Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022)

, West

Jutland Jutland ( da, Jylland ; german: Jütland ; ang, Ēota land ), known anciently as the Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula ( la, Cimbricus Chersonesus; da, den Kimbriske Halvø, links=no or ; german: Kimbrische Halbinsel, links=no), is a peninsula of ...

, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the

Danish football league system The Danish football league system, also known as the football league pyramid, refers to the hierarchically interconnected league system, league structure for Football in Denmark, association football in Denmark, in which all divisions are bound tog ...

. Founded in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911, the first team play their home games at

Blue Water Arena The Esbjerg Stadium ( da, Esbjerg Stadion), known as the Blue Water Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium located within Esbjerg Idrætspark in Esbjerg, Denmark. It is the home ground of Esbjerg fB and has a capacity of 16,942, of w ...

which has been the club's home ground since its opening in 1955.

History

Early years

Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber was officially established in 1924 as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 (E.B. 98) and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911 (EAK) after 12 years of competition between the two clubs. The new club was driven by ambition for something bigger, which already produced results the day after when the club's best start-up team defeated

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 ...

with 7–0.

Golden years

The club's golden years were in the first half of the 1960s with the Austrian coach

Rudi Strittich Rudi Strittich (3 March 1922 – 11 July 2010) was an Austrian association football, football coach and former player. Club career Strittich debuted for SK Vorwärts Steyr, Vorwärts Steyr, and later played for First Vienna FC. While with First ...

throughout most of the decade. The club won the Danish Championship in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1965 and won the DBU Cup in 1964. This success has been largely attributed to Austrian coach

, as well as strikers

Jens Peter Hansen Jens Peter Hansen, alternatively spelled Jens Peder Hansen (15 March 1927 – 16 November 1996) was a Danish footballer who played 465 games and scored 150 goals for Esbjerg fB in Denmark. He was the top goalscorer of the 1951 Danish football ch ...

and Carl Emil Christiansen. In the championship season of 1961, Esbjerg set a stadium record with 20,000 spectators, as Esbjerg won the clash against KB 3–1 at home. In 1968, Esbjerg almost won another championship, when the team had the same amount of points as two other clubs before the last round, but despite winning the last match, KB won the title on goal difference. The following year, however, Esbjerg suffered relegation from the top tier, where they had played twenty seasons in a row. In 1974, Esbjerg fB won promotion to the top division again, marking the beginning of the club's second golden era. Esbjerg won the DBU Cup again in 1976. In 1977, Strittich returned as coach, and with goalkeeper

Ole Kjær Ole Kjær (born 16 August 1954) is a Danish former footballer, who won the 1978 Danish ''Player of the Year'' award. He played as a goalkeeper, and most prominently represented Danish club Esbjerg fB, with whom he won the 1979 Danish Championshi ...

and midfielder

Jens Jørn Bertelsen Jens Jørn Haahr Bertelsen (born 15 February 1952), known as Jens Jørn Bertelsen and Sjønne, is a Danish former association football player in the defensive midfielder position. He played 362 matches and scored 42 goals for Danish club Esbjer ...

as the driving forces in the following years, Esbjerg were back at the top. The club won bronze medals in 1977, and in 1978 Esbjerg fB lost the cup final to

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 ...

after a penalty shootout and a total of three finals, all of which ended 1–1. Later that year, they achieved a second place finish in the top tier, while the team reached the third round 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 ...

, where they beat

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...

2–1 in the first leg, but lost in the return match in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

by 4–0. In 1979, Esbjerg fB won the club's fifth and most recent Danish championship. The following year, the team eliminated

Halmstads BK Halmstads Bollklubb, also known simply as Halmstad () or (especially locally) HBK or Bollklubben, is a Swedish Association football, football club located in Halmstad in the county of Halland. The club, formed 7 February 1914 and approved members ...

in the

European Champion Clubs' Cup The European Champion Clubs' Cup, also known as Coupe des Clubs Champions Européens, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions League. The competition in its older format ...

. In the subsequent round, Esbjerg lost on the road with 3–0 to

Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia: * FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club * HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team * Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club * WB ...

, but was in the return match, close to a sensation, Esbjerg won 2–0.

