Thomas Kahlenberg

Thomas Kahlenberg (born March 20, 1983) is a Denmark professional football (soccer) player, who plays as a midfielder for France club AJ Auxerre. He has played more than 20 matches and scored two goals for the Denmark national football team, and was the youngest member of the Denmark squad for the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship.

Biography

At the age of 15, he moved from lower league club Hvidovre IF to Danish champions Brøndby IF in the Danish Superliga championship. Here his talent was recognized, as he played a number of games for various Danish youth national teams on under-17 and under-19 levels. Kahlenberg did not make his senior debut for Brøndby, until Brøndby youth team coach Tom Køhlert was promoted to first team coach in May 2002. On May 12, 2002, Kahlenberg debuted against arch-rivals FC København, at the penultimate match of the Danish Superliga 2001-02. The 1-1 draw helped Brøndby secure that year's championship on goal difference.

During his first years at Brøndby, Kahlenberg played in the central midfield, where he set up the attacks with his great technique and view for the game. He was recognized as one of the most talented Danish midfielders, and debuted for the Denmark national under-21 football team in September 2002. He debuted for the Danish senior national team on April 30, 2003 in a 1-0 friendly win against Ukraine national football team. He was selected to represented Denmark at the 2004 European Championship, but did not play any games at the tournament.

In the Danish Superliga 2004-05 for Brøndby, Kahlenberg was moved out as left midfielder, following the sale of Sweden national football team left winger Mattias Jonson. Cutting into the field from his wide position, Kahlenberg managed to become Brøndby's Danish Superliga 2004-05 Top Goalscorers with 13 goals, leading the club in winning The Double. In July 2005, the French club AJ Auxerre bid around £2.5 for Kahlenberg. An offer he accepted, as he signed a four-year contract.

Kahlenberg continued to play for the Denmark under-21 team until May 2006, when he was selected for the Danish squad for the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. As age restrictions are calculated from the start of the qualification matches, in September 2006, he competed in the tournament at age 23. Even though Denmark was eliminated in the preliminary group stage, Kahlenberg managed to score three goals in three games, and he was selected for the "Team of the Tournament". He ended his under-21 national team career after the tournament, having scored 10 goals in 26 matches for the Denmark under-21s.

International goals

Honours

- Danish Superliga : Danish Superliga 2001-02, Danish Superliga 2004-05
- Danish Cup : 2002-03, 2004-05