Ole Qvist, Troels Rasmussen, Lars Hogh and Ole Kjær The keepers, who were generally seen as the weak links. That is particularly harsh on Qvist, who was excellent at Euro 84 – he made a vital and famous save from Erwin Vandenbergh when Denmark were 2-1 down to Belgium in their final group games and would have played in Mexico but for a mysterious nerve injury. Hogh went on to play 817 games for Odense while Kjær, who did not feature in a major tournament, made a sensational last-minute save from Luther Blissett to secure victory at Wembley in 1983.
Ivan Nielsen and Søren Busk Tough, lanky, moustachioed defenders often described as Morten Olsen's "bouncers", but they were more flexible, good-natured and disciplined than that: incredibly, Nielsen, Busk and Morten Olsen picked up only four yellow cards between them in 214 internationals. One of Busk or Nielsen switched to full-back when Denmark played 1-3-4-2. Nielsen would sneak out to the toilets at half-time with Elkjær for a cigarette. He now runs a plumbing firm with his son.
Morten Olsen Arguably the last truly great libero, a man who could change an attack with a couple of urgent strides. He moved back from midfield at the age of 32, after a shin operation that threatened to end his career, on the recommendation of his Anderlecht manager, Tomislav Ivic. Olsen, one of nature's gentlemen, had an absurd range of skills for a sweeper. He dealt in dragbacks, backheels and stepovers at a time when few forwards had such tricks, but his most lethal weapon was the surge at the heart of a defence, fuelled by that devastating change of pace which would draw players towards him and open up all sorts of space elsewhere. If Franz Beckenbauer didn't touch the sides, so smooth was his work, then Olsen went through teams like a clumsy surgeon – all short stabs in front of his body, almost Sensible Soccer touches, to keep the ball moving but always under control. This is best exemplified by his frankly orgiastic creation of the opening goal against West Germany at Mexico 86. As the BBC's Barry Davies said so imperiously: "Slow, slow, quick, quick, Olsen! Yes, penalty!"
Henrik Andersen and John Sivebæk Modern, freewheeling full-backs who were the only men to play both at Mexico 86 and when Denmark miraculously won Euro 92. Sivebæk would frequently pop up in the centre-forward position, a reflection of the tactical freedom the players were granted.
Jens-Jørn Bertelsen and Klaus Bergreen The unsung heroes, although Piontek knew their value and they almost always kept Lerby and Arnesen away from the central-midfield positions they craved. Bertelsen, unpopular with the press, was a splendidly unobtrusive playbreaker who hardly ever gave the ball away, while Bergreen was an indefatigable jack of all trades. If that sounds like faint praise, it shouldn't: he was just an extremely good all-round player. After running a steakhouse, Bertelsen now sells villas in Spain.
Søren Lerby A force of nature blessed with a frankly obscene will to win. Lerby was seriously hard: he played with his socks rolled down and without shinpads – in its own way every bit as cool as Viv Richards not wearing a helmet in cricket – and in November 1985 he played two games in the same day, first a World Cup qualifier against Ireland and then a German Cup semi-final for Bayern Munich against Bochum. Lerby, who usually started on the left of midfield, had the lot. He was a forceful runner with the ball; a good short passer and a fantastic long passer; an unyielding ball winner and a tireless harrier; and an excellent long-range shooter.
Frank Arnesen A breathtakingly imaginative dribbler, who ate up the ground with his pitter-pattering run and duped defenders with all manner of deception, although he had an odd habit of being denied clear penalties. He was a superb crosser with either foot, and usually roamed from a wide-right role. Known as Frankie Boy, Arnesen was a natural showman with a brilliant voice who Piontek described as "a kind of Danish Frank Sinatra". Some feel that, but for persistent knee injuries, he could have become Denmark's greatest ever player.
Jesper Olsen Known as de Vlo (the fly) in Holland, he was integral to the story at the start and the finish. Olsen arguably never truly fulfilled the potential he showed against England in 1982, but he was a delightfully sinuous dribbler who would beat defenders with just a swing of the hips. He suffered a brain tumour while living Australia but has fully recovered and works for a sports management firm.
Allan Simonsen The ghost at the feast. Simonsen, at the age of 31, broke his leg in the first game of Euro 84 and missed out on the rewards of a trail that he had blazed, although he is still the only Dane to win the Ballon d'Or. He was a gloriously impish attacker, blessed with genuine pace and great footwork. He could also finish with power or precision with either foot, and was an extremely hard worker who was deceptively good in the air. In short, a class act. Tragedy, alas, couldn't have happened a nicer guy.
Michael Laudrup The bright, shining superstar of the side. Laudrup was just 21 at Mexico 86 but even then was being compared to Michel Platini and Diego Maradona. His awareness was outstanding; Laudrup had the ability, afforded to only the very best, to play as if he had a bird's-eye view of the pitch. He became an incredibly good passer, best known for defence-splitting scoops and passing one way while looking the other. And he was, by even the very highest standards, an incredibly quick runner with the ball. It's surprising that he never finished in the top three of the Ballon d'Or, but few players have been so respected by their peers.
Preben Elkjær There's no proof that man-love was invented because of Elkjær, but it wouldn't be a surprise. He was a cool, infectiously cheeky and totally unfettered character with a mischievous sense of humour, christened Den Gale Mand fra Lokeren (The Crazy Man from Lokeren) during his time in Belgium, but on the field he was deadly serious: there can be no higher praise than to say he so nearly matched Lerby's will to win. Most remember his power, and with good reason. He was determination incarnate, and his seemingly endless lung capacity is even more amazing given that he was a chain smoker. Often he would go on me-against-the-world runs, culminating most notably in famous strikes against Belgium and USSR. He would simply run through defenders (see his goal against Scotland in 1986) and if a brick wall got in the way, well, he'd take his chances. In short, nothing was going to stop him scoring, and it was fitting that, in the 1984-85 season in which he inspired little Verona to the Serie A title, he scored a superb solo goal against the reigning champions Juventus with no boot on his right foot, having lost it during a surge down the left. He nagged away at defenders constantly, inverting the 80s relationship between defender and attacker, and must have been a nightmare to play against.
Yet there was so much more to Elkjær than raw desire. He had wonderful balance and sublime skill: one ninja-like turn on Russell Osman during the 2-2 draw in 1982 boggles the mind almost as much as the famous Dennis Bergkamp goal at Newcastle; he developed the Elkjaer turn, a spin-off of the Cruyff turn, when he was on holiday in Barbados and saw kids playing with coconuts on the beach. He was an incredibly aggressive finisher with both feet, from short – and long range; and if he was occasionally iffy in the air, his overall record – 38 in 69 games – brooks no argument. Truly, there have been very few forwards in the game's history with such a complete range of skills. He came third in the Ballon d'Or in 1984, second in 1985 and fourth in 1986. He also won the Bronze Ball at Mexico 86, the only instance of a player knocked out in the last 16 winning this award. As you may have discerned from the length of this entry, he's something of a favourite.
John Lauridsen, Ole Rasmussen, Kenneth Brylle, Jan Molby and John Eriksen also represented Denmark at Euro 84 or Mexico 86. Eriksen died in 2002, at the age of 44, after suffering a rare form of dementia.
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