John Lauridsen
Encyclopedia
John Mikkelsen Lauridsen (born 2 April 1959) is a retired Danish
professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, gifted with field vision and able to shoot with both feet.
He won the Danish championship with Esbjerg
, before playing eight years uninterrupted in La Liga
, with Español
and Málaga
. He appeared in more than 250 official games for the former, helping the club reach the 1988 UEFA Cup Final
.
Lauridsen played 27 times for Denmark
from 1981 to 1988, representing the nation at the Euro 1984 tournament, but spent the majority of his international career as a back-up player.
, Jutland
, Lauridsen played his youth football in Gredstedbro and Vejle Boldklub
, before he made his senior debut with top-flight Danish 1st Division
club Esbjerg fB
in 1978. He played 16 matches as the club won the 1979 1st Division
championship the following season.
Lauridsen made his Danish national team
debut in August 1981, in a 2–1 friendly
win with Finland
, in which he scored the equalizer at the 27th minute (the first of his three international goals). Also that summer, he was supposed to travel to England
to sign for Ipswich Town
, but the ferry
did not make the journey due to bad weather conditions, and the deal fell through. Shortly after, football agent Fernand Goyvaerts
phoned the player with an offer from Spain
's RCD Español
, which he accepted, signing with the Catalans
in early 1982, and becoming a full-time professional.
The first half-season notwithstanding, Lauridsen never played in less than 30 matches for Español - known as Espanyol from 1995. He was voted the best foreign player of the 1986–87 season in La Liga
, as his team reached a best-ever third place finish. He also helped the side reach the final
of the following year's UEFA Cup - eight games, 304 minutes, two goals - which ended in a penalty shootout defeat against Bayer 04 Leverkusen; he appeared in more than 250 official matches for the club during his seven-year spell, as one of only two foreign players - the other being Cameroon
ian goalkeeper Thomas Nkono.
While at Espanyol, Lauridsen was included in the Danish squad for the UEFA Euro 1984, where he took part in two games, scoring a goal in the 5–0 group stage win against Yugoslavia
. His international career brought him only 27 games in seven years, as he was often overlooked behind the likes of Frank Arnesen
, Søren Lerby
, Jan Mølby
and Jesper Olsen
. He played his last game for Denmark on 27 April 1988, in a friendly with Austria
.
Lauridsen stayed in Spain after his 1988 exit from Espanyol, playing two years with CD Málaga
, also in the top flight. He ended his career as an amateur player with Esbjerg fB, helping it promote into the second-tier of Danish football. His last match was played on 19 November 1992 at the age of 33, a 4–1 win against Vejle Boldklub
, where he had played as a youth.
After his footballing career ended, Lauridsen settled in Bramming
. In the following years, he occasionally appeared in games for Espanyol's veterans.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, gifted with field vision and able to shoot with both feet.
He won the Danish championship with Esbjerg
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...
, before playing eight years uninterrupted in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, with Español
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
and Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....
. He appeared in more than 250 official games for the former, helping the club reach the 1988 UEFA Cup Final
1988 UEFA Cup Final
The 1988 UEFA Cup Final was a football tie played on May 4, 1988 and May 18, 1988 between RCD Espanyol of Spain and Bayer 04 Leverkusen of West Germany. Leverkusen won 3–2 on penalties after 3-3 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:...
.
Lauridsen played 27 times for Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
from 1981 to 1988, representing the nation at the Euro 1984 tournament, but spent the majority of his international career as a back-up player.
Football career
Born in RibeRibe
Ribe , the oldest extant Danish town, is in southwest Jutland and has a population of 8,192 . Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding municipality, and county...
, Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, Lauridsen played his youth football in Gredstedbro and Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
, before he made his senior debut with top-flight Danish 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
club Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg fB
Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber also referred to as Esbjerg fB or simply EfB is a professional Danish football club from the port city of Esbjerg in West Jutland. The club was formed in 1924, as a merger between Esbjerg Boldklub af 1898 and Esbjerg Amatørklub af 1911. The club has training facilities...
in 1978. He played 16 matches as the club won the 1979 1st Division
Danish 1st Division 1979
The 1979 Danish 1st Division season was the 34th season of the Danish 1st Division league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It constituted the 66th edition of the Danish football championship, and saw Esbjerg fB win the championship title.The Danish champions qualified for...
championship the following season.
Lauridsen made his Danish national team
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
debut in August 1981, in a 2–1 friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
win with Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
, in which he scored the equalizer at the 27th minute (the first of his three international goals). Also that summer, he was supposed to travel to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to sign for Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
, but the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
did not make the journey due to bad weather conditions, and the deal fell through. Shortly after, football agent Fernand Goyvaerts
Fernand Goyvaerts
Fernand Goyvaerts was a Belgian international footballer. He was an attacker.He made his début for the first team of Club Brugge at the age of 16. In 1958, his penalty kick against CS Verviers was decisive for the promotion of Club to the highest level in Belgian football...
phoned the player with an offer from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's RCD Español
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
, which he accepted, signing with the Catalans
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
in early 1982, and becoming a full-time professional.
The first half-season notwithstanding, Lauridsen never played in less than 30 matches for Español - known as Espanyol from 1995. He was voted the best foreign player of the 1986–87 season in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, as his team reached a best-ever third place finish. He also helped the side reach the final
1988 UEFA Cup Final
The 1988 UEFA Cup Final was a football tie played on May 4, 1988 and May 18, 1988 between RCD Espanyol of Spain and Bayer 04 Leverkusen of West Germany. Leverkusen won 3–2 on penalties after 3-3 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:...
of the following year's UEFA Cup - eight games, 304 minutes, two goals - which ended in a penalty shootout defeat against Bayer 04 Leverkusen; he appeared in more than 250 official matches for the club during his seven-year spell, as one of only two foreign players - the other being Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian goalkeeper Thomas Nkono.
While at Espanyol, Lauridsen was included in the Danish squad for the UEFA Euro 1984, where he took part in two games, scoring a goal in the 5–0 group stage win against Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
. His international career brought him only 27 games in seven years, as he was often overlooked behind the likes of Frank Arnesen
Frank Arnesen
Frank Arnesen is a former Danish football player and currently sporting director at Hamburger SV. Arnesen was Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea....
, Søren Lerby
Søren Lerby
Søren Lerby, is a Danish former football player, manager, and licensed agent. As a player, he spent the bulk of his career in Dutch football, winning five Eredivisie championships with Ajax Amsterdam as well as the 1988 European Cup and two further Eredivise titles with PSV Eindhoven...
, Jan Mølby
Jan Mølby
Jan Mølby is a Danish former international footballer who spent much of his professional football career at English club Liverpool.- Club career :...
and Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen
Jesper Olsen is a Danish former footballer who most notably played for Ajax of the Netherlands and Manchester United of England. Olsen was a regular left winger for the Danish national team, scoring five goals in 43 matches...
. He played his last game for Denmark on 27 April 1988, in a friendly with Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
.
Lauridsen stayed in Spain after his 1988 exit from Espanyol, playing two years with CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....
, also in the top flight. He ended his career as an amateur player with Esbjerg fB, helping it promote into the second-tier of Danish football. His last match was played on 19 November 1992 at the age of 33, a 4–1 win against Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub
Vejle Boldklub is a Danish football club with proud traditions from the town of Vejle. The club has won the Danish championship five times and the Danish cup title six times....
, where he had played as a youth.
After his footballing career ended, Lauridsen settled in Bramming
Bramming
Until 1 January 2007 Bramming was a municipality in Ribe County on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 170 km², and had a total population of 13,638 . Its last mayor was Karl Kristian Knudtzen, a member of the Venstre political...
. In the following years, he occasionally appeared in games for Espanyol's veterans.