Ups and downs

In 1985, Esbjerg was close to winning the cup tournament, but lost in the final 3–2 to

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 ...

on a goal shortly before the final whistle. Esbjerg relegated from the top tier in 1986 and in the early 1990s were down in the third division. In 1999, Esbjerg returned to the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

. This time, their tenure in the top division was more permanent, achieving a third place finish in the 2003–04 season as their best performance, after being in first place with four rounds left. During that season, they broke records, causing

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 ...

's largest home defeat ever, beating them 6–1 at

Brøndby Stadium Brøndby Stadium ( da, Brøndby Stadion, ) is a football stadium in Brøndbyvester, Denmark and the home ground of Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF. It is the second-largest stadium in Denmark. Built in 1965 and inaugurated on 31 July 1966 where i ...

. In 2006 and 2008, the club reached the cup final. In the 2010–11

season EfB finished 12th and were relegated to the

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 ...

for the first time since the 1999–2000 season. Esbjerg returned to the Superliga in the 2012–13 season with success under head coach

Jess Thorup Jess Thorup (born 21 February 1970) is a Danish professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed Danish Superliga club FC Copenhagen. Playing career Thorup progressed through the youth academy of Odense Boldklub (OB). He ...

, a former player for the club, as the team managed to win the

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 ...

for the third time in the club's history with a 1–0 victory against

Randers FC Randers FC () is a professional football club based in Randers, East Jutland, Denmark, that plays in the Danish Superliga, the top flight of the Danish football league system. Founded on 1 January 2003, the club builds upon the license of Rand ...

, thus qualifying for European football. At the same time, they achieved a fourth place in the Superliga.

Frederiksen and European success

On 2 May 2013, the club announced that

Niels Frederiksen Niels Frederiksen (; born 5 November 1970) is a Danish professional football manager. He last worked as the head coach of Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF. Frederiksen began his career as a head coach at Lyngby Boldklub in 2009 after having ...

would succeed Thorup as the club's head coach from the start of the

2013–14 Danish Superliga The 2013–14 Danish Superliga season was the 24th season of the Danish Superliga, which decided the Danish football championship. Teams AC Horsens and Silkeborg IF finished the 2012–13 season in 11th and 12th place, respectively, and were ...

season. In the first season under Frederiksen, Esbjerg reached to the round of 32 in the

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 ...

, where they lost 4–2 over two legs to Italian side

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

, despite winning 1–0 away at

Stadio Artemio Franchi The Stadio Artemio Franchi is a football stadium in Florence, Italy. It is currently the home of ACF Fiorentina. The old nickname of the stadium was "Comunale." When it was first constructed, it was known as the ''Stadio Giovanni Berta'', after ...

. This came after advancing from the group stage in second place by beating

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 ...

(2–1; 2–1) and

Elfsborg Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Allsvenskan and have spe ...

(2–1; 1–0), and losing two matches to group winners, Red Bull Salzburg (2–1; 3–0). Esbjerg had qualified to the group stage after winning 5–3 on aggregate over French club

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 ...

. When the

International Federation of Football History & Statistics The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

(IFFHS) published their list of best clubs in the world, Esbjerg were in 79th place.

Hans Henrik Andreasen Hans Henrik Andreasen also known as HH (born 10 January 1979) is a Danish former professional footballer and current working as an youth coach at Esbjerg fB. Club career Esbjerg fB & Greuther Fürth He played for German side SpVgg Greuther Fü ...

was part of the autumn team in the Europa League among the best players in the tournament. In the domestic league, they also had a successful season, ending in fifth place which qualified the club for contention in the 2014–15 Europa League second round. In the following season, Esbjerg knocked out Kazakh side Kairat Almaty 2–1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, before facing Polish club

Ruch Chorzów Ruch Chorzów () is a Polish association football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. It is one of the most successful football teams in Poland: fourteen-time national champions, and three-time winners of the Polish Cup. Currently the team play ...

in the third round. In the first leg, Esbjerg drew 0–0 away. However in the second leg, a last-minute goal by

Łukasz Surma Łukasz Surma (born 28 June 1977 in Kraków) is a retired Polish footballer (defensive midfielder). He is the current record holder in number of appearances in Polish Ekstraklasa. He played 559 matches. Career He was a captain of Legia Warsaw f ...

for Ruch Chorzów to make it 2–2 to win on away goals, ended Esbjerg's hopes of advancing in the tournament. In the domestic league, Esbjerg had sold key players such as

Jakob Ankersen Jakob Ankersen (born 22 September 1990) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a winger for AC Horsens. He is the twin brother of FC Copenhagen player Peter Ankersen. Career Esbjerg fB On 24 June 2009, alongside his twin brother sig ...

