Dan Thomassen
Danish footballer (born 1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dan Vesterby Thomassen (born 24 March 1981) is a Danish former professional footballer and current coach. He has played for Danish Superliga side AGF Aarhus, Norwegian side Vålerenga and Danish champions Copenhagen and Italian side Padova.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dan Vesterby Thomassen | ||
| Date of birth | 24 March 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Aarhus, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 199?–1994 | IHF Aarhus | ||
| 1994–1998 | AGF | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2004 | Padova | 87 | (0) |
| 2004–2007 | Copenhagen | 55 | (3) |
| 2007–2008 | Vålerenga | 21 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | AGF | 55 | (3) |
| 2011 | Ravenna | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Triestina | 20 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Este | 61 | (1) |
| 2014 | Campodarsego | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Padova | 15 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Abano | 34 | (2) |
| 2016 | Vigontina San Paolo | 7 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Albignasego | ||
| International career | |||
| 1997 | Denmark U17 | 9 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Denmark U19 | 11 | (0) |
| 2002 | Denmark U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | Denmark U21 | 15 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2023 | Vicenza | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career
In his youth, he started playing for IHF Aarhus and later on transferred to AGF. He moved to the Italian club Calcio Padova at the age of 17, and in 2004 he signed a three-year contract with FCK.
In July 2007, he signed for Vålerenga. After one season in Norway, he moved back to his home city to play for AGF.
Short after signing with AGF in 2008, he had to deal with a serious knee injury which meant that he missed great part of the season.[1]
He moved back to Italy in 2011 to finish his playing career and retired in 2018.
Coaching career
After retiring from active football, Thomassen took on a career as a youth coach, joining Vicenza and covering different training roles, being appointed in charge of the Under-19 team in 2022.
On 16 March 2023, following the dismissal of Francesco Modesto, he was promoted to head coach of Vicenza in the Serie C league for the remainder of the season.[2] Just a month later, on 11 April 2023, he guided Vicenza to win the Coppa Italia Serie C after defeating Juventus F.C. Next Gen in a two-legged final.[3]
In July 2023, Thomassen was announced as the new assistant coach of Brescia, working alongside head coach Daniele Gastaldello.[4] Both Gastaldello and Thomassen were dismissed from their roles on 10 November 2023, following a negative string of results in the Serie B league.[5]
In March 2024, following the appointment of Luca Gotti in charge of Serie A relegation-fighting club Lecce, Thomassen joined the Giallorossi from Salento as their new assistant coach.[6] They managed to keep the club in Serie A for the following season. He left later that year, following Gotti's dismissal from his role.
Honours
Player
- 2000–01 Serie C2: Champions
- 2014–15 Serie D: Champions
Manager
- Coppa Italia Serie C: 2022–23
