Theresa Eslund (née Nielsen; born 20 July 1986) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a defender for Brøndby IF in the Danish Elitedivisionen and the Danish national team.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Theresa Eslund | ||||||||||||||||
Birth name | Theresa Nielsen[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 20 July 1986 | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Right back | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Brøndby IF | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
Rikken | |||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
–2002 | Hvidovre IF | ||||||||||||||||
2003–2008 | Ballerup-Skovlunde | ||||||||||||||||
2009–2017 | Brøndby IF | 87 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
2017 | Vålerenga | 22 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Reign FC | 41 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | → Melbourne City (loan) | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2020– | Brøndby IF | 22 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
2002–2003 | Denmark U-17 | 15 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
2006 | Denmark U-21 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
2009 | Denmark U-23 | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
2008– | Denmark | 133 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 November 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 7 March 2020 |
Eslund previously played for Reign FC of the American National Women's Soccer League, Melbourne City of the Australian W-League, and Vålerenga in Norway's Toppserien. She was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year in 2012.
Early life
editRaised in Valby, Eslund began playing football at age six on a team known as Rikken.[2][3]
Club career
editBrøndby IF, 2009–2016
editIn 2012, Eslund was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year after helping Brøndby IF to a league and cup double.[4]
Vålerenga, 2017
editIn January 2017, Eslund signed with Norwegian club, Vålerenga in Oslo, marking her first time playing for a foreign club.[5] Eslund made 22 appearances for Vålerenga and scored two goals during the 2017 season.[6] She scored her first goal for Vålerenga in the 47th minute of a match against Kolbotn resulting in a 2–0 win.[7] The club finished in seventh place with a 10–8–4 record.[8] Eslund was named one of the top 200 players in the world for 2017 by The Offside Rule, a podcast by The Guardian.[9]
Reign FC, 2018–2019
editEslund signed with American side Reign FC ahead of the 2018 National Women's Soccer League season in January 2018.[10][11] She made her debut for Seattle as a starting defender during the home opener — a 2–1 win over the Washington Spirit on 24 March.[12]
Return to Brøndby IF
editEslund returned to Brøndby IF on a two-year contract in 2020, were the team ended up at second place in the league.[13]
International career
editAt age 17, Eslund competed with the Denmark's under-17 national team at the 2003 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. She scored in the final as Denmark beat Switzerland on penalties after a 1–1 draw at Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris.[14]
Eslund made her senior international debut for Denmark in March 2008, during the team's 1–0 win over Germany at the 2008 Algarve Cup.[15]
She was named to Kenneth Heiner-Møller's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013[16] and she was also part of Danish squad, who received silver at the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in Netherlands.[17]
Honours
edit- Brøndby IF
- Elitedivisionen: Winner 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 [6]
- Danish Women's Cup: Winner 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017[6]
- Denmark
- UEFA Women's Euro 2017 runners-up
- Individual
- UEFA Women's Euro 2017 Best XI[18]
- Toppserien Defender of the Year: 2017[19]
Personal
editFormerly known as Theresa Nielsen, Eslund began using her married name in 2020.[20]
References
edit- ^ Theresa Eslund at the Norwegian Football Federation (in Norwegian)
- ^ "Den danske sportselite: Theresa Nielsen - ChriChri". Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Rikken-pige årets fodboldspiller" (in Danish). Valby Bladet. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ Weber, Lennart (3 May 2013). "Theresa har stamplads på landsholdet" (in Danish). Fagligt Fælles Forbund. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ "Theresa Nielsen: "Det er ikke et farvel - men et på gensyn" - Fodbold for piger". Fodbold for piger (in Danish). 24 January 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ a b c "T. Nielsen". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ bold.dk (17 May 2017). "Theresa Nielsen på tavlen i Vålerenga-sejr". bold.dk. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "2017 Toppserien". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Theresa Nielsen blant 2017s beste spillere". Vålerenga (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "Reign send Mathias to Courage, sign Danish defender Nielsen". The Equalizer. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Seattle Reign sign Danish defender Theresa Nielsen". Sounder At Heart. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Reign FC Open 2018 NWSL Season With A Win Against Washington Spirit". TheBold: Seattle Reign FC. Medium. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "Inden topbrag: Theresa Nielsen tilbage i Brøndby-trøjen". Brøndby IF. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
- ^ Garin, Erik (9 October 2005). "European Youth Olympic Days (EYOD)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ "Danmark – Tyskland 1 – 0" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ^ Bruun, Peter (21 June 2013). "Upbeat Heiner-Møller confirms Denmark squad". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ "Denmark defeated by Dutch in Euro 2017 final". The Local. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ UEFA.com (7 August 2017). "Official UEFA Women's EURO 2017 Best Eleven". UEFA.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "EM-heltinde vinder fornem pris i norsk fodbold". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- ^ "NYE OG VELKENDTE ANSIGTER KÆMPER FOR KVINDELANDSHOLDET I PORTUGAL". DBU. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
External links
edit- Theresa Nielsen – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Theresa Eslund national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- Theresa Nielsen at the National Women's Soccer League (archived)
- Theresa Nielsen Eslund at Soccerway