In this feature, we’re profiling those players who played for Wanderers and represented their country on the international stage. There have been many players from all over the world who have achieved this feat, and today we’re going to focus on those represented Denmark.
Per Frandsen
A favourite amongst the Wanderers fans during his time at the football club, Frandsen first arrived in England to sign for Bolton in 1996 after leaving FC Copenhagen. The central midfielder had two spells with the club (1996-99 and 2000-04) making a total of 307 appearances (39 goals).
Starting his career with Copenhagen based B1903, Frandsen spent almost four years in France with Lille before a return to Denmark to sign for FC Copenhagen. Between his two spells at Wanderers, he spent time at Blackburn Rovers and finished his career with a brief stint at Wigan Athletic.
On the international stage, Frandsen earned 23 caps for his country and was part of the travelling squad that participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. The Danish qualified from a group including the host nation and eventual winners after a win against Saudi Arabia and a draw with South Africa. After defeating Nigeria in the Round of 16, they were beaten 3-2 in the Quarter-Finals by Brazil.
Carsten Fredgaard
Fredgaard made five appearances for Wanderers during the 2000/01 season on loan from Sunderland. The left-sided midfielder started out with Lyngby BK back home in Demark before a move to the North East of England in 1999.
A notable victory during his time with Bolton was a 4-1 defeat of Crewe Alexandra at the Reebok Stadium in December 2000. Only making five appearances for Sunderland during two years at the Stadium of Light, he signed for FC Copenhagen in 2001 and spent the remainder of his professional career playing in Denmark.
He earned a solitary cap for his country in 1999 whilst he was under contract at Sunderland.
Bo Hansen
Another former Wanderers man with just one cap for the Danish National Team, Hansen earned his in a game at the 1995 King Fahd Cup which is now recognised as the FIFA Confederations Cup. The forward played in a 2-0 victory against Saudi Arabia as the Danes went onto win the competition after beating Argentina in the final.
Hansen began his career in Denmark with Holstebro Boldklub before a move to Brondby in 1994. In 1999, he was snapped up by Bolton for a fee of £1 Million and made his debut in a goalless draw at Birmingham City.
Going onto make 124 appearances (17 goals) for the club, he played 70 minutes of the 2001 Play-Off Final victory against Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium. Returning to Denmark in 2002 to sign for FC Midtjylland, Hansen finished his professional career there in 2004.
Claus Jensen
Well-known in the English game after spending time with Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Fulham, Jensen earned 47 caps for Denmark between 2000 and 2007. The midfielder went to two tournaments with his country – the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and the European Championships in 2004. Scoring eight times for his country, his first goal came in a World Cup 2002 Qualification fixture against Malta in 2001 – and his last goal came in a World Cup 2006 Qualification fixture against Georgia.
His career started with Næstved Boldklub in 1995 and after just a year in the senior setup, he signed for Lyngby. Signing for Wanderers in 1998, he went onto make 113 appearances (10 goals) for the club before a £4 Million move to Charlton Athletic in July 2000.
Spending four years at The Valley, Jensen racked up 134 appearances (17 goals) for The Addicks before a move to West London to sign for Fulham in July 2004 for £1.25 Million. The Dane spent three years at Craven Cottage before retirement in August 2007 at the age of 30. He is currently the manager of Danish First Division side Nykøbing FC.
Michael Johansen
A technically gifted midfielder, Johansen joined Bolton Wanderers from FC Copenhagen in 1996 and spent four years with the club after joining for £1.25 Million. Helping the club to an emphatic promotion to the Premier League in his debut season for the club (1996/97), he went onto make 175 appearances (22 goals) before a return to Denmark with AB in 2000.
Earning his two National Team caps after returning to his home country in 2000, Johansen’s Denmark debut came in a 2-0 win against the Faroe Islands in August of that year. His second and final cap came in a 2-0 victory against Poland in November 2002.
Henrik Pedersen
A man who spent six years with Bolton Wanderers (2001-2006), Pedersen arrived in England as a forward who had impressed back home with 62 goals in 122 appearances for Silkeborg. Initially struggling to establish his place in the team with Wanderers who were newly promoted to the Premier League – Pedersen returned to Silkeborg for a loan spell.
Returning to Bolton, Pedersen went onto play a significant role in a team that would go onto earn UEFA Cup Qualification in 2004/05 and regularly finish in the top half of the country’s top division. Making a total of 171 appearances (29 goals) for the club, the Dane had a spell with Hull City in 2007/08 before returning to Silkeborg once more.
Making his Denmark debut in a friendly victory against Faroe Islands in 2000, he earned two more caps for his country with both of those coming four years later in Qualification matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He appeared in a 1-1 home draw against Ukraine and a 2-0 away victory against Albania.
Stig Tofting
A hard-hitting defensive midfielder, Tofting arrived at Bolton in 2002 after a spell in Germany with Hamburg. During just under 18 months at the Reebok Stadium, he would make 17 appearances before a move to China to sign for Tianjin Teda and an eventual return and ultimately retirement back home in Denmark.
The majority of his club career was either spent in Denmark or Germany and between 1993 and 2002, he earned 41 caps for the National Team. Making his senior debut for Denmark in a 2-2 draw with USA in a January 1993 friendly, he would go onto represent his country at the European Championships in England in 1996, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the European Championships in 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since his retirement in 2007, he has since gone into coaching and spent time with both Randers and AGF as Assistant Manager.