Allan Simonsen
The only Danish player ever named European Footballer of the Year, a lethal striker who conquered three major European finals.
Born 1952 (age 74)·Danish footballer and manager·Birthday: December 15·Baby Boomers
Biography
Allan Simonsen was a footballer of slight stature but immense talent, a darting, agile forward whose clinical finishing made him a giant of the 1970s European game. At Borussia Mönchengladbach, he was the sharp tip of a brilliant attacking team, winning UEFA Cups and forming a legendary partnership with Jupp Heynckes. His crowning individual moment came in 1977 when he beat Kevin Keegan and Michel Platini to the Ballon d'Or. A bold move to Barcelona followed, where he added a Cup Winners' Cup to his unique collection, having already scored in finals for the European Cup and UEFA Cup. Simonsen's career was a study in precision and big-game temperament, leaving a legacy as one of Denmark's greatest and most successful football exports.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Allan was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Allan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the 1977 Ballon d'Or as European Footballer of the Year, the only Dane to ever receive the award.
- Scored in the finals of the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and European Cup Winners' Cup, a unique treble in football history.
- Won two UEFA Cup titles with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1975 and 1979.
- Captained the Danish national team and helped them qualify for their first major tournament in 16 years, Euro 1984.
Did You Know?
He played in a testimonial match for the great Alfredo Di Stéfano at Real Madrid in 1983.
After retiring, he managed the national teams of the Faroe Islands and later, Luxembourg.
Simonsen's transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Barcelona in 1979 was a then-club record sale for the German side.
“I was never the biggest, so I had to be the smartest and the quickest.”
