Lars Jacobsen

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Lars Jacobsen bigraphy, stories - Danish footballer

Lars Jacobsen : biography

20 September 1979 –

Lars Christian Jacobsen (born 20 September 1979) is a Danish footballer. He currently plays for F.C. Copenhagen as a right back.

Club career

Odense Boldklub

Born and raised in Odense, Funen, Jacobsen started his career with local top-flight team Odense Boldklub (OB). His talent was quickly discovered, as he played 58 matches for various youth national teams, and won the 1997 Danish under-19 Player of the Year award. He made his senior debut for OB in the 1996–97 Danish Superliga season.

He got his big break-through the following season, when he played 15 first team matches, even though the club was relegated to the 1st Division. He helped the club win promotion the next season. His most notable result with OB came in the 2002 Danish Cup final. OB won 2–0 against defending Superliga champions F.C. Copenhagen, and Jacobsen was named "Cup Fighter" (man of the match) as the club won its first trophy in nine years.

Hamburger SV

After the cup triumph, he moved abroad to play for German club Hamburger SV (HSV). Jacobsen made his debut for the club in the Bundesliga league as Hamburger SV lost 2–1 to Wolfsburg on 11 September 2002 and also played 90 minutes. Four days later on 15 September 2002, Jacobsen played in the right midfield position in a 2–0 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern. At Hamburg, Jacobsen made 22 appearances and scored once, against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in a 4–1 win on 10 May 2003. In the 2003 winter transfer window, he moved back to Denmark to play for F.C. Copenhagen (FCK).

FC Copenhagen

At FCK, Jacobsen was assigned the number two shirt, and he quickly became a part of the starting line-up, playing in different defensive positions. He established himself at right full back, and in FCK’s 2005–06 season, he played full-time as the club won the Superliga championship; 2,970 minutes in 33 matches. He was selected by national team coach Morten Olsen for the Danish national team in spring 2006. He made his national team debut on 1 March 2006, and played all 90 minutes of the friendly match 2–0 win against Israel. He went on to play eight national team games in a row, before Morten Olsen decided to spare the FCK players in November 2006, due to FCK’s tough autumn schedule with several games in the international 2006–07 UEFA Champions League tournament.

Jacobsen was one of several FCK players who gathered international attention in FCK’s UEFA Champions League games. A number of European clubs were reportedly interested in buying him, among them Everton FC, Paris SG and his former club Hamburger SV. However, in December 2006, Jacobsen agreed with FCK to stay at the club until his contract ran out, helping the club defend the Superliga championship.

1. FC Nuremberg

Days later he signed a contract with German club 1. FC Nuremberg starting from July 2007, giving him a three-year contract until 2010. On 12 August 2007, Jacobsen made his debut for the club in a 2–0 loss against Karlsruher SC. His stay with the German club was troubled because of injuries, and the club also failed to stay in the German Bundesliga. Due to injury he played only once in the first half of the season, returning towards the end of the season in a 1–0 win over Wolfsburg on 20 April 2008.He played the last five games of the season on the right of defence, which had been a vulnerable area for the club. He requested a transfer which it was granted in late June 2008. After his release, French side Olympique de Marseille were keen to sign him after manager Eric Gerets make Jacobsen available in his squad.

Everton

In August 2008, Jacobsen signed for English Premier League club Everton on a free transfer, on a one-year deal, and was assigned squad number 15. After missing much of his debut season after injuring his shoulder, Jacobsen made his Premier League debut on 21 March 2009, away to Portsmouth. Jacobsen went on to play 90 minutes in a 3–1 win against future club West Ham United on 16 May 2009. He went on to play in the 2009 FA Cup Final, coming on as a substitute at half time for Tony Hibbert where he helped to nullify the threat posed by Florent Malouda down the left wing. Prior the match, Jacobsen told Onside.dk that playing in the Wembley would be a dream come true and said "It would be a dream come true. When you are a boy, you would like to play at Parken, but to play at Wembley is bigger." Despite making only 13 appearances, Everton were keen to keep Jacobsen convincing David Moyes that he deserved a new contract.