Michael Stensgaard
Encyclopedia
Michael Stensgaard is a Danish
former footballer and business conflict mediator
. Playing in the goalkeeper
position, he represented Danish clubs Hvidovre IF
and FC Copenhagen, as well as Liverpool FC and Southampton FC in England
. He played eight games for the Denmark national under-21 football team
. After ending his footballing career in 2001 due to injuries, he studied Cand.jur. with a degree in business conflict mediation.
, and was touted the successor of former Hvidovre and Danish international
goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
. He made his Denmark national under-21 football team
debut in October 1993. In May 1994, he was bought by English team Liverpool FC for a transfer fee of £
400,000.
He arrived at Liverpool to succeed Bruce Grobbelaar
as understudy to David James
, and was issued the number 13 shirt during his time at the club. He became known for a bizarre injury which ended his chances of breaking into the Liverpool first team, as he dislocated his shoulder when setting up an ironing board soon after joining the club. The injury evolved into a recurring shoulder ailment requiring surgery, and he never played a first team game for the club. His lack of success in Liverpool later earned him a selection in the Liverpool Echo
's Merseyside Lost 11, a selection of players which the newspaper considered the biggest fiascos in the history of Liverpool and local rivals Everton
.
He was declared a footballing invalid in July 1996, aged 21, and his Liverpool contract was mutually terminated after more than a year on the sidelines. He returned to Denmark, and became the goalkeeping coach of Hvidovre IF
, coaching later Liverpool goalkeeper Jørgen Nielsen
. In May 1997, he requested his license from Liverpool in order to become backup keeper for Hvidovre, but refused to play when given the opportunity, as he still feared for his shoulder. With medical help and Olympic medalist Arne Nielsson
as his mental coach, Stensgaard then aimed to reignite his active career.
He signed a six-month deal with Danish Superliga
club F.C. Copenhagen
(FCK) in May 1998. He replaced injured keeper Karim Zaza
, and kept his place in the FCK starting line-up for all 17 games in the first half of the 1998-99 Superliga season. When his contract expired in December 1998, he moved back to England to play for Southampton FC on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He spent his time at Southampton as the understudy of Welsh international
Paul Jones
, and after controversy with manager Dave Jones over missing playing time, he was relegated to third choice goalkeeper. He returned to FCK in July 1999. He played a further 19 games for FCK, but suffered a spinal disc herniation
and terminated his career in July 2001, 26 years old.
After ending his footballing career, Stensgaard finished his cand.jur. education. He was the first in Scandinavia
to specialize in business conflict mediation, and he was on the winning team in the 2004 International Negotiation Competition. He served as an International Negotiation Competition judge, and has lectured at the University of Copenhagen
. He is also a FIFA
-licensed football player agent, and acts as a mental coach for both athletes and businessmen.
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...
former footballer and business conflict mediator
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
. Playing in the goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
position, he represented Danish clubs Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
and FC Copenhagen, as well as Liverpool FC and Southampton FC in 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...
. He played eight games for the Denmark national under-21 football team
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
. After ending his footballing career in 2001 due to injuries, he studied Cand.jur. with a degree in business conflict mediation.
Biography
Stensgaard got his national breakthrough with Hvidovre IFHvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
, and was touted the successor of former Hvidovre and Danish international
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...
goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993...
. He made his Denmark national under-21 football team
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
debut in October 1993. In May 1994, he was bought by English team Liverpool FC for a transfer fee of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
400,000.
He arrived at Liverpool to succeed Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...
as understudy to David James
David James (footballer)
David Benjamin James is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bristol City.On 14 February 2009, he achieved the all-time Premier League appearance record with 536 appearances, overtaking Gary Speed. He held this record until being overtaken by Ryan Giggs on the 14th May 2011...
, and was issued the number 13 shirt during his time at the club. He became known for a bizarre injury which ended his chances of breaking into the Liverpool first team, as he dislocated his shoulder when setting up an ironing board soon after joining the club. The injury evolved into a recurring shoulder ailment requiring surgery, and he never played a first team game for the club. His lack of success in Liverpool later earned him a selection in the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
's Merseyside Lost 11, a selection of players which the newspaper considered the biggest fiascos in the history of Liverpool and local rivals Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.
He was declared a footballing invalid in July 1996, aged 21, and his Liverpool contract was mutually terminated after more than a year on the sidelines. He returned to Denmark, and became the goalkeeping coach of Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF
Hvidovre IF is a Danish football club, founded on 15 October 1925 in Hvidovre.- Current squad :As of 2011-03-21...
, coaching later Liverpool goalkeeper Jørgen Nielsen
Jørgen Nielsen
Jørgen Tofte Nielsen is a Danish former football goalkeeper.Nielsen signed for Liverpool from Danish 2nd Division side Noc Heatin FC 1997 and was at Anfield for five years, but he left in 2002 having never playing a competitive game for the club. However, his shirt did taste Premier League...
. In May 1997, he requested his license from Liverpool in order to become backup keeper for Hvidovre, but refused to play when given the opportunity, as he still feared for his shoulder. With medical help and Olympic medalist Arne Nielsson
Arne Nielsson
Arne Nielsson is a Danish sprint canoer who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the C-2 1000 m event at Barcelona in 1992....
as his mental coach, Stensgaard then aimed to reignite his active career.
He signed a six-month deal with Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
club F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen
F.C. Copenhagen is a professional Danish football club in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is part of the Parken Sport & Entertainment....
(FCK) in May 1998. He replaced injured keeper Karim Zaza
Karim Zaza
Karim Zaza is a Danish-Moroccan professional footballer, who currently plays for the Danish 1st Division side FC Hjørring. Born in Denmark to Moroccan parents, he established himself as one of the top goalkeepers of Danish football with three consecutive Danish Goalkeeper of the Year awards from...
, and kept his place in the FCK starting line-up for all 17 games in the first half of the 1998-99 Superliga season. When his contract expired in December 1998, he moved back to England to play for Southampton FC on a three-and-a-half-year contract. He spent his time at Southampton as the understudy of Welsh international
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
Paul Jones
Paul Jones (footballer)
Paul Steven Jones is a retired Welsh international football goalkeeper. During his playing career, he played for several clubs, including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stockport County and Southampton.-Career history:...
, and after controversy with manager Dave Jones over missing playing time, he was relegated to third choice goalkeeper. He returned to FCK in July 1999. He played a further 19 games for FCK, but suffered a spinal disc herniation
Spinal disc herniation
A spinal disc herniation , informally and misleadingly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion A spinal disc herniation...
and terminated his career in July 2001, 26 years old.
After ending his footballing career, Stensgaard finished his cand.jur. education. He was the first in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to specialize in business conflict mediation, and he was on the winning team in the 2004 International Negotiation Competition. He served as an International Negotiation Competition judge, and has lectured at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
. He is also a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
-licensed football player agent, and acts as a mental coach for both athletes and businessmen.