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Søren Larsen ([sɶːɐ̯n̩ ˈlaːsn̩]; born 6 September 1981) is a Danish retired professional football striker. He was a strong player with a decent header and good sense of positioning.
Club career
Larsen started his professional career at Danish club Køge Boldklub in Køge, Denmark.
In 2001, he was sold to multiple Danish championship winners Brøndby IF in the top-flight Danish Superliga. At Brøndby he did not enjoy much success, and only played a single game in the 2001–02 Superliga season, which Brøndby went on to win, although he became well known for his bellyflop goal celebration, a result of which he was injured. He was sent on loan to fellow Danish club BK Frem by then-Brøndby manager Michael Laudrup. In 2004, he was sold to Swedish club Djurgårdens IF, playing just two matches before being sidelined for the remainder of 2004 with a groin injury. When Djurgården won 2005 Swedish Cup and the 2005 Allsvenskan Larsen was a key player until he was sold.
After a two-month-long controversy Larsen was sold to German club FC Schalke 04 on 31 July 2005, signing a four-year contract. At Schalke 04, he earned the nickname "Der Dänische Joker" (The Danish joker), "The Blonde Bomber" and "Die Waffe" (The weapon), referring to his ability to come on as a substitute and score the game-tying or -winning goal. He was, however, not able to keep up the good performances due to injuries, and he later lost his place in the Schalke team. He became fed up with his role on the bench and decided to look for a new club.
On 18 July 2008, Larsen moved to Toulouse as a replacement for the outgoing Johan Elmander. On 24 January 2009, he scored his first four goals for the club in an 8–0 win against amateur team Schirrhein in the Coupe de France, but after one year he turned back to Germany and signed a one-year loan deal with MSV Duisburg. Larsen scored five goals in ten games and returned to Toulouse. In 2011, he moved to Feyenoord on loan. On 12 July 2011, despite having two years remaining on his contract, he left Toulouse by mutual consent.
On 13 July 2011, he signed a three-year contract with the Danish Superliga side AGF Aarhus, and made his debut appearance for the first team only five days later, at home against Lyngby Boldklub. On 30 July 2011, he scored his first goal, an important equalizer in the 2–2 draw home against Odense BK. In the first two games of September 2011, Larsen scored an impressive seven goals: On 1 September 2011 he scored four goals in a 5–2 win in a Cup match against 1. Division side Blokhus FC. On 12 September 2011, he netted a hat-trick in a 4–2 win against FC Midtjylland.
On 18 February 2014, he announced that he would be retiring immediately due to a knee injury.
International career
On 2 June 2005, Larsen was handed his international debut by Denmark manager Morten Olsen, when he came on as a substitute in the 1–0 win over Finland. He continued his good form by sensationally scoring six goals in his first five national team matches from June to September 2005. Larsen was named in Olsen's final 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Larsen has scored eleven goals in 20 games for Denmark.
Honours
Club
Brøndby
- Danish Superliga: 2002
Djurgårdens IF
- Allsvenskan: 2005
- Svenska Cupen: 2004
International goals
- Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark |  Albania | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 2 | 8 June 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Albania | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 3 | 7 August 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark |  England | 4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly match |
| 4 | 3 September 2005 | Istanbul, Turkey |  Turkey | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 5 | 7 September 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark |  Georgia | 5–1 | 6–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 6 | 7 September 2005 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Georgia | 6–1 | 6–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 7 | 11 October 2008 | Copenhagen, Denmark |  Malta | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 8 | 11 October 2008 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Malta | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 9 | 28 March 2009 | Attard, Malta | Malta | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 10 | 28 March 2009 | Attard, Malta | Malta | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qual. |
| 11 | 1 April 2009 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Albania | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qual. |