earn a contract. On 14 May 2011 he returned to the first team in the last game of the season against 1899 Hoffenheim, starting a match and played 57 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 win. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Kahlenberg went on to make seventeen appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Kahlenberg was considering leaving Wolfsburg as a result of lack of first team opportunities, but ended up staying at the club. Amid to his future at Wolfsburg, Manager
Felix Magath Wolfgang Felix Magath (; born 26 July 1953) is a German football manager and former player. The most notable spell of his playing career was with Hamburger SV, with whom he won three Bundesliga titles, the 1977 European Cup Winners' Cup Final a ...
placed him to
VfL Wolfsburg II VfL Wolfsburg II was a German association football team from the city of Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. It is the reserve team of VfL Wolfsburg. The team's greatest success has been two league championships in the tier four Regionalliga Nord in 2013 ...
. He also faced with his own injury concern along the way. In November, Magath announced that Kahlenberg, along with
Patrick Helmes Patrick Helmes (born 1 March 1984) is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. He most recently worked as the manager of Alemannia Aachen. Helmes retired from professional football at the age of 31. Club career Early ...
, would not be needed at the club. By the time he was loaned out to Evian, Kahlenberg made no appearances for Wolfsburg. After a loan spell at Evian, Kahlenberg returned to Wolfsburg's pre–season training ahead of the 2012–13 season. However, he continued to remain in the club's transfer list and wasn't given a squad number. Kahlenberg was given a number 38 shirt and made his first appearance of Wolfsburg, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against
FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...
on 14 September 2012. In a follow–up match against Greuther Fürth, he set up the club's equalising goal, in a 1–1 draw. After the match, Manager Magath praised his performance. However, Kahlenberg continued to find his playing time, mostly from the substitute bench for the rest of the 2012–13 season. He also faced sidelining on three occasions along the way. But on 15 March 2013, Kahlenberg was given a rare start against
Fortuna Düsseldorf Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga. Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
, starting a match and played 74 minutes before being substituted, as Wolfsburg drew 1–1, in what turned out to be his last appearance. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he went on to make thirteen appearances in all competitions. Following this, Kahlenberg was released by the club.


Evian (loan)

In January transfer window in 2012, it announced that Kahlenberg has returned to Ligue 1, but joined
Evian Evian ( , ; , stylized as evian) is a French company that bottles and commercialises mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva. It produces over 2 billion plastic bottles per year. Today, Evia ...
on loan, until the end of the 2011–12 season. Upon moving to the club, he was joined by compatriots
Daniel Wass Daniel Wass (born 31 May 1989) is a Danish professional association football, footballer who plays for Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF, Brøndby and the Denmark national football team, Denmark national team. He is capable of playing as a midfie ...
, Stephan Andersen and
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. ...
and was also given the eleven number shirt. Kahlenberg had been linked a move to
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...
. He made his debut for Evian on 14 January 2012, coming on as a substitute for Cédric Barbosa in the 61st minute, in a 3–1 loss against
Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...
. Since joining the club, Kahlenberg was involved in a number of matches for the rest of the 2011–12 season. On 17 March 2012, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–0 win over against his former club, Auxerre. After the match, Kahlenberg is expected to join Evian on a permanent deal at the end of the season. On 1 May 2012, he scored his second goal for the club, in a 2–2 draw against
Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. In an interview with the Sporten, Kahlenberg says if he never moved to Evian, then he would dead and buried. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Kahlenberg went on to make nineteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. However, his hopes of permanent move to the club was apparently broken down after Wolfsburg's reluctance to discuss a fee, resulting in its cancellation. Once again, he was linked with a move to Saint-Étienne after the club rekindled his interests signing him. However, according to Kahlenberg, the move never materialised.


