Jesper Grønkjær

2.1. AaB

In 1995, Grønkjær joined AaB, the defending Danish Superliga champions. He quickly established himself as a regular, playing almost 100 matches for the club during his three seasons there. His time at AaB included appearances in the 1995-96 UEFA Champions League tournament. His consistent performances and burgeoning talent at such a young age attracted significant interest from a number of top European clubs.

2.2. AFC Ajax

In October 1997, AaB agreed to sell Grønkjær to the Dutch club Ajax for a transfer fee of 3.50 M GBP, with the move to Amsterdam finalized in July 1998. At Ajax, he played under the guidance of fellow Dane Morten Olsen, who was the coach, and alongside Danish international teammate Ole Tobiasen. During his tenure with Ajax, Grønkjær was instrumental in the team winning the 1998-99 KNVB Cup. His strong performances were further recognized when fans voted him "Ajax Player of the Year" for the 1999-2000 season, once again drawing the attention of numerous elite teams.

2.3. Chelsea FC

In October 2000, Grønkjær made a move to Premier League club Chelsea for 7.80 M GBP, which at the time made him the most expensive Danish footballer. However, his debut was delayed due to an injury, sidelining him until January 2001. His four-year spell at Chelsea was marked by periods of inconsistent form, yet he was a constant threat on the pitch, creating and scoring some highly important goals for the club. On 28 January 2001, Grønkjær made his first start for Chelsea in a FA Cup fourth-round match against Gillingham, where he scored two goals and hit the post twice, contributing to Chelsea's 4-2 victory.

His most impactful performance for Chelsea occurred on the final day of the 2002-03 season against Liverpool. In this pivotal match at Stamford Bridge, Grønkjær assisted the first goal and then scored the second, securing a 2-1 victory for Chelsea. This win earned Chelsea fourth place in the league and, critically, qualified the club for the upcoming 2003-04 UEFA Champions League tournament. The importance of this result cannot be overstated, as qualification for the Champions League was deemed essential for Roman Abramovich's impending takeover of the club, which was facing financial difficulties at the time. Reportedly, Abramovich was considering investing in either Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea's Champions League qualification secured his commitment. For this reason, Grønkjær's decisive goal is often referred to as the "billion pound goal," reflecting its immense value in shaping Chelsea's future under its new ownership. Recalling the moment in February 2011, Grønkjær stated, "I remember the goal very well. I was on the right wing when we got a throw-in, but instead of passing I cut in from the right and beat three or four defenders before sticking it in the other corner. It was a nice feeling, and a good reward for a great season."

In the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal at Highbury, Grønkjær came on as a substitute for Scott Parker in the second half, with Arsenal leading 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate. Within six minutes of his substitution, Chelsea equalized through Frank Lampard. Wayne Bridge then scored three minutes before the final whistle, allowing Chelsea to defeat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate and advance to the semi-finals. In the subsequent semi-final against Monaco, Grønkjær scored from outside the penalty area with a cross-come-shot. However, his goal was not enough, as Chelsea was defeated 5-3 on aggregate by Monaco and thus failed to reach the final. Grønkjær also scored a notable strike in front of 67,000 fans at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the penultimate game of the 2003-04 season, marking the second of a three-game scoring streak. His final goal for Chelsea came the following week against Leeds United, where he scored the winner with a header in the first half.

2.4. European journey: Birmingham, Atlético Madrid, and Stuttgart

After Chelsea fired manager Claudio Ranieri before UEFA Euro 2004, Grønkjær was transferred to Birmingham City in July 2004 for 2.20 M GBP. His start at Birmingham was challenging; manager Steve Bruce attributed this to Grønkjær's difficulty adapting to playing in a struggling team, as he was "used to his team dominating the opposition and he is used to the ball more often." He appeared in 16 matches by December but struggled to score, with his only goal coming against Lincoln City in the Football League Cup.

In December 2004, Grønkjær was transferred to Atlético Madrid for a fee of around 2.00 M EUR. Although he struggled to settle in Spain, he was favored by manager César Ferrando for his breakthrough ability on the wings and frequently assisted goals for Fernando Torres. However, Grønkjær found it difficult to adapt to the Spanish environment and submitted a transfer request. In the summer of 2005, he moved to Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart for a reported 6.00 M EUR. Stuttgart was building a formidable squad under manager Giovanni Trapattoni, and Grønkjær joined his fellow Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson there.

