Ronnie Michael Ekelund (born 21 August 1972) is a Danish former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as both a

midfielder A midfielder is an 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 central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and forward. He notably played in

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' ...

for

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

for

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and Manchester City. In his native land he played Brøndby IF where he won two Danish football championships and later had spells with

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 ...

and

Odense Boldklub 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 ...

. He would also play in Ligue 1 with

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

and in the English Football League with

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

before finishing his career in the

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

with Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes. Ekelund played 21 matches and scored three goals for the Danish under-21 national team and represented Denmark at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

football tournament. He was named 1988 Danish ''under-17 Talent of the Year''. Following retirement, he briefly played indoor soccer for

California Cougars The California Cougars were an indoor soccer team, founded in 2004. The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer in North America. They played their home matches a ...

before returning to San Jose Earthquakes for a period as their technical advisor.

Playing career

Brondby

Ekelund started his professional career with Danish club Brøndby IF in 1988. He made his first team debut at the age of 15, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in the top-flight Danish 1st Division. Ekelund was a part of the 1990 and 1991 Danish championship winning Brøndby team. He played a total 63 games for Brøndby in all competitions.

Barcelona

His involvement in the

impressed defending Spanish La Liga champions

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

. He joined Danish-Spaniard

Thomas Christiansen Thomas Christiansen Tarín (born 11 March 1973) is a former footballer who played as a striker, currently the manager of Panama. Left-footed, he played for a number of clubs in Danish, Spanish and German football over a 15-year professional ...

FC Barcelona B FC may refer to: Businesses, organisations, and schools * Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India * Finncomm Airlines (IATA code) * FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC * Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...

, the second-string team of the club. Due to league restrictions on the number of foreigners in the playing line-up, Ekelund had a hard time displacing stars like

Michael Laudrup Michael Laudrup (, born 15 June 1964) is a Danish professional football coach and former player. He is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup. During his p ...

, Hristo Stoichkov and Romário in the Barcelona attack. He played a single league match during the 1993–94 season, coming on the field as a substitute and playing 33 minutes, before leaving the club.

Southampton

Ekelund went to England, to FA Premier League club

in 1994. In the 1994 pre-season, Southampton and Barcelona stayed at the same hotel during a training camp. Before leaving, Barcelona manager Johann Cruyff asked Southampton manager Alan Ball what he wanted as a parting gift. Ball replied "A left sided midfielder", and the next day Ekelund was ready to play for the "Saints". Ekelund was an instant hit at Southampton's The Dell stadium with his skills on the ball, forming a great understanding with English forward

Matthew Le Tissier Matthew Paul Le Tissier (; born 14 October 1968) is a former professional footballer. Born in Guernsey, he won eight caps for the England national team. Le Tissier spent his entire professional club career with Southampton before turning to n ...

, who Ekelund later described as being on level with

Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was cap ...

and Romário.Gensyn med Ronnie Ekelund
at 90minutter.dk Ekelund soon suffered a back injury, and which the Southampton medical team felt that this could only be cured by surgery. As Ekelund refused to "go under the knife", the disagreement put paid to any hopes of a permanent

transfer deal In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can on ...

. Ekelund underwent brief loan deals with English clubs Manchester City and

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...

, but injuries limited his playing time there. He was loaned out to

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 ye ...

club Lyngby FC, playing four games for the club in May 1996.Ronnie Ekelund
at DanskFodbold.com

Later career

Ekelund went back to Denmark on a permanent basis in 1996, when he moved to

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 ...

. He played two Superliga seasons for Odense, before the club was

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to the secondary Danish 1st Division. He played one season for Odense in the 1st Division before moving on in the summer 1999. He moved to French club Toulouse FC in Ligue 2. Ekelund helped Toulouse win

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

for the top-flight Ligue 1 championship, but the manager was fired and Ekelund left the club. During a training session while on trial with English club Bolton Wanderers in the second-tier Football League First Division, Ekelund suffered an injury which forced him out of the game for three months. When he recovered, Ekelund signed with English team

in the third-tier

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

in December 2000, Flemming Fjeldgaard
Ronnie Ekelund til Walsall
B.T., 2 December 2000. to play under manager

