Johannes Pløger

Johannes Theodor Louis Plöger (3 April 1922 - 4 February 1991), commonly known as Johannes Pløger, was a Danish football player, who most notably played professionally as a winger for Italian clubs Juventus F.C. and Udinese Calcio. He played 21 games and scored eight goals for the Denmark national football team, with whom he won a bronze medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Johannes Pløger
(second from the right)
Personal information
Full name Johannes Theodor Louis Plöger
Date of birth (1922-04-03)3 April 1922
Place of birth Frederiksberg, Denmark
Date of death 4 February 1991(1991-02-04) (aged 68)
Position(s) Right winger
Youth career
FKIF
1924–1939 Boldklubben Frem
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1939–1948 Boldklubben Frem 164 (101)
1948–1949 Juventus F.C. 16 (1)
1949–1950 Novara Calcio 22 (6)
1950–1951 Torino Calcio 25 (2)
1951–1954 Udinese Calcio 75 (8)
National team
1940–1948 Denmark 21 (8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Biography

Born at Frederiksberg in Copenhagen, Pløger started his senior career with Boldklubben Frem. He became the wunderkind of Danish football at the age of 18,[1] when helped Frem win the 1940 Danish Cup, and made his debut for the Danish national team in October 1940. Pløger was called the Aladdin of Danish football, with his happy-go-lucky dribbling runs.[1]

He was a part of the Frem teams that won the 1941 and 1944 Danish championship trophies, and was selected to represent Denmark at the 1948 Olympics. He scored two goals in four games as Denmark won bronze medals, and was one of several Danish footballers who was bought by professional Italian clubs after the Olympics had ended. He played his last Danish national team game in October 1948, as the Danish rules of amateurism prohibited him from representing his country as a professional player.

In the same year 1948 he joined Juventus in the italian Serie A, after a quick 40 billions lire transfer.[2] Pløger was optioned by Milan, and as a repair Gianni Agnelli, president of the bianconeri team, sold the option he had on the swedish forward Nordahl.[2]

Despite the high transfer fee, in Italy Pløger did not make as great an impact as some of the other Danes, who were brought in from the 1948 Olympic team. He was too slow to dazzle with his skills in the Italian game, and lost some of his confidence.[1] He played one season each for Juventus FC, Novara Calcio, and Torino Calcio, before ending his career with three seasons at Udinese Calcio.[3] After finishing his professional career in Italy, Pløger settled as a Ford car dealer in Frederiksberg. He died in February 1991, 69 years old.

Honours
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
1948 London Team Competition
  • Danish Championships: 1940-41 and 1943-44 with Frem
  • Danish Cup: 1940 with Frem

References
  1. Lundberg, Knud (1986). Dansk Fodbold. 1. Fra Breslau til Bronceholdet. Copenhagen: Rhodos. pp. 126–127. ISBN 87-7245-132-7.
  2. Tarozzi, Marco (January 13, 2000). "Cent'anni di gratitudine – Un secolo di stranieri in Italia" [100 years of foreigner players in Italy]. Calcio 2000 (in Italian). Action Group S.r.l. p. 27.
  3. Danish Players in Italy at RSSSF
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