Bjørn Paulsen

Bjørn Paulsen (born 2 July 1991) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Ingolstadt in the 3. Liga.[1] He is known for his versatility in playing several positions on the pitch.

Bjørn Paulsen
Paulsen playing for Hammarby IF in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1991-07-02) 2 July 1991
Place of birth Augustenborg, Denmark
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Defender, midfielder, striker
Club information
Current team
 FC Ingolstadt
Number 4
Youth career
Midtals IF
Haderslev FK
SUB Sønderborg
SønderjyskE
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2015 SønderjyskE 143 (12)
2015–2017 Esbjerg fB 45 (5)
2017–2019 Hammarby IF 58 (13)
2019– FC Ingolstadt 57 (4)
National team‡
2010 Denmark U-20 2 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17 December 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 January 2010

Club career

Early career

Paulsen was born in Augustenborg and started his youth career in local clubs Midtals, Haderslev and Sønderborg. On 1 January 2007, he joined the youth ranks of SønderjyskE.[2]

SønderjyskE

Paulsen made his debut in the Superliga during the 2009–10 season, coming on as a late sub in a 1–3 away loss against Nordsjælland on 25 April 2010 at age 19.[3]

In 2010–11, Paulsen played 21 games. His first start for SønderjyskE came on 14 August 2010, home at Haderslev Football Stadium, in a 1–3 loss against Odense.[4] A week later, in a 2–0 win against Horsens, Paulsen provided his first assist in the Danish top tier.[5]

The following campaign, in 2011–12, Paulsen played 19 games under the reign of new manager Lars Søndergaard. He provided 3 assists during the season, and scored his first Superliga goal in a fixture against Aalborg on 23 May 2012. Paulsen scored in the 75th minute as SønderjyskE won 5–0.[6]

In 2012–13, Paulsen established himself as an important first team player. He appeared in 31 games, scoring 3 goals.[7]

During the upcoming two seasons, Paulsen developed his play dramatically and progressed to become a highly rated defender and midfielder in the Superliga.[8] He was also assigned the role as vice captain at SønderjyskE.[9] The club finished 10th, just above the relegation zone, in both 2013–14 and 2014–15. Paulsen played 32 games and scored 4 goals in both of the separate campaigns.[10]

Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Jakob Michelsen was appointed as the new manager of SønderjyskE. Paulsen played an integral part during his first months at the club, appearing in the 7 first fixtures of the campaign.[11]

Esbjerg

On 31 August 2015, on the closing day of the international transfer window, Paulsen transferred to Esbjerg fB in the same league.[12] Reports suggested a fee of 5 million Danish kroner (approximately £0,6 million),[13] as Paulsen signed a four-year deal.

He made his debut on 14 September 2015, home at Blue Water Arena, in a 4–2 win against Odense BK.[14] Paulsen started out playing as a central defender, but in October the same year, Esbjerg appointed Jonas Dal as their new manager. He used Paulsen at different outfields position, mainly in either one of the offensive winger positions.[15]

Paulsen scored his first goal for EfB against domestic giants F.C. Copenhagen on 28 February 2016. He scored the equalizer as Esbjerg lost 2–1 on away turf.[16] In total, Paulsen made 25 league appearances in the campaign, scoring three goals, whilst being an important member of the Esbjerg squad.[14]

During the upcoming season, in 2016–17, Paulsen continued to play at either flank during the reign of new manager Colin Todd. However, the results during the first half went against Esbjerg, that soon found themselves at the foot of the table. Paulsen was soon named as one of five players that could be deemed surplus to requirements at the club during the January transfer window, due to his reportedly high salary.[17]

Hammarby IF

On 16 January 2017, Paulsen was sold to the Swedish club Hammarby IF in Allsvenskan.[18] He signed a three-year deal with the Stockholm-based side, whilst reconnecting with his former manager from SønderjyskE, Jakob Michelsen.[19] The fee was reported as being 1.6 million Danish kroner (approximately £200,000).[20] On 9 April, he scored his first competitive goal for Hammarby, a late equalizer as Hammarby drew 1–1 against Kalmar FF on the second matchday of Allsvenskan.[21] On matchday 6, Paulsen scored a brace as Hammarby defeated the newly promoted side AFC Eskilstuna in a 4–0 win.[22] He scored another two goals as Hammarby won against IF Elfsborg on 24 July, with Paulsen deciding the result to 2–1.[23] Paulsen played 29 league games, scoring 8 goals, throughout the season and was voted "Hammarby Player of the Year" for 2017.[24]

