Place of birth Aarhus, Denmark Playing position Name Thomas Roll | Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Years Team | |
Full name Thomas Christopher Roll Larsen Date of birth (1977-03-12) 12 March 1977 (age 38) | ||
Thomas Christopher Roll Larsen (born 12 March 1977) is a retired Danish professional footballer. He played 293 games in the Danish Superliga with Silkeborg IF, F.C. Copenhagen, FC Midtjylland, and Vejle Boldklub, winning the international 1996 Intertoto Cup and a Danish Cup trophy with Silkeborg IF as well as three Superliga championships with F.C. Copenhagen. He also played eight matches for the Danish national team, scoring once.
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Silkeborg IF
Born in Aarhus, Roll also lived on Funen, before he started playing football in Bylderup Bov near the Danish-German border. He was accepted into the youth academy of Silkeborg IF, and went on to play for a local club in Tonder, before moving to Silkeborg in autumn 1994. At Silkeborg's youth academy, Roll played alongside future Danish international defender Martin Laursen. Roll began his senior career as a forward for Silkeborg under manager Preben Elkjaer, who believed Roll lacked only temper to become a star in Danish football. Roll debuted in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship in May 1996, and was a part of the Silkeborg team which won the international 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup competition, beating Croatian team HNK Segesta in the final games.
Roll quickly established himself in the first team, and played 29 of 33 league games during the 1996-97 Superliga season. He played six seasons for Silkeborg IF, and eventually settled as the playmaker of the team. In his position of deep-lying forward, he especially experienced a successful striking partnership with Henrik Pedersen. He helped Silkeborg win silver medals in the 1997-98 Superliga and bronze medals in the 2000-01 Superliga season, as well as the 2001 Danish Cup trophy.
F.C. Copenhagen
In June 2001, the financially struggling Silkeborg IF sold Roll to the defending Danish champions F.C. Copenhagen (FCK) in a transfer deal reportedly worth DKK 7 million. Roll signed a five-year contract, and the move was seen as an opportunity for Roll to attract the attention of clubs abroad, with Silkeborg getting a part of the future transfer earnings. He predominantly played on the flanks for FCK, and only occasionally got the chance to play in his familiar deep-lying forward position, as when he scored two goals against Aarhus GF in October 2001. Roll played five seasons at FCK, and helped the club win three Danish Superliga championships. Initially an important part of the FCK first team, a number of injuries caused him to play fewer and fewer games for the club.
Roll suffered an injured Achilles tendon in March 2004, returned to the FCK squad at the start of the 2004-05 Superliga season in July 2004, but suffered another injury in October 2004. He had a hard time re-entering the FCK starting line-up, and was loaned out to his former club Silkeborg IF in February 2005. He played the second half of the 2004-05 Superliga season for Silkeborg, helping the club avoid relegation. Back in FCK, Roll injured his ankle in July 2005, and was soon out of the FCK starting line-up.
Last years
With his FCK contract expiring in the summer 2006, he moved to league rivals FC Midtjylland (FCM) on a free transfer. Roll suffered another injury before playing any games for FCM, and underwent rehabilitation until January 2007. He played 18 Superliga games for FCM, before moving on loan to Danish 1st Division team Vejle BK. He made his Vejle debut in March 2008, and helped the club win promotion for the Superliga. His loan deal was extended by another six months, and he played 15 of 17 games for Vejle in the first half of the 2008-09 Superliga season. He pleaded for FCM to let him stay in Vejle at the end of his loan. In February 2009, he was bought by 1st Division team Viborg FF on 2 February 2009, and signed a contract until the summer 2010. Viborg were forced to make economical cuts in the summer 2009, and Roll chose to end his career after 14 years in professional football.
International career
While at Silkeborg, Roll was called up for the Danish under-21 national team in February 1997, at the age of 19. He scored a goal in his debut against the Israel under-21s; in a game the Denmark under-21s won 2-1.
While at FCK, Roll made his Danish national team debut under national manager Morten Olsen in October 2002. On November 20, 2002, he became the first non-white player ever to score for Denmark. In March 2004, Roll played a national team match despite suffering a sore Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon subsequently needed surgery, which caused Roll three months of rehabilitation, and he was dropped from the national team.