Jesper Håkansson (born 14 August 1981) is a Danish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
. He mostly appeared as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
or a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
*Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Smal ...
. He was most recently the manager of
FC Roskilde
Football Club Roskilde is a Danish professional association football club based in Roskilde, Region Zealand. They will compete in the Danish 1st Division in the 2024–25 season following their promotion. They play at Roskilde Idrætspark (also k ...
.
Club career
Håkansson can play as attacking midfield, winger or striker and has extensive experience having played in the Danish, Dutch and Swedish leagues.
In 1997 Håkansson won the Danish Under-17 Player of the Year award. He made his first-team debut in the
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991, the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the for ...
at age 16, making him the second youngest
BK Frem
Boldklubben Frem (also known as Frem, BK Frem or BK Frem Copenhagen) is a Danish sports club based in the Valby- Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. It is best known for its semi-professional football team and its youth academy. Since its foundatio ...
player ever after
Sophus Nielsen
Sophus Erhard "Krølben" Nielsen (15 March 1888 – 6 August 1963) was a Danish amateur football player and manager, and the first player in history to score ten goals in a full national team match. Nielsen scored a total 16 goals in 20 games for ...
.
After leaving BK Frem in 1999, Håkansson went on trial with
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
; however, he chose to join Dutch
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
club
Heerenveen
Heerenveen (, ) is a town and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the m ...
, where he believed he would get more game time. He scored a goal on his debut against Dutch giants
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
. After a short loan spell back in Denmark with Viborg in 2003, he returned to Heerenveen before spending the entire 2004–05 season on loan to
RBC Roosendaal
RBC, previously known as RBC Roosendaal, is a football club based in Roosendaal, Netherlands. RBC currently plays in the fifth-tier Vierde Divisie after bankruptcy in 2011, restarting the club in the tenth tier Vijfde Klasse.
History 1912– ...
. He then joined
Djurgården
Djurgården ( or ) or, more officially, , is an island in central Stockholm, Sweden. Djurgården is home to historical buildings and monuments, museums, galleries, the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum Skansen, the small resident ...
in Sweden, for whom he only made one appearance.
After a year in Sweden, Håkansson returned to the Netherlands to play for
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation ...
, but he did not make his debut until 19 January 2007, coming on for the last 10 minutes of a 3–1 loss at home to
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...
. Early in the 2007–08 season, he then moved back to Denmark to play with
Lyngby BK
Lyngby Boldklub () is a professional football club based in Lyngby, Denmark, founded in 1921. It is based at Lyngby Stadion. The club play in the Danish Superliga. From 1994 to 2001 the club was known as Lyngby FC. The club has won the Danish c ...
. He scored three goals for Lyngby, including one in his last game for the club on 24 May 2007 against
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
.
Håkansson signed a two-year contract with the
Newcastle United Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...
on 30 July 2008 after a week-long trial. He made his debut for the
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from the Australi ...
on 29 August 2008, in a 5–0 defeat at the hands of
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...
. His time in Australia was marked by frequent injuries, and he played just 10 times for Newcastle before being released on 30 January 2009, so that he could return to Europe. Six weeks later, he signed with
FC Amager
FC Amager (or FCA) was a Danish football club, formed on 1 July 2008, which declared itself bankrupt on 30 March 2009.AB. Håkansson made 16 appearances for AB, scoring one goal, but when AB missed out on promotion, Håkansson was released. He later signed for
FC Roskilde
Football Club Roskilde is a Danish professional association football club based in Roskilde, Region Zealand. They will compete in the Danish 1st Division in the 2024–25 season following their promotion. They play at Roskilde Idrætspark (also k ...
, where he stayed for five years before retiring in 2015.
International career
He has represented Denmark at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He is the third youngest player to have represented Denmark at the under-21 level.
In April 2007 he was called up for the Danish national team, but has not yet featured in a competitive game.
Managerial career
In 2023 he returned to
FC Roskilde
Football Club Roskilde is a Danish professional association football club based in Roskilde, Region Zealand. They will compete in the Danish 1st Division in the 2024–25 season following their promotion. They play at Roskilde Idrætspark (also k ...
as manager of the club. After only two games in charge of the team, he left the club by mutual consent.
Honours
Club
;Djurgården
*
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system.
Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
Svenska Cupen
Svenska cupen (, ), also known as the Swedish Cup in English, is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. ''Svenska cupen'' usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also ...