Denmark: A Nation Forgotten In World Football

Denmark is no longer a footballing power in the world. However, there was a time when the team was ranked amongst the top ten in the world.

Denmark is currently ranked 37^th in the world, according to the FIFA World Rankings.

Back in May 1997, Denmark was ranked 3rd in the world, a position held by the

Netherlands at present.

They were unable to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and went out at the quarter finals stage in the 2002 World Cup. They made it the quarter finals of the 1998 World Cup.

In recent fixtures, Denmark haven’t done well in friendly fixtures. They may have beaten Malta 3-0 in a WC Qualifier but were unable to beat Wales at home in a friendly. They were beaten 3-0 by Spain in a friendly in Copenhagen. They are on course to qualify for another World Cup though as they have done well in competitive fixtures.

Denmark top their qualifying group with seven points from three games. They beat Portugal by three goals to two and as mentioned previously thrashed Malta. They drew with Hungary in Budapest and are yet to lose.

UEFA Euro 1992 was when Denmark really made their mark. They did not manage to qualify for the tournament. Yugoslavia qualified but due to political conflicts, withdrew. Thus Denmark took Yugoslavia’s place and really showed what they were made of. They powered their way to the finals where they beat then reigning champions Germany 2-0.

Man United legend Peter Schmeichel along with the likes of Henrik Anderson, Kim Vilfort and Brian Laudrup were part of that legendary team.

They went on to win the 1995 Confederations Cup by beating Argentina 2-0 in the final. However, their 1998 World Campaign ended in disappointment after they went out in the quarterfinals against Brazil.

Today, Danish football has some good names in it as well. There may be no Peter Schmeichel, but there are other talented players. The current side consists of Daniel Agger of Liverpool, Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal, Lars Jacobsen of Everton, Niclas Jensen of Copenhagen and brother Daniel Jensen from Werder and of course Martin Laursen of Aston Villa. These guys have plenty of potential. While some are proven footballers, others are beginning to prove themselves.

Denmark’s national league left a mark in this year’s Champions League through AaB Aalborg. Copenhagen were unable to make it to the competition this year and Aalborg took their chance. They drew against current World Champions Man United, and they were about to break United’s unbeaten run at home had it not been for Wayne Rooney. They nipped a UEFA Cup spot ahead of Celtic, which is quite an achievement in itself.

Hopefully, in a few years, underachieving Danish football will improve.