, Eddi Gomes and Martin Pušić during the winter transfer window, and partly due to this the club struggled against relegation. In the last fixture of the season, Esbjerg avoided relegation after a 2–1 win over relegation rivals,

FC Vestsjælland FC Vestsjælland, also known as FCV Vikings, was a professional Danish association football club that played in the Danish 1st Division until its closure in 2015. They played their home matches at Harboe Arena Slagelse in Slagelse, which has a cap ...

. On 10 August 2015, Frederiksen was dismissed by Esbjerg with the side placed last in the Danish Superliga table after four matches into the 2015–16 season, with chairman Søren Poulsen citing "lacking" domestic results as the reason behind the dismissal. Frederiksen was succeeded by

Jonas Dal Jonas Dal Andersen (born 7 July 1976) is a Danish former professional football defender and current sporting director of AB Argir. Coaching career In January 2013, Dal was named new manager of Hobro IK replacing Klavs Rasmussen, who had resi ...

. In 2017, Esbjerg moved out of the Superligaen after losing the decisive relegation final over two matches against AC Horsens by an aggregate score of 4–3. However, the club returned to the Superliga after just one season in the second tier. In the 2019–20 season, the club suffered another relegation after a tumultuous season.

New ownership, relegation, and controversies

From July 2020 to May 2021,

Ólafur Kristjánsson Ólafur Helgi Kristjánsson (born 20 May 1968) is an Icelandic football manager and former player, who most recently managed Danish club Esbjerg fB. Playing career Kristjánsson started his playing career at FH Hafnarfjörður, before moving t ...

was the head coach of the club. Earlier that season, in March 2021,

Chien Lee Chien Lee is a Chinese-American entrepreneur, investor, and sports team owner. He has built a multi-club ownership model, owns multiple professional European football clubs and is a well-known investor in European football. Lee is the founder a ...

, Partners Path Capital, Pacific Media Group and Krishen Sud invested in Esbjerg fB and became the majority shareholder. Thereby, the club became part of the same ownership group as

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

, Oostende and Nancy. The club failed promotion to the Superliga in the 2020–21 season, finishing in third place, 14 points from promotion spots. In May 2021,

Peter Hyballa Peter Hyballa (born 5 December 1975) is a German professional football manager, who last managed AS Trenčín. He also served as manager at clubs in Germany, Namibia, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Denmark. Before his career as a manager, ...

was hired as head coach of the club. Less than two months into his tenure, Danish newspaper '' B.T.'' reported that multiple Esbjerg players demanded his dismissal after "mental and physical punishments". The following day,

Spillerforeningen Spillerforeningen (or SPF or The Danish Player Association) is the Danish representative organisation for professional footballers. It was founded in 1977, and has approximately 1,000 members, of which 250 are full-time professional players both in ...

, the Danish Player's Association, reprimanded the Esbjerg board after the American chairman Michael Kalt had toned down the conflict and informed ''

JydskeVestkysten ''JydskeVestkysten'' is a Danish language regional newspaper published in Esbjerg, Denmark, which is among the largest publications in the country. History and profile ''JydskeVestkysten'' was first published on 15 January 1991 as a result of th ...

'' that only a few players were involved in the demand. One day later, Hyballa demoted four key players to the U19 team:

Yuriy Yakovenko Yuriy Yakovenko ( ua, Юрій Павлович Яковенко; born 3 September 1993) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Career Yakovenko is product of youth team systems of FC Arsenal Kyiv, but in July 2010 tran ...

Kevin Conboy Kevin Conboy (born 15 October 1987) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back. Career Esbjerg fB Conboy is the son of a Danish father and an English mother and holds Danish and British citizenship. He joined Je ...

and Zean Dalügge. On 15 July, Esbjerg fB were reported to the Danish Labour Inspection Authority ("Arbejdstilsynet") by Spillerforeningen after reports came out that Hyballa had allegedly hit and "mentally terrorised" players. The following week, Hyballa stated that he had never hit anyone, and that he had only tried to motivate his players. On 24 July, Hyballa appointed the 19-year-old

Mads Larsen Mads Larsen (born 9 February 1973) is a former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2012. He held the IBO super middleweight title from 1997 to 1999. He challenged once for the unified WBA (Super) and IBF super middleweight titles in 20 ...

as the new

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. Three days later, on 27 July, new accusations arose against Hyballa – this time from

Kasper Pedersen Kasper Pedersen (born 13 January 1993) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Stabæk Fotball. Club career Pedersen started his youth career at Aabybro IF, before moving to Jetsmark IF – a club affiliated with A ...