Brøndby

On 21 August 2013, Kahlenberg signed a four-year contract with his former club Brøndby after being away from Denmark for eight years. Upon joining the club, he expressed his delight to return to Brøndby, calling it a "special place for him" and was given a number seven shirt. Kahlenberg made his second debut for the club, starting a match and playing 88 minutes before being substituted, in a 0–0 draw 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).Mikkel Thygesen Mikkel Thygesen (born 22 October 1984) is a Danish football coach and former player. Thygesen was capped three times for the Denmark national team, all friendlies. Club career Early career Born in Copenhagen, Thygesen started playing yo ...
, Kahlenberg was appointed captain in his absent. He captained his first match for Brøndby, starting a match and played 62 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 loss against Copenhagen on 1 December 2013. Kahlenberg then continued to establish himself in the starting eleven for the club, playing in the midfield position, as well as, being the captain. He then scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of Brøndby's goals, in a 2–2 draw against AaB on 23 February 2014. Two weeks later on 9 March 2014, Kahlenberg set up two goals, as he helped the club win 4–1 against Nordsjælland. On 21 April 2014, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against AGF. After missing a match due to suspension, Kahlenberg returned to the starting line–up against Nordsjælland in the last game of the season and set up two goals, as Brøndby drew 2–2. His performance throughout the 2013–14 season led the club's supporters to name him the best player in the league. In his first season back at Brøndby, he went to make twenty–four appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Ahead of the start of the 2014–15 season, it was announced that Kahlenberg was named as Thygesen's successor as Brøndby's new captain. He continued to establish himself in the starting eleven for the club, playing in the midfield position, as well as, being the captain. On 31 August 2014, Kahlenberg scored his first goal of the season, as well as, setting up one of Brøndby's goals, in a 3–0 win against FC Nordsjælland. In a match against AaB on 5 October 2014, he set up a goal for
Teemu Pukki Teemu Eino Antero Pukki (born 29 March 1990) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the Finland national team. Pukki began his career with KTP and made his debut on senior leve ...
, who went on to score twice to help the club win 2–1. This was followed up by scoring his second goal of the season, in a 5–0 win against
Vestsjælland West Zealand County ( da, Vestsjællands Amt) is a former county ( Danish: ''amt'') in the west-central part of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. The county was formed on 1 April 1970, comprising a few former counties. Th ...
. Reflecting in the first half of the season, Kahlenberg said: "We have a high top level, and on our good days we are perhaps the best playing team in Denmark. But we have also seen that we have a too low bottom level and have been too easy to kiss. So that is our biggest challenge. The most disappointing have been the outcomes we have had in three or four matches, where the bottom level has simply been too low. We have, of course, been disappointed in ourselves. Also on behalf of the club and the supporters. We have felt a little stupid." However, he suffered a hip injury that eventually sidelined for the rest of the 2014–15 season. It was announced that Kahlenberg would be out somewhere between four and five months following surgery. In his second season at the club, he went on to make twenty–four appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. The 2015–16 season continued to see Kahlenberg recover from a hip injury and made a full recovery and returned to training by late–August. On 27 September 2015, he made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a 62nd-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win against Copenhagen. Kahlenberg captained his first match of the season, coming against FC Midtjylland on 25 October 2015 and set up Brøndby's second goal of the game, in a 2–1 win. A week later on 1 November 2015, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 5–2 win against Odense BK. Kahlenberg then found himself competing in the midfield position for a starting place for the club, which saw him placed on the substitute bench as a result. On 2 March 2016, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against Skive in the quarter–finals of the Danish Cup. A month later, however, Kahlenberg suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for the rest of the 2015–16 season. In his third season at Brøndby, he went on to make eighteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Most of the 2016–17 season saw Kahlenberg continuing to recover from a thigh injury. By February, he stated in an interview about his aim to return in playing in the league just before the season ends and successfully predicted his return in April. In May 2017, Kahlenberg returned to the substitute bench for a match against FC Midtjylland as Brøndby 4–2. After returning to play for the club's reserve, Kahlenberg made his first league appearance of the season, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against
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 21 May 2017. He made his first start as captain of the season and played 48 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–1 loss against FC Nordsjælland in the last game of the season. While being substituted, Kahlenberg received a standing ovation from Brøndby's supporters. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he went on to make appearances for the side in all competitions. On 28 May 2017, Kahlenberg announced his retirement from professional football, fulfilling his promises he made two years ago.


International career


Youth career

While playing youth football at Brøndby IF, Kahlenberg played a number of games for various Danish youth national teams on under-17 and under-19 levels from August 1999 to February 2002. In September 2002, Kahlenberg, who was recognized as one of the most talented Danish midfielders, was called up to Denmark under-21 national team for the first time. In his third appearance for the U21 side against Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 on 1 April 2003, he set up two goals, as Denmark U21 won 3–0. Later in the year, Kahlenberg played in both legs of the
UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
against Italy U21, as the U21 side lost through away goal following a 1–1 draw. In December 2004, he subsequently won the 2004 Danish under-21 ''Player of the Year'' award. Following
UEFA European Under-21 Football 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 ...
's qualification, Poulsen was called up to the Denmark U21 squad in November 2005. He played in both legs against Russia U21, as the U21 side won 4–1 on aggregate. Kahlenberg continued to play for the Denmark under-21 team until May 2006, when he was selected for the Danish squad for the 2006 European Under-21 Championship. As age restrictions are calculated from the start of the qualification matches, in September 2006, he competed in the tournament at age 23. Even though Denmark was eliminated in the preliminary group stage, Kahlenberg managed to score three goals in three games, and he was selected for the "Team of the Tournament". He ended his under-21 national team career after the tournament, having scored 10 goals in 26 matches for the Denmark under-21s.


