Johan Absalonsen

Danish footballer (born 1985)

Johan Hindsgaul Absalonsen (born 16 September 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a left winger. He has played two games and scored one goal for the Denmark national team.

Born in Flemløse near Glamsbjerg, Absalonsen started playing football for local clubs, before he entered the youth scheme of B 1913. He played two senior matches for B 1913, before moving to the reserve team of defending Danish champions Brøndby IF in 2003.

Absalonsen joined Brøndby IF on 3 January 2003 at the age of 17. He was a part of the 'talent squad' at Brøndby, and extended his contract in January 2004. He made his Brøndby senior debut in the February 2004 UEFA Cup home game against Barcelona. He was a part of the Double winning team of both the 2004–05 Superliga championship and 2004–05 Danish Cup trophy, scoring four goals in 14 Superliga games that season. As he struggled to claim a starting position in the team, he moved on in summer 2006, having played a total 66 games for Brøndby.

He joined Superliga rivals Odense Boldklub (OB), where he soon claimed a position as a first time regular, as he played 28 of 33 games in his first season at the club. He was named Danish Cup Fighter as OB won the 2006–07 Danish Cup. He played his 100th Superliga game for OB in a 1–1 draw against SønderjyskE on 13 March 2010.

In January 2011 he joined Copenhagen. Absalonsen would appear in three league matches for Copenhagen during the rest of the 2010–11 season, winning his second Danish league title. In January 2012, after only appearing in 6 league matches during the first half of the 2011–12 season and having not scored a goal in any competition, he joined AC Horsens on loan until summer 2012. Following his loan spell to Horsens, in August 2012, he moved on a permanent transfer to SønderjyskE where he would become a key player. He left the club in the summer 2017. In July 2017, Absalonsen moved abroad for the first time in his career, signing a one year deal with Australian side Adelaide United. Absalonsen returned to Denmark for family reasons, once again to play for SønderjyskE, in May 2018. During the 2019–20 season, Absalonsen would help the club win the Danish Cup, scoring in their third round victory over Hvidovre IF on 25 September 2019. He left the club at the end of 2020.

On 29 January 2021, Absalonsen announced his retirement from professional football to study law at the University of Southern Denmark.

Absalonsen started his international career while at B 1913, when he made his debut for the Danish under 16 national team in November 2000. He played a total 43 matches for various Danish national youth teams until October 2006, including 10 games and one goal for the Denmark under 21 national team. He took part in all four Danish games at the 2002 European Under 17 Championship. In May 2006, he was selected for the under 21 national squad for the 2006 European Under 21 Championship tournament. He played one match at the tournament, coming on as a substitute for Jonas Kamper in Denmark's last game. He was called up for the senior Denmark national football team by national manager Morten Olsen, for two friendly matches against South Korea and the United States in November 2009. He took part in both games, and scored his first national team goal in the 3–1 win against the United States.