– who had terminated his contract by mutual consent the day before. He stated that Hyballa had created a "horrible mood" and that he had left the club due to the manager. On 28 July 21 of Esbjerg's first-team players sent an open letter to club management, expressing "strong distrust" to Hyballa. The letter, which was also published in several media outlets, mentions several episodes where Hyballa had physically or mentally abused players. Responding to the letter, investor and spokesperson for the Esbjerg board, Paul Conway, stated to ''JydskeVestkysten'' that " 's so unprofessional, I've never experienced anything like it. It can never be the players who get to decide who get to play and who is the coach." On 11 August after weeks of stories in the press and a bad start to the season, Hyballa resigned as manager of Esbjerg and was replaced by

Roland Vrabec Roland Vrabec (born 6 March 1974) is a German football manager. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. Personal life Vrabec played as a teenager at the Frankfurt district club Spvgg 05 Oberrad and as a senior in amateur status at SG C ...

. He was dismissed in March 2022 after seven months, as the club were mathematically out of reach of promotion.

Rafael van der Vaart Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, and is currently the assistant manager of Danish 2nd Division club Esbjerg fB. Van der Vaart began his c ...

was appointed caretaker coach. On 18 March, in a 3–0 home loss to

, Esbjerg

hooligans Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events. Etymology There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a d ...

threw

firecracker A firecracker (cracker, noise maker, banger) is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang, usually for celebration or entertainment; any visual effect is incidental t ...

s onto the pitch and rioted after the game which resulted in multiple arrests, as the team were in a relegation battle. On May 18th 2022 Esbjerg lost 2-3 to

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 ...

after blowing a 2-0 lead, and was for the first time in 28 years relegated to 2. division, the Danish 3rd tier, with 8 points to survival and only 2 matches left.

Stadium

Esbjerg fB plays at

, which is the name of Esbjerg Stadion at Gl. Vardevej and part of Esbjerg Sports Park.

Honours

* Champions (5):

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

* Silver (3): 1955–56,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

* Bronze (2):

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

, 2003–04, 2018–19

* Winners (3): 1963–64, 1975–76,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

* Runners-up (6): 1956–57, 1961–62, 1977–78, 1984–85, 2005–06, 2007–08

* Champions: 2011–12

Achievements

*45 ''seasons'' in the '' Highest Danish League'' *24 ''seasons'' in the '' Second Highest Danish League'' *5 ''seasons'' in the '' Third Highest Danish League''

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Staff

* ''Head Coach:''

Lars Vind Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was born ...

* ''Assistant Coach:''

* ''A + Coach:'' * ''Goalkeeper Coach:'' Frode Birkeland * ''Transition Coach:'' Patrick Harboe * ''Physical Coach:'' Morten Bastholm * ''Assistant Physical Coach:'' Mattias Fredeløkke * ''Kit Manager:'' René Christiansen

Former coaches

(1961–62) * Arne Sørensen (1963–64) *

(1965–67) *

Richard Møller Nielsen Richard Møller Nielsen (19 August 1937 – 13 February 2014) was a Danish football player and manager. He coached the Denmark national football team The Denmark men's national football team ( da, Danmarks herre-fodboldlandshold or ''herrelan ...

(1968–69) * Ernst Netuka (1969–70) * Ludwig Weg (1970–71) * Peter Stubbe (1972) * JJ Hansen and CE Christiansen (1972) * Egon Jensen (1973–76) *

(1976–79) * Carl Emil Christiansen (1979–80) * Jürgen Wähling (1981–83) * Henrik Brandenborg (1984–86) *

Allan Michaelsen Allan Richard Michaelsen (2 November 1947 – 2 March 2016) was a Danish football player and manager. He was voted Danish Football Player of the Year in 1969. He was the father of Jan Michaelsen Jan Munk Michaelsen (born 28 November 1970) is a ...

