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Jimmy Nielsen

Description

Major League Soccer's Goalkeeper of ther year for 2012, Jimmy Nielsen, has established hinself as one of the best players in the League and a fan favorite while playing for Sporting Kansas City.Yet, while supporters are familiar with his achievements on the field and larger-than-life personality off it, few are aware of the remarkable story that led him to the Midwest. Compared at an early age to Denmark's greatest goalkeeper ever, Peter Schmeichel, Nielsen was scouted by Manchester United and a host of other leading European clubs, but at the point when he should have been building a great career he was instead developing a ferocious gambling habit. In 1999, he dropped from Denmark's Under-21 team after missing cerfew because of a lost night at the roulette table. Nicknamed Casino Jimmy by rivalsupporters, Nielsen continued to gamble-the stakes getting so high that he was able to win $5000,000 on a single night at one casino and then throw more than half of that away at the same venue a day later. His losses finally cought up with him in 2004, when his inability to pay off a gambling debt helped put a major bookie out of business. Avoiding bankruptcy only with financial assistance from his soccer club and with the support of a family he feared would desert him, Nielsen gradually pieced his life back together. But in his soccer careerhe remained unfulfilled. He had spent almost his entire career with Aalborg, the team he supported as a boy, starting a record 398 games and winning the Danish championship in 1999, but he dreamed of a fresh challenge. Were it not for a phone call, from Kansas City in January 2010, that might have been the end of the story.Despite still performing at a high level, Nielsen was contimplating retirement when he was offered a contract by an American club he didn't even know existed. He said yes.

Informations

• Publié par: Ascend Books
• Date de parution: 15 mai 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780989309509
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Photo courtesy of Ryan Casey

“As îgy as ï rae Jîmmy as a goakeeper, ï înk e’s been an even beer eader or e eam. A e guys respec îm, e doesn’ sy away rom dîIcu sîuaîons, and e’s a rea connecor o peope. ïnsead o excudîng guys, e brîngs everybody ogeer and makes sure ey a ee învoved în e group. “here are ceraîn quaîîes a you ook or în a payer. You ask, ‘Can e pay e game? Does e ave a good caracer? ïs e personabe? ïs e markeabe?’ To ge a u package îke you ge rom Jîmmy îs rare. ï’s a benei on a eves o e cub, e organîzaîon, e communîy, e cîy and e eam o ave a guy îke a on your roser.” Sporting KanSaS City Manager —Peter Vermes,

“Obvîousy Jîmmy Nîesen îs a penomena goakeeper, bu î’s e person e îs ousîde o e wîe înes a makes îm e uîmae an-avorîe. He’s no araîd o speak o îs pas and sare ow ose essons saped îm îno e person e îs. Hîs umor, wînnîng drîve and carîsma demonsrae îs word-cass eadersîp or our eam and our communîy.” Sporting Club owner —Mike Illig,

“Jîmmy jus jumped rîg în, engagîng wî e an base rom day one. ï ind îm o be an încredîby sîncere person. ï never ee îke e’s bîg-îmîng you. He’s a geneman wo’s payed a e îges eves în e word and îs sî more an wîîng o jus ak. He’s reay îneresed în wa you ave o say as a an, and you don’ ind a very oten în payers o any spor. He aso buys us beer …” KanSaS City Cauldron MeMber —Sean Dane,

“he Wîe Puma as been e cornersone o e eam. Hîs on-e-ied pay as earned îm recognîîon as one e eague’s bes keepers. he eadersîp and supporer engagemen as soîdîied îs spo as a avorîe wîîn e cîy. We’re orunae o ave îm on e eam and în e communîy.” Sporting Club owner —Clay Patterson,

“ï am exremey proud o be îs wîe, bu ï can’ preend î’s aways been easy. As Jîmmy expaîns în îs book, îs gambîng conînued o ge a o worse în e irs ew years ater we go marrîed. Every îme e od me e was goîng o quî, ï beîeved îm, because î aways e îke we ad suc a grea reaîonsîp wen e wasn’ pacîng bes. Everyîng was perec wen we were ogeer, bu wen e was gambîng, e orgo a anyîng ese even exîsed. He woud mîss amîy bîrdays, parîes, everyîng, because e os rack o îme. “Bu ï aways beîeved a î we worked ogeer, e coud ge ou o î, wereas î ï et, e woud ave no cance. here woud be no reason o sop. Wa do you do în a sîuaîon? He was sî e bîg ove o my îe, e one a ï recognîzed as soon as ï irs saw îm a e age o îreen. Wa do ï ove abou Jîmmy? O boy, do you ave a day?” JiMMy S wife —Jannie Nielsen, ’

“He genuîney cares abou everybody. He îs easy o ak o and e îs aways ere wen you need îm. He’s been around and e as a o o sorîes. He eads by exampe and reas everyone equay.” Sporting KanSaS City forward —Teal Bunbury,

“A capaîns are eaders on e ied, în e cubouse and wî managemen. he ques o brîng campîonsîps and gory o a cub îs a journey a may ake, în many cases, years o compee. A good capaîn îs a eader on a journey, and a grea one doesn’ mînd e scars a are accumuaed aong e way. Jîmmy Nîesen îs my capaîn, bu ï’m ar more orunae o ca îm my rîend.” Sporting Club Ceo / owner —Robb Heineman,

