Casper Ankergren
Template:Football player infobox2 Casper Ankergren (born 9 November, 1979) is a Danish professional football player. He plays as a goalkeeper for English club Leeds United in the Football League Championship, on loan from Danish club Brøndby IF. He has played three matches for the Danish under-21 national team.
Biography
Ankergren started his career with Køge BK in the secondary Danish 1st Division, whom he represented at various Danish national youth teams. In January 2001, he moved to Brøndby IF in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. He made his debut in October 2001, and thus played a single match as Brøndby won the 2001-02 Superliga title. Ankergren got his breakthrough with Brøndby following the retirement of club legend Mogens Krogh in December 2002. He played the second half of the 2002-03 season, and helped the club win the 2003 Danish Cup.
For the 2003-04 season, Brøndby bought meritted goalkeeper Karim Zaza as their first choice keeper and Ankergren spent the season as a substitute. At the start of the 2004-05 season, Zaza suffered an injury and Ankergren went on to play the entire season as Brøndby's starting goalkeeper, even after Zaza had recovered. Ankergren finished the season setting a league record 18 clean sheets in his 32 games in the goal, and helped Brøndby win the Double of both the 2004-05 Superliga and 2005 Danish Cup titles.
He started the 2005-06 season in the Brøndby goal, but at the winter interval, Zaza was once more promoted to first choice keeper. Zaza left the club in the summer 2006, and Ankergren signed a new three-year contract with Brøndby. Brøndby had a disappointing start of the 2006-07 season, sitting in seventh place at the winter break. However, Ankergren was called up for the Danish national team by national manager Morten Olsen in October 2006, where he served as a backup goalkeeper for Jesper Christiansen. When Brøndby bought former Danish international goalkeeper Stephan Andersen in the January 2007 transfer window, Ankergren announced his decision to leave the club.
In January 2007, he signed a loan deal with English club Leeds United[1], who were battling relegation in the Football League Championship. He signed for the remainder of the 2006-07 Football League season, with an option for Leeds to buy him at a fixed transfer fee at the end of the season. Ankergren has established himself as a firm favourite with Leeds fans, putting in a number of match saving saves and performances. His popularity was further increased during the 1-0 victory over Luton Town making his second penalty save since joining Leeds. An injury temporarily forced him out of the side with another Leeds loanee goalkeeper Graham Stack taking his place, although Casper retook his place in the side once he reached match fitness. Casper has since made it publicly known that he would like to continue his stay at Leeds past his loan spell[2]; whilst Leeds' manager Dennis Wise has stated he would like to keep Casper at the club. It is unlikely that the other on loan goalkeeper - Graham Stack - will stay at the club, who are now all but relegated from the Championship.
Ankergren has become something of a cult hero in his short time at Elland Road, after a penalty save against Luton fans heaped well earned praise on the Dane who is extremely keen to stay at Elland Road on a permanent basis due to excellent support and a good life in Leeds so far.
Honours
- Danish Superliga: 2002, 2005
- Danish Cup: 2003, 2005
Notes
- ^ Sky Sports (31/01/2007). "Leeds land Danish keeper" SkySports.com (accessed 6th Mar 2007)
- ^ Sky Sports (22/02/2007). "Casper eyes Whites stay" SkySports.com (accessed 6th Mar 2007)