Senior career

In April 2003, the senior national team coach
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 ...
called Kahlenberg to the squad for the first time. He made his debut for the national team, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 friendly win against
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on 30 April 2003. In March 2004, Kahlenberg was called up to the senior squad once and made his second appearance for Denmark, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 loss against
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
on 31 March 2004. In May 2004, he was selected as the youngest Danish player for the 2004 European Championship. However, Kahlenberg did not play any games at the tournament, as he was placed on the substitute bench. In August 2005, Kahlenberg was called up to the national team for the first time in ten months and came on as a second-half substitute, in a 4–1 win against
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 ...
on 17 August 2005. On 16 August 2006 he made his first start for Denmark, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win against
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 ...
. Two weeks later on 1 September 2006, Kahlenberg scored his first goal for Denmark, as well as, setting up of the national side's goals, in a 4–2 win against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. He was involved in a number of matches for Denmark's qualifying matches for the
UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...
, as they failed to qualify for the tournament after finishing fourth place. Despite this, scored his second goal for Denmark, in a 3–0 win against
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 ...
on 21 November 2007. After a lay-off from the senior national team, Kahlenberg was recalled for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. In his second start of the qualifiers, he scored the winning goal against rivals
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, which helped Denmark qualify for the main tournament. In May 2010, Morten Olsen announced that Kahlenberg would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. He made his tournament debut 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 ...
, starting a match and played 73 minutes before being substituted, as Denmark lost 2–0 on 14 June 2010. Kahlenberg appeared two more times in the tournament, as the national side were eliminated in the Group Stage. Following the World Cup tournament, Kahlenberg was called up to the Denmark squad two months later. He scored his first national team goal, in a 1–0 win against Iceland on 7 September 2010. Kahlenberg later made one more appearance for Denmark by the end of the year. After a two-year absent, Kahlenberg was called up to the national team 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 ...
. He made his first Denmark in two years, starting a match and played 65 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 loss against
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
on 26 May 2012. This was followed up by making another appearance against
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
on 2 June 2012, coming on as a second-half substitute, as the national team lost 2–0. However, Kahlenberg did not play in the tournament and was placed on the substitute bench, as Denmark were eliminated in the Group Stage. After a one and a half year absent, on 3 March 2014 Kahlenberg was called up to the Denmark squad against England but did not play. On 22 May 2014 he made his first appearance for the national side in two years, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute, in a 2–2 draw against
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. Four months later on 7 September 2014, Kahlenberg scored his fifth goal for Denmark, in a 2–1 win against
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
. The next two years saw him play four more times in the national team's qualifying matches, as Denmark failed to qualify for the
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
following a 4–3 defeat on aggragate. Following this, he was never called up to the national team again despite being available.


Coaching career

After announcing his retirement from professional football, he moved to coaching. He was hired as a youth coach at HIK in March 2018. After two years in HIK, on 28 May 2020, Kahlenberg was appointed assistant coach of Denmark's U-16 national team.


Personal life

In August 2009, Kahlenberg married his long–term girlfriend, Anne Zeuthen Jensen. They have three children, daughters Karla and Alma and son, Max. In addition to speaking Danish, Kahlenberg speaks German, having learned the language from school, and French, from his time at Auxerre. In September 2003, he hired Per Steffensen as his new agent in attempt to move abroad. He attended Falkonergårdens Gymnasium. Early in his football career, Kahlenberg quickly earned a fan club called 'Tommy Crew'. In December 2004, Kahlenberg was in Thailand when Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami took place, but escaped unharmed. Throughout his professional football career, he lived in Denmark, France and Germany. On 5 March 2020, Kahlenberg tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease called
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
during the current pandemic, after having been infected at a birthday party in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
. This forced Brøndby,
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 ...
and
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 ...
to place some of their players and coaches, who had recently met with Kahlenberg, into quarantine. Kahlenberg described his symptoms as similar to a
flu Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptom ...
and he was placed in home quarantine.
Peter Madsen Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, '' UC3 Nautilus'', and sentenced ...
, another retired Danish football player who attended the same Amsterdam birthday party as Kahlenberg, also tested positive for the coronavirus. On 12 March, Kahlenberg was declared fully recovered.


Career statistics


International

:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kahlenberg goal.''


Honours

Brøndby IF *
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 ...
: 2001–02, 2004–05 *
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 ...
: 2002–03, 2004–05 Individual * Danish U-21 Player of the Year: 2004


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahlenberg, Thomas 1983 births Living people People from Hvidovre Municipality Danish footballers Association football midfielders Denmark youth international footballers Denmark under-21 international footballers Denmark international footballers 2010 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2012 players Danish Superliga players Ligue 1 players Bundesliga players Hvidovre IF players Brøndby IF players UEFA Euro 2004 players AJ Auxerre players VfL Wolfsburg players Thonon Evian Grand Genève F.C. players Danish expatriate footballers Danish expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in France Danish expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate footballers in Germany Sportspeople from the Capital Region of Denmark