“Jîmmy îs an ousandîng goakeeper, and we are very orunae o ave îm on our cub. Bu more an beîng a good goakeeper, e îs an exceen eader, capaîn and person. He îs grea or our eam and e communîy. Every îme e speaks and represens our organîzaîon, we ee orunae o ave îm ere.” Sporting KanSaS City aSSiStant CoaCh —Kerry Zavagnin ,

“Jîmmy îs e epîome o an a-around aee. Fîrs, e seems o know were e ba îs eaded beore e payer makîng e kîck does, wîc means e’s done îs ard work and as a rue naura gît. Secondy, our cîdren are în e same cass, wîc gîves us a unîque ook îno eac oer’s îves. Jîmmy’s dedîcaed reaîonsîp wî îs amîy and our scoo communîy reLecs e same energy and srong commîmen a e sows on e ied. Jîmmy and îs amîy are as becomîng a Kansas Cîy reasure.” Sporting Club owner —Greg Maday,

“He’s a grea guy, aer and usband. He as been grea or îs organîzaîon. he ans ove îm, e payers ove îm, and e îs an amazîng presence în e ocker room. He îs very easy o work wî. ï coudn’ ask or more rom a goakeeper.” Sporting KanSaS City goalKeeper CoaCh —John Pascarella,

“Jîmmy îs a grea payer and an even beer person. He îs a grea capaîn wo cares abou îs eam more an anyîng. He îs a grea eader on and of e ied. here coudn’ be a beer guy back ere beween e pîpes.” Sporting KanSaS City Midfielder —Graham Zusi,

“Jîmmy Nîesen, wî îs enrancîng îg aîr and sîgnaure bear ugs, embodîes a e quaîîes a woud go îno creaîng e quînessenîa proessîona aee and of-e-ied personaîy: îneresîng, compeîîve, rîendy, unseis and genuîne. Quîck o sop sos wîe pyîng îs rade, bu even quîcker o smîe, e ‘Wîe Puma’ as become a an-avorîe în Kansas Cîy, wîe seîng Major eague Soccer records în e process. Peope wac îm on e ied and recognîze a grea goakeeper, bu e ruy makes îs mark on e ype o man e îs o every sînge person e encouners.” Sporting Club exeCutive viCe preSident —Rob Thomson, of CoMMuniCationS / digital

“Jîmmy Nîesen îs e perec ambassador or e cub: personabe, proessîona and downrîg good a wa e does. Hîs acîons oten speak ouder an words. he 2012 MS Goakeeper o e Year sî makes îme or anyone. He ruy îs someone wo everyone, young and od, soud ook up o, and we are so ucky o ave e Wîe Puma as our capaîn.” Sporting Club ownerS —The Curran Family,

Special thanks to:

Miles Schnaer’s

Photo courtesy of Gary Rohman

welCoM t o t he blue H Do e h n’ ’ t a B e et v A l e gain l n st the Goalkeeper JiMMy nielSen WITH pàOLO bàNDINI

Copyrîg © 2013 by Jîmmy Nîesen A RïGHTS RESERVED. No par o îs book may be reproduced or ransmîed în any orm by any means, eecronîc or mecanîca, încudîng poocopyîng and recordîng, or by any înormaîon sorage and rerîeva sysem, excep as may be expressy permîed în wrîîng rom e pubîser.

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Pubîser: Bob Snodgrass Pubîcaîon Coordînaor: Be Brown Saes and Markeîng: enny Coen Dus Jacke and Book Desîgn: Rob Peers

A poos couresy o Jîmmy Nîesen uness oerwîse îndîcaed.

Every reasonabe aemp as been made o deermîne e ownersîp o copyrîg. Pease noîy e pubîser o any erroneous credîs or omîssîons, and correcîons wî be made o subsequen edîîons/uure prînîngs.

he goa o Ascend Books îs o pubîs quaîy works. Wî a goa în mînd, we are proud o ofer îs book o our readers. Pease noe owever, a e sory, e experîences and e words are ose o e auors aone.

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Dedîcaîon Foreword he Word’s Mos Expensîve Gerbî A Cîdood Obsessîon essons ïn Gambîng Soccer Ges Serîous Teenage Kîcks Goîng Pro An Engîs Advenure ‘he Nex Peer Scmeîce’ Casîno Jîmmy Jannîe Campîons O Denmark Hans Backe’s Underwear Gambîng Ges Serîous Rock Boom Reab he Wrong Move Faîng Ou O ove A Pone Ca From Ou O he Bue Wecome To Kansas Cîy Home Swee Home Houson, We Have A Probem Paînîng he Wa Hîsory Repeas ïse ookîng Aead Aterword Acknowedgemens

dediCation

This book îs or my wîe Jannîe, our wonderu daugers Mîe and ïsabea, and aso or a o e wonderu rîends we ave made în Kansas Cîy. hank you or makîng us ee so very muc a ome.