Interview: Christian Poulsen
in heaven and hell
Footballer Christian Poulsen has had a turbulent year with sporting success, a death in his team, and a suspension from the Danish national team following bad behaviour. At least he’s loving Sevilla FC
words by Stig Matthiesen
“Spain was at the top of my wish list after all those years in German football, though if I’m completely honest, Sevilla FC wasn’t my dream club from day one,” admits Christian Poulsen. But Sevilla has grown on him. Now well into his second season, he is sure he made the right decision.
“After the first talks I could sense that the coach and the executives wanted me. I wanted to play in new surroundings at a high level, and live a good life with my family. To eat good food, enjoy a new culture and have a glass of wine. In the end, the choice was fairly simple.”
Poulsen is as relaxed as ever despite a hectic schedule, dashing between hotels and airports for important La Liga matches (Spain’s first division), the Copa del Rey, Champions League and Euro 2008 qualifiers. That’s life for a top footballer, and Christian Poulsen isn’t a man that complains. All in all, the blond Dane hasn’t been disappointed with his stay in Andalusia.
It cost Sevilla FC 75m DKK (€10m) to hire their Danish number eight for three seasons. And so far, it’s all gone well, with lots of playing time both in Spain and across Europe. “On the sports side, it’s been one big success,” says Poulsen. “But my team mate Antonio Puerta’s heart attack and subsequent death in August cast a huge shadow. It has affected us all. He was hugely talented and only 22. When something like that happens, football loses its meaning.” Poulsen was in Athens playing a crucial Champions League qualifying match when he got the message. “We completely went into shock when we heard the news that he had passed away. We travelled back to Seville immediately and spent the whole night with a priest and our supporters at the club’s stadium, where we could say goodbye to him. We cried a lot. It was a very powerful experience.”
Seville may be best known for bullfighting and flamenco, but the locals also carry a deep attachment to Poulsen’s chosen sport. “Football is a big part of people’s everyday life down here. It’s both fascinating and scary.” He talks about home games at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and the way supporters like to get merry on Cuban rum and coke before unfolding banners of the Madonna and chanting the team’s anthems. “Here it’s really back to basics football,” notes the Danish tornado, sipping on a soda after a late evening match against local arch rivals Real Betis Balompié. (On these shores, it’s normal to play on until midnight.)
“It’s completely different from Schalke 04, where you felt constantly watched. I like the freedom with the responsibility. It’s not less serious than in Germany, but it’s different. It’s up to you to take care of your own health. There are no nannies.”
It’s stripped-down football in every way. There are no special VIP boxes behind toned windows, no big dinners before or during matches, nor private parking spaces for the players’ relatives. Beer sales, concerts and other money-generating activities beyond football are not on the business agenda at Sevilla FC, either. Poulsen likes it this way. He can just keep his eye on the ball. “I’ve come here to develop as a football player. The game is quicker and more technical than I’m used to. But I also know that I haven’t been brought here to dribble and score goals. My role is to tie the team together and to use my sensibility when we’re racing ahead. I’m there to keep my head when the pressure is on,” says the footballer.
His words bring to mind the now infamous events of the Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden in June, when Poulsen saw red and hit Swedish striker Marcus Rosenberg. This rash moment cost Denmark a penalty, the game and eventually a fine following a court case. In the aftermath, Poulsen was accused of being “violent” and a “national jinx”. So how is he weathering all that now?
“Today, I can’t explain what happened. But I regretted it that same second. It was a hard walk out from the pitch that night,” he admits. In the days that followed, Poulsen remained in Denmark to face the press: “I didn’t want to hide. But of course it hurt on the inside. In situations like this you discover what it means to have a loyal family, because you end up thinking about life and putting things in perspective. But it makes no sense to say that I’d like to go back and make things OK again. Of course I’m sorry about what happened, but I can’t change it.”
This all seems a long way from the start of Poulsen’s career, when he was playing for his Danish hometown club Asnæs BK, near Holbæk, back in the mid-80s. “Like all other young, fit boys, all I wanted to do was play football and have fun,” remembers the 27-year-old son of a teacher and a pharmacist. A contract with Don Ø at FC København followed before Poulsen travelled on to Germany’s Ruhr district for Schalke 04. When he finally moved to Seville, he made quite an entrance. Only a few weeks after his arrival, in the late summer of 2006, Poulsen was described as “the best buy of the summer” for La Liga Primera Division, ahead of world stars such as Fabio Cannavaro, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and José Antonio Reyes. Since then, respect for the Sevilla midfielder has just grown and grown, despite the Sweden incident at Parken, which barely caused a ripple in Spain.
Christian Poulsen has just finished the suspension that came with the red card this summer, and he’s ready to take on new responsibilities, both on the Danish national team and here in southern Spain, where the lifestyle makes up for the lack of cossetting. “There is nothing luxurious about playing in Sevilla FC but things work. There’s fresh fruit after practice and my wages come in on time. What more could you want?” asks Poulsen with a smile. He’s a rare bird in the football profession with his enjoyment of the unpredictable, simplicity, and his penchant for spending time alone with a book.
“Life as a football player can sometimes be hectic and monotonous, so it’s nice to be able to get the fast train to Madrid. It takes about two and a half hours. We’ve also taken part in the big spring celebrations in Seville, where they have long religious processions – something that is quite foreign to me as a Dane, as religion isn’t a big part of life in Denmark.”
Seville’s Semana Santa (Holy Week) isn’t the only local custom they’ve thrown themselves into. Poulsen’s girlfriend has taken up the fiery flamenco and is trying to persuade the slightly stiff-legged footballer to give it a go.
“We feel that we’ve received a fantastic welcome down here, though of course sometimes it can be hard to judge whether or not people like you just because you’re good at playing football. But I do have an inner feeling that people are actually welcoming us for the people we are,” Poulsen says. After a hellish few months with the Danish press, he must be grateful for the support of his new Spanish neighbours.
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