Jakob Poulsen

Youth career and Esbjerg fB

As a schoolboy, Poulsen played alongside Anders Egholm and Nicolai Høgh in the Danish school tournament for Næsbjerg. When he was fourteen, Poulsen joined Esbjerg fB, and went on to progress through the youth system. He got his senior debut under coach Viggo Jensen on 9 September 2001 against Midtjylland, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win. This turns out to be his only appearance for the club in the 2001–02 season. At the start of the 2002–03 season, Poulsen soon received a handful of first team under the new team of coach Ove Pedersen at Esbjerg fB. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 4–3 loss against Køge on 11 August 2002. Poulsen later scored two more goals; the first one came against Køge on 27 October 2002 and the second one came against AGF on 6 April 2003. He later helped the club avoid relegation. Despite suffering injuries throughout the 2002–03 season, Poulsen was restricted to making 21 of 33 games in the league. At the start of the 2003–04 season, Poulsen continued to regain his first team place, playing in the midfield position. On 24 August 2003 he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 win against AaB. Poulsen then scored two consecutive goals between 17 September 2003 and 20 September 2003 against Frem and Nordsjælland respectively. This led Manager Pedersen commenting about his performance, saying: "He worked really well and was lightning dangerous with his depth runs. There is no…

Youth and Denmark League XI

Having represented five times for Denmark U19 (in which Poulsen made his debut in September 2000) and seven times for the Denmark U20 (in which he made his debut in July 2002), Poulsen was called up to the Denmark U21 for the first time in November 2003. He made his national side U21 debut, coming on as a substitute to replace right back Allan Olesen, in a 0–0 draw against Italy U21 on 19 November 2003. For the next three years, playing for Denmark U21, Poulsen played in different positions for the team. He then played a total 16 games for the under-21s until January 2006, scoring one goal in the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification. In May 2006, Poulsen was included in the Denmark U21 squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, but did not play any games at the tournament, as the U21 side were eliminated in the group stage. After strong performances for AGF, Poulsen was called up by national team coach Morten Olsen for the Denmark League XI national football team in January 2009, becoming the first player to be called up from the club in twelve years. He impressed in January 2009, and Olsen saw him as a competitor with Lars Jacobsen and Kasper Bøgelund for the right back position, while Poulsen maintained he saw himself as a right midfielder. Poulsen was also a part of the League XI in January 2010.

Senior career

In February 2009, Poulsen was called up for the Denmark national team for…

Poulsen has been described as a good set-piece taker, as well as possessing a great passing range and good technical ability. Capable of playing as a fullback in addition to his usual central midfield role, during his second stint with Midtjylland, Poulsen played as one of two central midfielders in either a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3 formation as a Pirlo-esque number 6. He said playing in the central–midfield position was his favourite, citing in his opinion passing opportunities. In June 2009, Bold.dk named Poulsen as the league's best player with the most passes throughout the 2008–09 season. Two months later, Jesper Bech called him the league's best technician, due to his skills and display. He was described as playing a critical role in helping Midtjylland to win the Danish league title in the 2017–18 season.

Viborg

On 15 March 2021, Poulsen was hired as an assistant coach to Lars Friis at Danish 1st Division club Viborg FF. Poulsen was named as the interim manager for Viborg on 3 November 2023, as the club were negotiating the sale of Jacob Friis to German club FC Augsburg. With Viborg in 9th place at the time of his appointment, his first match in charge came two days later on 5 November, a 2–1 victory over Silkeborg. He was appointed as permanent head coach on 19 December 2023 after four matches in charge, with two wins and two losses. Viborg would finish the season in 8th place as they lost three of their final four matches of the season, narrowly missing out on a European play-off match behind Randers. Poulsen's second season in charge started off slow, as Viborg failed to win any of their opening five Superliga matches and sitting just above the relegation zone. They would win three of the following four matches, including a 5–0 away victory over then-winless Vejle. By the winter break, Viborg sat in 8th position where they would largely remain for the season. Despite an underwhelming league campaign, the team performed well as they pushed into the semi-finals of the Danish Cup with a 7–1 aggregate scoreline over 3rd Division side Brabrand. With the league split and falling into the relegation round, Viborg finished the season strong with only one loss in their final 10 games. However, with a series of draws and a loss to Vejle, they finished two points behind…