Ebbe Skovdahl

Skovdahl started playing as a child for Vanløse. He played 130 amateur games for the club before he moved to Brøndby in the Danish 3rd Division in 1971. Following 89 amateur matches, many of them as team captain, he went on to become Brøndby's third team coach in 1977. He coached a few minor Danish teams Hvalsø and Glostrup, before he secured two consecutive promotions for Brønshøj to the Danish 1st Division in 1982, the then best league of football in Denmark. In 1986, he moved back to coach Brøndby, who had just won the Danish football championship in 1985.

Championship coach

Skovdahl went on to coach Brøndby towards its second Danish championship in 1987 and he also guided the club to the quarterfinals of the 1986–87 European Cup international tournament. Following two years at Brøndby, Skovdahl moved to Portugal before the conclusion of the Danish season to coach the defending Portuguese Liga champions Benfica. Birger Peitersen went on to finish his job at Brøndby and secured the 1987 Danish championship. The job at Benfica was too much for the internationally inexperienced Skovdahl, and he lasted half a year in the club. He returned to coach Brøndby in 1988 where he won his first Danish championship as well as the Danish Cup trophy, before Skovdahl had a short interlude at Vejle in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. Following the near-bankruptcy of Brøndby in 1992, Skovdahl returned to the club once more. In his first year at Brøndby, he coached a 5–3–2 system, and…

Skovdahl was the uncle of Danish international footballers Michael and Brian Laudrup.

Danish Championship: 1988, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 Danish Cup: 1988–89, 1993–94, 1997–98