David Nielsen

Born in Sønderborg but raised in Skagen, Nielsen started playing youth football in Skagen and Frederikshavn. He scored 17 goals in 24 matches for the Danish under-16 and under-17 national teams. He received offers from English club Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich in Germany, but decided to stay in Denmark, as he was brought to OB in the top-flight Danish Superliga in May 1993, 16 years old. Here he became known for his elaborate goal celebration, a round off stretch jump with a backtuck. He was loaned out to Lyngby in January 1996, where he got his national breakthrough with 10 goals in 13 league games. When his Odense contract ran out in the Summer 1996, he moved abroad to play for Fortuna Düsseldorf in the Bundesliga championship. He did not find playing success with the club, and after half a year in Germany, Nielsen moved back to Denmark to play for Copenhagen in a DEM 600,000 transfer deal in February 1997. He played three and a half years at Copenhagen, with whom he won the 1997 Danish Cup. He was club top goalscorer in 1998, 1999 and 2000, and was elected 1999 Copenhagen Player of the Year. He was loaned out to English club Grimsby Town in the second tier of English football, the English First Division in October 2000, as Grimsby had a hard time scoring goals. When his loan deal ended in March 2001, Nielsen moved on to English club Wimbledon on a free transfer. He joined Norwich City on loan in December 2001, and scored five goals in five games during his loan…

Nielsen was appointed assistant manager of Løv-Ham on 27 May 2011. Later that summer, he was appointed manager of Nest-Sotra. After saving the club from relegation from the 2. Divisjon in 2011, he led them to a fourth place in 2012 and promotion to the 1. division in 2013. On 11 November 2013, he was appointed assistant manager of Strømsgodset. After just seven months, he was appointed manager, when Ronny Deila left for the vacant managing position at Celtic. On 26 May 2015, Strømsgodset announced that Nielsen would step down as manager in mutual agreement with the club. On 17 June 2015, he signed a three-year contract as manager for Danish 1st Division club Lyngby. On 30 September 2017, he signed a three-year contract as coach for Danish Superliga team AGF. In May 2022 Nielsen left AGF by mutual consent. On 8 December 2023, Nielsen signed a contract with A.E. Kifisia in the Greek Super League for the remaining six months of the season. He was dismissed on 29 January 2024, only six weeks after being appointed. Nielsen returned as manager of Lyngby on 5 March 2024 on a contract running until the end of the season following the sacking of Magne Hoseth. In late August 2024 he was presented as the new manager of Lillestrøm SK, on a contract spanning the rest of 2024. After four league games, Lillestrøm had gathered one point and a goal difference of 2–12, and were bottom of the table. Nielsen was sacked in the evening of 30 September. The sole point came against Rosenborg, where…

Nielsen was born in Denmark to a DR Congolese, Malagasy father and a Danish mother.

Player

Copenhagen

Danish Cup: 1997 Individual

Copenhagen Player of the Year: 1999

Manager

Lyngby

Danish 1st Division: 2015–16