30.06.2004
Over the years, AB has had countless representatives on various national teams, and one of the most notable is a true AB legend. René Henriksen.
Henriksen is a true AB boy to the core. He has played for AB for the majority of his career except for a detour to Panathinaikos from 1999-2005. Henriksen has played for the youth teams and even for the 2nd and 3rd senior before he was promoted to the 1st team squad. He had his breakthrough in the late 90s and during the period was captain and culture bearer for Akademisk Boldklub. He made 375 appearances for Akademisk Boldklub. His importance to AB can be seen in several places in the stadium, where one of the lounges is named after him – the René Henriksen Lounge.
Henriksen played a crucial role in AB’s cup victory in 1999 against AaB with his confident defensive style and ability to lead his teammates. His achievements were crowned with the title of Cup Fighter of the Year.
National team career for Denmark
Henriksen has had a great national team career, but also a very different path to the national team. He made his debut in the red and white jersey in 1998, at the age of 28 in a friendly against Scotland after impressive performances for both AB and Panathinaikos. He participated in the World Cup in France the same year, although he did not get playing time. But his role in the national team grew quickly, and he became captain during the 2022 World Cup, where he took over the armband from Jan Heintze in the final match against France. He remained a regular part of the team until he stopped his national team career in 2004 after the European Championship defeat to the Czech Republic. He made an impressive 66 appearances for Denmark, of which 25 games were as captain. In addition, he participated in four finals: the World Cup in 1998 and 2002 and the European Championship in 2000 and 2004. Symptomatic of his elegant style of play, he received only two warnings in his entire national team career.
A leader figure
The fact that René Henriksen has been captain both at club level, but also on the Danish national team is no coincidence. His composure and leadership qualities have always been eye-catching, both on and off the pitch. He always managed to rally his teammates and create unity in the team, regardless of whether the opponent was France or Brazil. Whether it has been difficult matches on or off the pitch, he has always pushed his chest forward and looked at things brightly
In 2018, Henriksen unfortunately received a cancer diagnosis. But with appropriate treatment, he has managed to return to an almost normal life and even has the opportunity to play football with his old teammates at Skovdiget, which testifies to his strength and perseverance both on and off the pitch.
