Christian Poulsen

Christian Bager Poulsen (born 28 February 1980) is a Denmark professional football (soccer) player who is playing for Juventus as a Central Midfielder. Christian Poulsen has been a regular member of the Denmark national football team since Christian Poulsen debut in 2001, and has played 66 matches, scoring five goals. Christian Poulsen represented Denmark at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004. Christian Poulsen was named 2005 and 2006 Danish Football Player of the Year.

Biography

Born in Asnæs, Christian Poulsen started playing youth football in the local club. Christian Poulsen moved to amateur club Holbæk B&I, where Christian Poulsen made Christian Poulsen senior debut at 17 years of age, captaining the side on several occasions. Christian Poulsen was called up for the Danish under-19 football team in September 1998, and played four games for the team.

National breakthrough

In September 2000, Christian Poulsen tried out for FC Copenhagen in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship, to Germany club FC Schalke 04, where Christian Poulsen looked to take over the position as holding midfielder left by veteran Czech Republic national football team Jiří Němec. Christian Poulsen start in Schalke was made easier by the fact that Christian Poulsen team mate in the Danish national team, Ebbe Sand, also played for the club. Through Christian Poulsen time at Schalke, Poulsen played a number of matches at right back, but eventually secured himself a spot in the central midfield for both club and country. Poulsen was selected for the Danish squad at the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship. Christian Poulsen played three of Denmark's four games, before Denmark was eliminated from the tournament. Christian Poulsen displays for Schalke and the Danish national team earned Christian Poulsen the 2005 Danish Player of the Year award.

In June 2006, Christian Poulsen's contract with Schalke ran out. Long-lasting rumours linked Christian Poulsen to several teams, including Italian clubs Internazionale FC and A.C. Milan, despite earlier Italian criticism of Poulsen's style of play. Christian Poulsen eventually signed a contract with defending UEFA Cup champions Sevilla FC from Spain, the team that knocked Schalke out of the UEFA cup in the 2005-06 season. In Christian Poulsen debut match for the club, Poulsen helped Sevilla win the European Super Cup trophy, with a 3-0 victory against FC Barcelona on August 25. Following Christian Poulsen first month at the club, Christian Poulsen was named the best new signing in Spain by Spanish sports daily Marca (newspaper). Christian Poulsen became the first player to be named Danish Player of the Year for two consecutive years, when Christian Poulsen also won the 2006 award.

Christian Poulsen helped Sevilla defend the UEFA Cup title, winning the UEFA Cup 2006-07 of the tournament.

Juventus

On 14 July 2008, Juventus FC announced the acquisition of the Once Ideal (Ideal Eleven) defensive midfielder of spanish Primera, Poulsen.

The transfer cost is € 9.75M, with a 4 year contract worth 3 million euros a year for Poulsen.
Since joining Christian Poulsen new teammates at Juventus, Christian Poulsen has been very impressive, proving to be very solid and has kept fellow defensive midfielder Cristiano Zanetti out of the side and building a formidable midfield partnership with Pavel Nedvěd. On February 8, Poulsen scored Christian Poulsen first goal in the 90th minute against Catania Calcio giving the win to Christian Poulsen team after the game was heading for a 1-1 draw.
In June 2009, Christian Poulsen refused the transfer attempt by Fenerbahçe who offered much better financial terms and stayed with Christian Poulsen club Juventus. Poulsen together with Mohamed Sissoko and new Juventus acquisitions Felipe Melo and Diego Ribas da Cunha is expected to head a robust and physical Juventus midfield next season.

Discipline

Poulsen played a controversial role in the 2004 European Championship. Following the 0-0 draw with Italy national football team, Danish television showed Poulsen being spat on by Italian Francesco Totti, who received a three-match ban and gave a "full public apology", though still claiming Christian Poulsen was provoked by Poulsen.

In the UEFA Champions League 2005-06 tournament, Poulsen and Schalke were in the same preliminary group as Italian team A.C. Milan. Following their first match, a 2-2 draw, Poulsen was described as "a coward" by A.C. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, this time for Poulsen's rough marking of A.C. Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaká. Ancelotti alleged that Poulsen physically kicked Kaká when the officials had their backs turned. Schalke were eliminated from the Champions League tournament, as A.C. Milan won their second match 3-2, despite a goal by Christian Poulsen. Following the final whistle, Italian player Gennaro Gattuso steered towards Poulsen and confronted him. Gattuso made gloating taunts, while Poulsen gave Christian Poulsen an ironic thumbs up, afterwards declaring Christian Poulsen found Gattuso childish and hoped Christian Poulsen felt embarrassed for himself.

In a UEFA Cup quarterfinal Second Leg against Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Poulsen was seen to stamp on Jermaine Jenas' head. Whether or not this was deliberate remains to be seen. Poulsen was not punished for the incident.

In a qualifying game for the UEFA Euro 2008 against Sweden national football team on June 2, 2007, with the game tied 3-3 in the 89th minute, Poulsen punched Swedish striker Marcus Rosenberg in the stomach inside Danish penalty area. The Assistant referee (association football) notified referee Herbert Fandel, who gave Poulsen the penalty card and awarded Sweden a penalty kick. An angered Danish supporter ran onto the pitch attempted to attack Fandel, though the rest of the Danish players held the fan off. The referee walked off the pitch and the match was abandoned. Poulsen, who later apologized for Christian Poulsen actions, was suspended for the next three competitive games. The match was forfeited to Sweden as a 3-0 victory, while Denmark was fined CHF 100,000 (€66,000) and forced to play their next four home qualification matches (effectively the rest of the competition) at least 250 km away from Copenhagen, with the next match against Liechtenstein behind closed doors. In the aftermath of the game, charges have been pressed against Poulsen for the attack on Rosenberg, albeit by a football fan and not by Rosenberg himself.