(1987–88) * Allan Hebo Larsen (1989–90) * Jan Hansen (1990–93) * Ian Salter (1993) * Jørn Bach (1993–97) *

Viggo Jensen Alexander Viggo Jensen (born 22 June 1874 in Copenhagen, Denmark; died 2 November 1930 in Copenhagen, Denmark) was a Danish weightlifter, sport shooter, gymnast, and athlete. He was the first Danish and Nordic Olympic champion, at the 1896 Summe ...

(1997–02) *

Ove Pedersen Ove Pedersen (born 30 August 1954) is a Danish football manager and a former player. He works as an assistant to the sporting director in FC Midtjylland, Svend Graversen.Troels Bech Truls or Troels is a Nordic masculine given name. Truls is mainly used in Norway, and to a lesser extent in Sweden. Troels is predominantly used in Denmark. It is a short form of ''Torgils'', derived from Old Norse ''Þórgísl'' (Old Danish ''Th ...

(1 July 2005 – 16 November 2008) *

(17 November 2008 – 31 December 2008) *

Ove Pedersen Ove Pedersen (born 30 August 1954) is a Danish football manager and a former player. He works as an assistant to the sporting director in FC Midtjylland, Svend Graversen.Jess Thorup Jess Thorup (born 21 February 1970) is a Danish professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed Danish Superliga club FC Copenhagen. Playing career Thorup progressed through the youth academy of Odense Boldklub (OB). He ...

(14 March 2011 – 30 May 2013) *

(1 July 2013 – 10 August 2015) * Michael Mex Pedersen (11 August 2015 – 20 October 2015) *

(20 October 2015 – 30 June 2016) *

Colin Todd Colin Todd (born 12 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB. As a player, he made more than 600 appearances in the Football League, playing for Sunderland, Derby County, ...

(8 July 2016 – 5 December 2016) * Lars Lungi Sørensen (5 December 2016 – 19 June 2017) * John Lammers (23 June 2017 – 16 September 2019) * Claus Nørgaard (17 September 2019 – 27 October 2019) *

Lars Olsen Lars Christian Olsen (born 2 February 1961) is a Danish former footballer and current manager, who was most recently the manager of Esbjerg fB in the Danish Superliga. He started his coaching career with Randers in 2003, guiding them to promotio ...

(28 October 2019 – 9 June 2020) *

Troels Bech Truls or Troels is a Nordic masculine given name. Truls is mainly used in Norway, and to a lesser extent in Sweden. Troels is predominantly used in Denmark. It is a short form of ''Torgils'', derived from Old Norse ''Þórgísl'' (Old Danish ''Th ...

(10 June 2020 – 15 July 2020) *

(1 August 2020 – 10 May 2021) * Lars Vind (10 May 2021 – 30 May 2021) *

(1 June 2021 – 11 August 2021) *

(11 August 2021 – 9 March 2022) *

(10 March 2022 – 30 March 2022) * Michael Kryger (30 March 2022 – 20 April 2022) *

Steffen Ernemann Steffen Ernemann (born 26 April 1982) is a Danish former professional footballer. Career Steffen Ernemann played his youth career in Odder IGF and BMI. In 1999, Steffen Ernemann moved to AGF Youth Academy and in 2002 he became pro in AGF's first ...

(20 April 2022 – 30 June 2022) * Lars Vind (1 July 2022 – ''present'')

Denmark national football team players

The following 32 Esbjerg football players has been picked and had their debut on the

Danish national football team The Denmark men's national football team ( da, Danmarks herre-fodboldlandshold or ''herrelandsholdet'') represents Denmark in men's international football competitions. It is controlled by the Danish Football Association (DBU), the governing bo ...

(debut/matches/goals): *

Peter Ankersen Peter Ankersen (born 22 September 1990) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Danish Superliga club FC Copenhagen. Club career Getting his football education in the youth ranks of local team Esbjerg fB, he saw limited ...

(2013/1/0) *

Martin Braithwaite Martin Christensen Braithwaite (; born 5 June 1991) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Espanyol and the Denmark national team. He plays mainly as a forward, but he can also play as a winger. Having begun his career ...

(2013/2/1) * Peter Nymann (2010/1/0) *

Søren Rieks Søren Krucov Rieks (; born 7 April 1987) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Malmö FF in Allsvenskan. He previously represented Esbjerg fB, NEC, and IFK Göteborg. A full international between 2009 and 2010, he has ...

