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Torben Piechnik

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Torben Piechnik
Personal information
Date of birth (1963-05-21) 21 May 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth Hellerup, Denmark
Position(s) Centre back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1987 KB 175
1988–1989 Ikast fS 43 (3)
1990–1992 B 1903 67 (8)
1992 Copenhagen 7 (0)
1992–1994 Liverpool 17 (0)
1994–1999 AGF 113 (9)
International career
1991–1996 Denmark 15 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Denmark
UEFA European Championship
Winner 1992 Sweden
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Runner-up 1993 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Torben Piechnik (born 21 May 1963) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He made a total of 15 appearances for the Denmark national team, which he represented in the 1992 European Championship and 1996 European Championship.

Biography

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Born in Hellerup, Piechnik started his senior career with Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) in the top-flight Danish 1st Division.[1] He joined Ikast fS in 1988, and played two seasons for the club. In 1990, he joined B 1903, and in November 1991 he won his first Danish senior cap. He was part of the Denmark national team which won the UEFA Euro 1992. He started the tournament as a substitute, but when Henrik Andersen suffered an injury in the semi-finals, (ultimately, Andersen would miss the final due to suspension in any event), Piechnik replaced him in the final, for which he earned praise.[2]

After the tournament, he followed the majority of the B 1903 players into the merging FC Copenhagen (FCK) club.[3] Having played just seven league games for FCK, he was signed for English FA Cup holders Liverpool by manager Graeme Souness in September 1992, just weeks after the inception of the new Premier League. He joined a struggling Liverpool side, and had a hard time adapting to the English game.[2][4] Piechnik made 16 first-team league appearances for Liverpool in the 1992–93 season, but only managed one in the whole of the 1993–94 season. When Graeme Souness was replaced by new manager Roy Evans in January 1994, Piechnik sensed that he was no longer part of the club's plans, and requested a transfer. His lack of success in Liverpool later earned him a selection in the Liverpool Echo's Merseyside Lost 11, a selection of players which the newspaper considered the biggest fiascos in the history of Liverpool and Everton.[5]

He transferred to AGF in Denmark at the end of the season. He won the 1995–96 Danish Cup with AGF,[6] and was called up to represent Denmark at the UEFA Euro 1996.[7] He played the last of his 15 international matches at that tournament, before ending his national team career. He would play on for another three years at AGF, before retiring in 1999.[3]

He has worked as both a real estate agent and masseur, while still playing "Old Boys" football in Denmark.[2][4]

Honours

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AGF

Denmark

References

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  1. ^ Toft, Flemming (28 July 2017). Schmeichel: "Ingen er større end holdet" (in Danish). Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-87-11-74695-0.
  2. ^ a b c Larkin, Hugh (30 March 2005). "Whatever Happened to: Torben Piechnik (Liverpool)". Square Football. Archived from the original on 18 April 2005.
  3. ^ a b Dam, Thorsten (30 April 1999). "Torben Piechnik stopper". Berlingske.dk (in Danish).
  4. ^ a b Piechnik, Torben (9 February 2006). "WHY DANISH DAN WILL BE THE MAN FOR REDS". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 21 February 2006.
  5. ^ "Top Ten: Players who made us both laugh and cry". Liverpool Echo. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Det er alt det, de spiller for i Parken". jyllands-posten.dk (in Danish). 2 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Denmark – Squad EURO 1996 England". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  8. ^ Rantala-Brandt, Emil (3 June 2016). "BILLEDER Her er heltene fra '92 i dag". DR (in Danish).
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