Ronnie Michael Ekelund was born on 21 August 1972 and is a Danish former professional footballer who played as both a midfielder and forward.
29 Facts About Ronnie Ekelund
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Ronnie Ekelund notably played in La Liga for Barcelona and in the Premier League for Southampton and Manchester City.
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Ronnie Ekelund was named 1988 Danish under-17 Talent of the Year.
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Ronnie Ekelund made his first team debut at the age of 15, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in the top-flight Danish 1st Division.
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Ronnie Ekelund joined Danish-Spaniard Thomas Christiansen at FC Barcelona B, the second-string team of the club.
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Ronnie Ekelund went to England, to FA Premier League club Southampton in 1994.
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Ball replied "A left sided midfielder", and the next day Ronnie Ekelund was ready to play for the "Saints".
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Ronnie Ekelund was an instant hit at Southampton's The Dell stadium with his skills on the ball, forming a great understanding with English forward Matthew Le Tissier, who Ronnie Ekelund later described as being on level with Ronald Koeman and Romario.
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Ronnie Ekelund soon suffered a back injury, and which the Southampton medical team felt that this could only be cured by surgery.
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Ronnie Ekelund underwent brief loan deals with English clubs Manchester City and Coventry City, but injuries limited his playing time there.
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Ronnie Ekelund was loaned out to Danish Superliga club Lyngby FC, playing four games for the club in May 1996.
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Ronnie Ekelund went back to Denmark on a permanent basis in 1996, when he moved to Odense BK.
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Ronnie Ekelund played two Superliga seasons for Odense, before the club was relegated to the secondary Danish 1st Division.
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Ronnie Ekelund played one season for Odense in the 1st Division before moving on in the summer 1999.
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Ronnie Ekelund moved to French club Toulouse FC in Ligue 2.
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Ronnie Ekelund helped Toulouse win promotion for the top-flight Ligue 1 championship, but the manager was fired and Ronnie Ekelund left the club.
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When he recovered, Ronnie Ekelund signed with English team Walsall in the third-tier Football League Second Division in December 2000, to play under manager Ray Graydon who Ronnie Ekelund knew as a coach from his time at Southampton.
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Ronnie Ekelund played nine league games for Walsall, scoring st Bournemouth.
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Ronnie Ekelund was offered a new contract by Graydon, but decided to leave Europe in 2001.
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Ronnie Ekelund suffered a knee injury in his first season at Earthquakes, but recovered and soon became ever-present in the starting lineup.
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In 2004, the Earthquakes management team changed, and Ronnie Ekelund was deemed surplus to requirements.
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In four seasons with San Jose, Ronnie Ekelund scored 11 goals and made 16 assists in the regular season.
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Ronnie Ekelund scored a goal and made four assists in the playoffs.
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Ronnie Ekelund left the team after the 2004 MLS season, and made the move to indoor soccer in 2005 joining the California Cougars, coached by his good friend and former teammate Troy Dayak.
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Ronnie Ekelund joined the coaching staff of the Earthquakes in 2008 as Technical Advisor, helping with the day-to-day training of the team.
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Ronnie Ekelund made his name known when he debuted for the Danish under-17 national team in October 1987.
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Ronnie Ekelund scored 10 goals in 23 games for the Denmark under-17s, and was named 1988 Danish under-17 Talent of the Year.
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Ronnie Ekelund represented the under-17 national team at the 1989 European Under-17 Championship, and was called up for the Denmark under-21 national football team in June 1990.
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Ronnie Ekelund represented the Denmark under-21 team in the 1992 Summer Olympics hosted at Barcelona,.