(2009/3/1) *

Martin Vingaard Martin Vingaard (born 20 March 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He currently manages the under-17 team of FC Copenhagen. Club career Vingaard was born in Odense, Denmark, and grew up in the suburb of ...

(2008/5/1) *

Niki Zimling Niki Dige Zimling (born 19 April 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer 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 ...

(2008/1/0) *

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 ...

(2006/1/0) *

Jan Kristiansen Jan Kristiansen (born 4 August 1981) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Biography Kristiansen made his Danish Superliga debut for Esbjerg fB in the 1999–2000 season, which ended in the club being relegated ...

(2003/9/0) * John Lauridsen (1981/27/3) *

Ole Madsen Ole Eduard Fischer Madsen (21 December 1934 – 26 March 2006 Camilla Dam ''Danmarks Radio'', 26 March 2006) was a Danish international footballer, who scored 42 goals in 50 matches for the Denmark national team and competed at the 1964 Europe ...

(1980/18/0) *

(1977/26/0) *

(1976/69/2) * Hans Jørgen Christiansen (1968/5/0) * Vagn Hedeager (1967/1/0) * Børge Enemark (1965/11/0) * Knud Petersen (1965/4/0) * Preben Jensen (1962/2/0) * Carl Emil Christiansen (1962/2/1) *

Jens Petersen Jens Petersen (22 December 1941 – 8 March 2012) was a Danish football player and manager. He was born in Esbjerg. During his playing career he played as a defender for Esbjerg fB and Varde IF in Denmark, Aberdeen in Scotland, SK Rapid Wien in ...

(1962/22/1) * Jens Jørgen Hansen (1962/40/0) * Carl Bertelsen (1962/21/9) * Erik Gaardhøje (1961/14/0) * John Madsen (1961/20/0) * Egon Jensen (1957/12/4) * Ove Hansen (1956/9/0) * Johannes Schmidt (1955/1/0) *

Søren Andersen Søren Andersen (born 31 January 1970) is a Danish former professional footballer. He played as a striker, and most prominently represented English club Bristol City, Spanish club Rayo Vallecano, as well as several Danish clubs. He won the 199 ...

(1951/5/0) *

Erik Terkelsen Erik Terkelsen (3 July 1926 – 1 July 2006) was a Danish footballer who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV ...

(1950/17/0) *

Jens Peder Hansen Jens Peter Hansen, alternatively spelled Jens Peder Hansen (15 March 1927 – 16 November 1996) was a Danish footballer who played 465 games and scored 150 goals for Esbjerg fB in Denmark. He was the top goalscorer of the 1951 Danish football ch ...

(1949/38/18) * Curt Christensen (1949/1/0) *

(1945/15/1) * Jørgen Iversen (1937/5/1) * Olaf Brockhoff (1935/2/0) * Arthur Nielsen (1935/1/0) * Emil Møller (1932/3/0)

Former notable foreign players

Esbjerg has a list of former notable foreign players of which some have represented their national team. Some of the most memorable are listed here: *

Lukáš Hrádecký Lukáš Hrádecký (; born 24 November 1989) is a Finnish association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer Leverkusen and the Finland national football te ...

Michaël Murcy Michaël Murcy (born 18 September 1979) is a French professional football forward. External linksCareer statisticsat Danmarks Radio DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and tele ...

Njogu Demba-Nyrén Njogu Demba-Nyrén (born 26 June 1979 in Bakau) is a Gambian footballer who has represented the Gambia at full international level and currently plays in Sweden for Dalhem IF. Greece He had a successful career in Greece where he played for a lo ...

Kolja Afriyie Kolja Afriyie (born 6 April 1982) is a German former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He holds both a Ghanaian passport and a German passport. Club career Kolja Afriyie was born the son of a Ghanaian father and a German mothe ...

Kostas Tsimikas Konstantinos Tsimikas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Τσιμίκας; born 12 May 1996) is a Greek professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Premier League club Liverpool and the Greece national team. Tsimikas previously played for O ...

Kári Árnason Kári Árnason (born 13 October 1982) is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played last for Icelandic club Víkingur and the Iceland national team. He has previously played for Djurgården, AGF Aarhus, Esbjerg fB, Plymouth Argy ...

Arnór Smárason Arnór Smárason (born 7 September 1988) is an Icelandic footballer who plays for Icelandic second-tier 1. deild karla side ÍA Akranes. He can play in all the positions on the midfield. Early life Arnór was born in Akranes, Iceland, and is ...

