Jakob Poulsen made six appearances in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying, contributing one goal to the Danish cause en route to South Africa. It sounds like a modest tally, but the goal in question was ultimately priceless. It was not only Poulsen’s first for his country, it was the only goal of the game as Denmark crucially beat Scandinavian rivals Sweden.

Poulsen left Esbjerg fB in 2006 for the Dutch Eredivisie, where he featured in the UEFA Cup with SC Heerenveen. However, the switch abroad was not all good news for the midfielder. Previously a fixture in his country’s junior teams, the call-ups stopped and he disappeared from the international scene for a time. His return home to Aarhus GF in 2008 proved a good move both for his new club and for the player himself. He had performed with credit in the Netherlands, but the next decisive step forward came with Aarhus.

The year 2009 was a watershed for Poulsen. He made his senior international debut, clocking up a further nine caps within the next 12 months and appearing in six of his country’s seven FIFA World Cup qualifiers that year, five of them in the starting line-up. Only six members of the Danish squad appeared more often in their successful qualifying campaign. He also travelled with the squad on their Asian tour in January 2010 and was called upon for all three matches, against Poland, Singapore and Thailand.

Poulsen rates as a hard-running utility man, offering plenty of pace and stamina on the right side of midfield. He is a near-certainty for regular appearances once the global showdown in South Africa gets underway.