In August 2018, following a number of impressive performances in the central defender position, Paulsen attracted interest from AEK Athens. Hammarby reportedly turned down an offer of around 8.4 million Swedish kronor (approximately £700,000) from the Superleague Greece club.[25] He eventually played 29 league games, scoring 5 goals, as Hammarby finished fourth in the league.[26] He was nominated for the prize Allsvenskan defender of the year, that eventually was awarded to Per Karlsson,[27] and chosen one of the eleven best players of the 2018 season by Cmore Sports, Fotbollskanalen and Playmaker.[28]

FC Ingolstadt

On 7 January 2019, Paulsen completed a transfer to FC Ingolstadt in the 2. Bundesliga for an undisclosed fee.[29] He signed a ​2 1⁄2-year contract with the German club.[1]

Style of play

Paulsen prefers to play as a central defender. However, he has been known as a utility player throughout his whole career in Denmark, making appearances in almost every outfield position during his time with both SønderjyskE and Esbjerg.[30] At Hammarby, Paulsen started out playing as a central offensive midfielder,[31] before pairing up with compatriot Mads Fenger in the central defence during the second half of the 2017 season.[32]

International career

Paulsen won two caps for the Danish U-20 national team during the SuperCupNI in 2010. He scored a brace in a fixture against Japan during the same tournament.[33]

Honours

Individual

References
  1. "Neus gesicht in Alicante: Björn Paulsen verstärkt die Schanzer" (in German). FC Ingolstadt 04. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  2. "Esbjerg henter Bjørn Paulsen i Sønderjyske". Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. "2010-04-25, FCN-SDR, 3-1". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  4. "2010-08-14, SDR-OB, 1-3". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  5. "BJØRN PAULSEN, 2010/2011". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  6. "2012-05-23, SDR-AaB, 5-0". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  7. "BJØRN PAULSEN, 2012/2013". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  8. "Esbjerg henter Bjørn Paulsen i Sønderjyske". TV2. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  9. "Esbjerg-kup: Køber Bjørn Paulsen". Bold. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  10. "BJØRN PAULSEN, ALL-TIME". SuperStats. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  11. "Michelsen henter Bjørn Paulsen i Esbjerg". Børsen. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  12. "Officielt: Bjørn Paulsen til EfB". Bold. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  13. "SønderjyskE: Prisen var den rigtige". Bold. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  14. "BJØRN PAULSEN, 2015/2016". SuperStats. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  15. "Esbjerg og Hobro enige: Jonas Dal skifter omgående til EfB". Tipsbladet. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  16. "2016-02-28, FCK-EFB, 2-1". SuperStats. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  17. "EfB-allrounder rygtes væk: Jeg håber klubben vil have mig". Tipsbladet. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  18. "Bjørn Paulsen skifter til svenske Hammarby". Esbjerg fB. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  19. "HTV: Bjørn Paulsen klar för Hammarby". Hammarby Fotboll. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  20. "Afsløring: Bjørn Paulsen skriver med Hammarby". Jydske Vestkysten. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
  21. "Sent bärgad grönvit poäng i premiärfesten" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  22. "Stabil islossning i Bajens utskåpning mot AFC" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  23. "Bajen bars fram till seger mot Elfsborg" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  24. "Bjørn och Emma årets Bajenspelare" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  25. "Reportage: Sommaren med Jesper – när Hammarby rustade för guld" (in Swedish). Fotboll Sthlm. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  26. "Bjørn Paulsen". SvFF. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  27. "Spelarna som kan bli prisade på Allsvenskans Stora Pris". Allsvenskan. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  28. "Årets lag i allsvenskan - fyra guldmakare tar plats". Fotbollskanalen. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  29. "Bjørn Paulsen lämnar för FC Ingolstadt" (in Swedish). Hammarby Fotboll. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  30. "PÅ FD: Starka Paulsen stortrivs – pekar ut Hammarbys tre spelarbossar". Fotbolldirekt. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  31. "Värvades som mittback – Paulsen förvånad över målproduktionen: "Ingen typisk målskytt"" (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  32. "Johan Wiland hylder Paulsen og Fenger". Bold. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  33. "Bjørn Paulsen". Dansk Boldspil-Union. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
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