Igors Stepanovs Igors Stepanovs (born 21 January 1976) is a Latvian former professional footballer, who played as a defender, and the manager of the Latvia under-17 national team. Stepanovs played 100 international matches and scored four goals for the Latv ...

* Fernando Derveld *

Tim Janssen Tim Wilhelmus Janssen (born 6 March 1986 in Eindhoven) is a Dutch Association football, footballer who currently plays as a Forward (association football), striker for RKSV Nuenen. Career He made his debut in the professional football squad of FC ...

Martin Dúbravka Martin Dúbravka (born 15 January 1989) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Newcastle United and the Slovakia national team. After playing in the top flights of Slovak, Danish and Czech football, Dúbravka j ...

Fredrik Berglund Jan Fredrik Berglund (born 21 March 1979) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a forward. He started off his career with IF Elfsborg in 1995 and became the Allsvenskan top scorer during the 2000 season. He then went on to rep ...

* Christian Karlsson *

Andreas Klarström Andreas Klarström (born 23 December 1977) is a Swedish professional football who plays as midfielder for Vårgårda IK. And who also played for IF Elfsborg Career Vårgårda IK On 22 August 2019 it was confirmed, that 41-year old Klarström ha ...

Alexander Östlund Alexander Arnold Mezan (born Jan Alexander Östlund on 2 November 1978) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He began his professional career with AIK in 1995, and went on to play professionally in Portugal, th ...

Joakim Persson Björn Joakim Persson (born 3 April 1975) is a Swedish football manager and former player. He is the head coach of Varbergs BoIS. As a player, he represented Malmö FF, Atalanta, IFK Göteborg, Esbjerg fB, Hansa Rostock, Stabæk, and Landskr ...

Erik Wahlstedt Ulf Erik Wahlstedt (born 16 April 1976) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. He is best remembered for his time with Helsingborgs IF with which he won two Allsvenskan titles and four Svenska Cupen ...

Player of the Year

Player of the year Esbjerg fB * 1999–00: Henrik Ibsen * 2000–01:

* 2001–02: Christian Karlsson * 2002–03:

* 2003–04:

Tommy Bechmann Tommy Bechmann (born 22 December 1981) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a winger or forward. Career Early years Bechmann began his active career in 2000 at FC Aarhus, now called Aarhus Fremad. In 2002, he moved to fir ...

* 2004–05:

* 2005–06:

Jerry Lucena Jerry Ruben Lucena (born 11 August 1980) is a retired Filipino footballer and currently the manager of the U19 squad of Esbjerg fB. He has represented the Philippines national football team at international level, having previously featured in ...

* 2006–07:

* 2007–08:

* 2008–09:

* 2009–10: Nicolai Høgh * 2010–11:

Jesper Lange Jesper Lange (born 11 January 1986) is a Danish former professional football forward. Career Jesper Lange signed with Esbjerg fB in the summer 2006. From 1. Juli he will play for AGF on a 3-year deal. On 1 August 2018, Lange signed with Danis ...

* 2011–12:

* 2012–13:

* 2013–14:

Kian Hansen Kian H. Hansen (born 3 March 1989) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for FC Nordsjælland. Club career Hansen has played for Esbjerg the most part of his career, having been promoted to the first team in 2008. Follo ...

* 2014–15:

Jonas Knudsen Jonas Bruun Knudsen (born 16 September 1992) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football), defender for Malmö FF and the Denmark national football team, Denmark national team. He play ...

* 2015–16: Jeppe Højbjerg * 2016–17: Victor Pálsson * 2017–18:

Anders Dreyer Anders Laustrup Dreyer (; born 2 May 1998) is a Danish professional association football, footballer who plays for FC Midtjylland, Midtjylland and the Denmark national football team, Denmark national team. The Midfielder, right winger previously ...

* 2018–19: Joni Kauko * 2019–20:

Rodolph Austin Rodolph William Austin (born 1 June 1985) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He is renowned as a tough tackling central midfielder who can play in attacking and central midfield as well as a central defender. He b ...

* 2020–21: Mads Kikkenborg Player of the /ear Denmark * 1963:

* 1978:

* 1979:

Recent history

References

External links

Official website (in Danish)
{{Danish 2nd Division Football clubs in Denmark Association football clubs established in 1924 1924 establishments in Denmark