ALLAN SIMONSEN

 13th November 1982

Full name	Allan Rodenkam Simonsen
Date of birth	15 December 1952 (age 70)
Place of birth	Vejle. Denmark
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Striker

When Dane, Allan Simonsen was transferred to his only English club, you had to check to see if it was April 1st, All Fools' Day, because it seemed so unreal. The former European Footballer of the Year was on the move from Barcelona and turned down Real Madrid in preference to joining ... Second Division Charlton Athletic! 

Allan signed on November 13th, 1982, it was the equivalent of Kylian Mbappe joining Millwall. The former European footballer of the year stunned everyone when he decided to leave Barcelona and - despite the interest of Real Madrid and Spurs - joined the second-tier South London outfit. However, it was far from a golden period for the Catalan club who struggled in La Liga and despite the Dane’s winner in the 1982 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, his days at Barca would be numbered with the imminent arrival of Diego Maradona.

At the time, Spanish league rules meant that only two foreign players could be chosen for a team’s starting line-up and it was made clear to Simonsen that German star Bernd Schuster wouldn’t be dropped and his choice was simple: settle for a place on the bench or leave the club - meaning one of the most lethal marksmen in the game was now open to offers. But despite interest from top clubs in England and Spain, Simonsen shocked the world by agreeing to join Charlton after the Addicks made a £324,000 bid - double the amount Barcelona had paid for him three years before - with a contract worth a reputed £80,000 a year.

His debut on 13th November, 1982 for Charlton against Middlesbrough saw their crowd double from their previous League match at the Valley - but that was only from 5,278 to 10,807. Sadly Charlton could only afford his wages for four months before he was on the move again but he had scored 9 goals in 16 League outings and the memories were real! 

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/allan-simonsen-the-ballon-d-or-winner-who-almost-bankrupted-charlton1111

He then went to play in Denmark for Vejle BK, racking up a total of 500 apps in his full career.

Allan Rodenkam Simonsen (born 15 December 1952) is a Danish former player and manager. He most prominently played as a striker for German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona in Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.

For the Denmark national side, Simonsen was capped 55 times, scoring 20 goals. He represented Denmark at the 1972 Olympics, 1984 European Championships and 1986 World Cup tournaments. He was voted into the Danish Football Hall of Fame in November 2008.

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1971–1972	Vejle BK	42	(16)
1972–1979	Borussia Munchengladbach	178	(76)
1979–1982	Barcelona	98	(31)
1982–1983	Charlton Athletic	16	(9)
1983–1989	Vejle BK	166	(70)
Total		500	(202)
International career
1971–1972	Denmark U21	6	(0)
1972–1986	Denmark	55	(20)
Managerial career 1991–1994 Vejle BK 1994–2001 Faroe Islands 2001–2004 Luxembourg 2011–2013 Frederica(General manager) 2013 Fredericia 2014 Vietnam (sporting director) *Club domestic league appearances and goals

and here is Vejle Boldklub is located in Jutland, east of the "peninsular", just under Denmark name. Formed in 1891, the club is one of the most successful clubs in Danish football history, having won the Danish Championship five times and the Danish Cup title six times.