Theresa Eslund

Theresa Eslund (née Nielsen, born 20 July 1986) is a Danish footballer who plays as a defender for Brøndby IF in the Danish Elitedivisionen and the Danish national team.

Theresa Eslund
Theresa Eslund in 2017
Personal information
Birth name Theresa Nielsen
Date of birth (1986-07-20) 20 July 1986
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Right back
Club information
Current team
 Brøndby IF
Number 8
Youth career
Rikken
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–2002 Hvidovre IF
2003–2008 Ballerup-Skovlunde
2009–2017 Brøndby IF 87 (13)
2017 Vålerenga 22 (2)
2018–2019 Reign FC 41 (1)
2018–2019 → Melbourne City (loan) 12 (0)
2020– Brøndby IF 11 (1)
National team‡
2002–2003 Denmark U-17 15 (3)
2006 Denmark U-21 4 (0)
2009 Denmark U-23 2 (1)
2008– Denmark 133 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 November 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 March 2020

Eslund previously played for Reign FC of the American National Women's Soccer League, Melbourne City of the Australian W-League, and Vålerenga in Norway's Toppserien. She was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year in 2012.

Early life

Raised in Valby, Eslund began playing football at age six on a team known as Rikken.[1][2]

Club career

Brøndby IF, 2009–2016

In 2012, Eslund was named Danish Women's Footballer of the Year after helping Brøndby IF to a league and cup double.[3]

Vålerenga, 2017

In January 2017, Eslund signed with Norwegian club, Vålerenga in Oslo, marking her first time playing for a foreign club.[4] Eslund made 22 appearances for Vålerenga and scored two goals during the 2017 season.[5] She scored her first goal for Vålerenga in the 47th minute of a match against Kolbotn resulting in a 2–0 win.[6] The club finished in seventh place with a 10–8–4 record.[7] Eslund was named one of the top 200 players in the world for 2017 by The Offside Rule, a podcast by The Guardian.[8]

Reign FC, 2018–2019

Eslund signed with American side Reign FC ahead of the 2018 National Women's Soccer League season in January 2018.[9][10] She made her debut for Seattle as a starting defender during the home opener — a 2–1 win over the Washington Spirit on 24 March.[11]

Return to Brøndby IF

Eslund returned to Brøndby IF on a two-year contract in 2020, were the team ended up at second place in the league.[12]

International career
Nielsen during the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 semi-final against Austria.

At age 17, Eslund competed with the Denmarks' under-17 national team at the 2003 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. She scored in the final as Denmark beat Switzerland on penalties after a 1–1 draw at Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris.[13]

Eslund made her senior international debut for Denmark in March 2008, during the team's 1–0 win over Germany at the 2008 Algarve Cup.[14]

She was named to Kenneth Heiner-Møller's squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013[15] and she was also part of Danish squad, who received silver at the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in Netherlands.[16]

Honours
Brøndby IF
Denmark
Individual

Personal

Formerly known as Theresa Nielsen, Eslund began using her married name in 2020.[19]

References
  1. "Den danske sportselite: Theresa Nielsen - ChriChri". Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. "Rikken-pige årets fodboldspiller" (in Danish). Valby Bladet. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  3. Weber, Lennart (3 May 2013). "Theresa har stamplads på landsholdet" (in Danish). Fagligt Fælles Forbund. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  4. "Theresa Nielsen: "Det er ikke et farvel - men et på gensyn" - Fodbold for piger". Fodbold for piger (in Danish). 24 January 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. "T. Nielsen". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. bold.dk. "Theresa Nielsen på tavlen i Vålerenga-sejr". bold.dk. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  7. "2017 Toppserien". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. "Theresa Nielsen blant 2017s beste spillere". Vålerenga (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  9. "Reign send Mathias to Courage, sign Danish defender Nielsen". The Equalizer. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  10. "Seattle Reign sign Danish defender Theresa Nielsen". Sounder At Heart. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  11. "Reign FC Open 2018 NWSL Season With A Win Against Washington Spirit". TheBold: Seattle Reign FC. Medium. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  12. "Inden topbrag: Theresa Nielsen tilbage i Brøndby-trøjen". Brøndby IF. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  13. Garin, Erik (9 October 2005). "European Youth Olympic Days (EYOD)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  14. "Danmark – Tyskland 1 – 0" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 5 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. Bruun, Peter (21 June 2013). "Upbeat Heiner-Møller confirms Denmark squad". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  16. "Denmark defeated by Dutch in Euro 2017 final". The Local. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  17. UEFA.com. "Official UEFA Women's EURO 2017 Best Eleven". UEFA.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  18. "EM-heltinde vinder fornem pris i norsk fodbold". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  19. "NYE OG VELKENDTE ANSIGTER KÆMPER FOR KVINDELANDSHOLDET I PORTUGAL". DBU. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
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