Despite initial hype and expectations, Stuttgart struggled to remain in mid-table. Trapattoni reportedly did not utilize Grønkjær or Tomasson effectively, often relegating them to the bench. In early February 2006, Grønkjær and Tomasson openly criticized Trapattoni, stating he "lacked the will to attack and win," following 12 drawn games out of 20. Although Trapattoni attempted to assert his authority by benching both players in the next game, he was fired the very next day, on 9 February 2006. Rumours in the German and Danish media suggested that Grønkjær would leave Stuttgart for Danish club Copenhagen.

2.5. F.C. Copenhagen

Jesper Grønkjær was officially presented as a new player for the defending Danish Superliga champions, Copenhagen, on 23 June 2006. He was seen as a crucial signing for Copenhagen's UEFA Champions League ambitions. He helped the team qualify for the 2006-07 tournament, marking the first time in the club's history that they participated in the competition. However, in September 2006, Grønkjær sustained a groin injury during a Champions League match against Portuguese team Benfica. He was given a prognosis of an eight- to twelve-week recovery period and returned in a November game against Esbjerg in the Danish Cup. On 6 December 2006, he scored his second Champions League goal, contributing to FCK's 3-1 victory over Scottish team Celtic at Parken Stadium. By the end of the season, Grønkjær had played in 21 of 33 league games, as Copenhagen successfully retained the 2006-07 Danish Superliga championship. In November 2007, Grønkjær received significant individual recognition, being named both Superliga Profile of the Year and Superliga Player of the Year.

During the final games of the 2007-08 football season in May 2008, Grønkjær suffered a knee injury. The injury became infected by Staphylococcus, necessitating three separate surgical procedures. He did not fully recover until halfway through the 2008-09 football season, rejoining the Copenhagen team for a friendly match against Swedish club Malmö in January 2009. By the end of that season, he had regained his place in the starting lineup, helping Copenhagen achieve the Double, winning both the 2008-09 Danish Superliga championship and the 2008-09 Danish Cup trophy. Grønkjær played the highest number of games in his Copenhagen career during the 2009-10 football season, contributing to the club's victory in the 2009-10 Danish Superliga championship.

With two goals in 12 games, Grønkjær played a crucial role in helping Copenhagen advance to the 2010-11 Champions League Round of 16, making them the first Danish team to reach that stage of the tournament. Copenhagen was eventually eliminated from the competition by Grønkjær's former team, Chelsea. On 26 May 2011, with Copenhagen having already secured the 2010-11 Danish Superliga championship, Grønkjær announced his retirement from professional football after the last league match of the season. He stated, "I'd like to be able to go jogging when I have played my last football game. I want a life without aches." He played his final professional game against his first professional club, AaB, and scored the last goal in a 2-0 victory for Copenhagen.

2.6. Return to amateur football and final retirement

On 1 February 2016, it was confirmed that Grønkjær had signed with the lower amateur-side Græsrødderne. He played for a brief period before finally announcing his complete retirement from football in June 2016.

3.1. Youth national teams

Grønkjær began his international career with the Danish youth national teams, making his debut in October 1992 while still playing for Thisted FC. He quickly showcased his talent, notably scoring three goals in six matches as the Denmark national youth team secured silver medals at the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship. His exceptional performances earned him the prestigious title of 1995 Danish Under-19 Player of the Year. In total, Grønkjær scored 26 goals in 64 appearances for Denmark's various youth national teams.

3.2. Senior national team

In his first year at Ajax, Grønkjær made his full international debut for the Denmark national team on 27 March 1999, in a Euro 2000 qualification game against Italy. In a notable incident during the very first minute of that game, Grønkjær famously echoed Jesper Olsen's mistimed back pass from the 1986 FIFA World Cup, as he inadvertently passed the ball to Italian forward Filippo Inzaghi, who promptly scored the opening goal in Italy's eventual 2-1 victory. Despite this disappointing debut, Grønkjær became an important part of the national team under coach Bo Johansson and played full-time in Denmark's three games at the Euro 2000 main tournament.

While at Chelsea, Grønkjær became a mainstay in the Denmark national team under new national team coach Morten Olsen. He played in all four of Denmark's games at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the qualification games for Euro 2004, he scored the game-winning goal in a crucial 1-0 victory over closest rivals Norway, which helped Denmark qualify for the final tournament in Portugal. He missed the opening game of Euro 2004 due to the death of his mother, but he subsequently traveled to Portugal to rejoin the Danish squad and scored the second goal in Denmark's 2-0 win against Bulgaria.

Grønkjær was included in Olsen's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. After Denmark's elimination from the 2010 World Cup, following their group stage matches against Netherlands and Japan, Grønkjær announced his retirement from international football.

5.1. Club

5.2. International goals

Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Grønkjær goal.