Ray Graydon Raymond Jack Graydon (born 21 July 1947) is an English former footballer and manager. In a 16-year professional career in the English Football League and North American Soccer League he scored 139 goals in 484 league and cup appearances. A win ...

who Ekelund knew as a coach from his time at Southampton. Ekelund played nine league games for Walsall, scoring once against Bournemouth. He was offered a new contract by Graydon, but decided to leave

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

in 2001. In April 2001, Ekelund transferred to US club San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer, who competed with

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

for Ekelund's signature. Lars Hendel
USA lokker Ronnie Ekelund
B.T., 27 February 2001. Ekelund suffered a knee injury in his first season at Earthquakes, but recovered and soon became ever-present in the starting lineup. With great passing skill and leadership qualities, Ekelund helped the team win the 2001

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

in his first Earthquakes season. In the following season, Ekelund was named in the 2002

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

selection. In 2003, he helped the Earthquakes win the MLS Cup once more, as he scored in the 4–2 win against Chicago Fire. In 2004, the Earthquakes management team changed, and Ekelund was deemed surplus to requirements. In four seasons with San Jose, Ekelund scored 11 goals (five of them

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

s) and made 16 assists in the regular season. He also scored a goal and made four assists in the playoffs. He left the team after the 2004 MLS season, and made the move to indoor soccer in 2005 joining the

, coached by his good friend and former teammate

Troy Dayak Troy Michael Dayak (born January 29, 1971) is an American former soccer player who played as central defender. He spent his entire Major League Soccer career with the San Jose Clash/Earthquakes and nearly all of his professional career playing ...

. During the 2005–06 season, Ekelund offered his experience to Southampton as a coaching staff member unsuccessfully. He joined the coaching staff of the Earthquakes in 2008 as Technical Advisor, helping with the day-to-day training of the team.Earthquakes Staff/Front Office - Ronnie Ekelund - Technical Advisor
at Major League Soccer

International career

Ekelund made his name known when he debuted for the Danish under-17 national team in October 1987.Ronnie Ekelund - Alle hold (Alle kampe)
at Danish Football Association He scored 10 goals in 23 games for the Denmark under-17s, and was named 1988 Danish ''under-17 Talent of the Year''.Arlas talentpriser 2009 - 1987
at Danish Football Association He represented the under-17 national team at the 1989 European Under-17 Championship, and was called up for the Denmark under-21 national football team in June 1990. He represented the Denmark under-21 team in the

hosted at

Personal life

Ronnie Ekelund and his wife own and operate a small company called ''Bébé au Lait'', with Ronnie holding the CEO position at the company. ''Bébé au Lait'' develops and markets fashionable nursing covers for breastfeeding mothers. According to ''Bébé au Laits website, Ronnie's wife invented the Hooter Hiders nursing cover because she wanted to nurse her child discreetly, while attending Ronnie's football games. These nursing covers have been endorsed by Hollywood celebrities such as The View's

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Elisabeth DelPadre Hasselbeck (; born May 28, 1977) is an American retired television personality and talk show host. Hasselbeck rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the second season of the American version of '' Survivor'', where sh ...

. and

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's '' Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995). She also starred in the films ...

Photo Shows Mira Sorvino wearing a ''Bébé au Lait'' Nursing Cove
Mira Sorvino on Celebrity Baby Blog
/ref>

Honours

*1988 Danish ''under-17 Talent of the Year'' * Danish championship: 1990 and 1991 *

: 2001 and 2003

References

External links

Danish national team profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekelund, Ronnie 1972 births Living people People from Glostrup Municipality Denmark under-21 international footballers Brøndby IF players California Cougars players Coventry City F.C. players Danish expatriate men's footballers Danish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Danish expatriate sportspeople in England Danish men's footballers Danish Superliga players FC Barcelona Atlètic players FC Barcelona players Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics La Liga players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate soccer players in the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players Major League Soccer players Manchester City F.C. players Odense Boldklub players Olympic footballers of Denmark Premier League players San Jose Earthquakes players Southampton F.C. players English Football League players Toulouse FC players Walsall F.C. players Association football midfielders Sportspeople from the Capital Region of Denmark