Ken Ilsø
Ken Ilsø Larsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1986 Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation | Professional footballer (retired) |
| Years active | 2005–2019 |
| Known for | Football career as midfielder and forward, representing Denmark U19, U20, U21; playing for clubs including SC Heerenveen, SønderjyskE, FC Midtjylland, Fortuna Düsseldorf, VfL Bochum, Guangzhou R&F, Home United, Kedah FA, Penang FA, Adelaide United |
Ken Ilsø Larsen (born 2 December 1986) is a retired Danish professional football player who most recently featured for Adelaide United in the A-League. Throughout his career, he represented Denmark at the U19, U20, and U21 levels. Alongside his sporting pursuits, Ilsø is undertaking a Bachelor's degree in law at the University of Southern Denmark.
Youth career
Originating from Copenhagen, Ilsø started playing football with local amateur side BK Pioneren, where he played alongside his brother Marco Ilsø. In 2004, he was recruited by Dutch club SC Heerenveen as a youth player, widely regarded as one of Denmark’s promising talents. His senior debut came on 16 April 2006 during an Eredivisie fixture against AZ Alkmaar, which remained his sole first-team appearance for Heerenveen.
SC Heerenveen
Following his debut, Ilsø did not make further appearances for Heerenveen’s senior squad. A subsequent loan spell at FC Zwolle did not result in any first-team action.
SønderjyskE
Ilsø returned to Denmark in 2007 by signing with SønderjyskE, where he experienced greater success. Over 52 league matches, he scored 12 goals while helping the club in its fight against relegation.
FC Midtjylland
In the summer of 2009, Ilsø transferred to FC Midtjylland, a team that had secured fourth place in the previous Superliga season. He quickly established himself as an important player and notably netted the winning goal in the opening match of the 2010–11 season against Silkeborg IF.
Fortuna Düsseldorf
During the winter transfer window of 2010, Ilsø moved on loan to 2. Bundesliga club Fortuna Düsseldorf, which signed him permanently the next summer for approximately €300,000. In the 2011–12 campaign, he assisted twice in the promotion play-offs against Hertha BSC, playing a key role in Fortuna’s promotion to the Bundesliga after a 4–3 aggregate triumph.
Ilsø scored the decisive goal on 15 December 2012 in a Bundesliga win over Hannover 96. Despite this, Fortuna Düsseldorf finished 17th that season and were relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga following just one year in Germany’s top division.
VfL Bochum
In the summer transfer period of 2013, Ilsø joined VfL Bochum from Fortuna Düsseldorf. He mainly featured for Bochum’s first team but also made a single appearance for their reserve side, VfL Bochum II, competing in a Regionalliga West fixture against Sportfreunde Siegen.
Guangzhou R&F
Ilsø signed with Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou R&F in February 2014; however, after three months with limited playing opportunities, he departed from the club.
Home United
In January 2015, Ilsø committed to Home United for the remainder of that season. He opted for Home United over other domestic and Thai offers due to their strong emphasis on youth development. His impact was immediate—he scored in each of his first four league appearances and provided an assist that secured Home United’s inaugural victory of the season. By May 2016, Ilsø had amassed six goals across five matches, helping drive Home United to four successive S.League wins—their best streak since 2013.
On 23 December 2015, Home United announced that Ilsø would continue with them for the 2016 S.League season. Additionally, he was selected for the Singapore Selection XI squad competing in the 2016 Sultan of Selangor Cup, playing the entire match which concluded with a penalty shootout win.
During mid-2016, Ilsø extended his scoring run to eight goals over seven league games but declared on 22 November 2016 that he would decline contract renewal offers despite being presented with an extension option.
Kedah FA
Following his decision not to renew his contract with Home United, Ilsø underwent a trial with the 2016 Malaysia Cup winners, Kedah FA, on 27 December 2016. He secured a one-year contract on 3 January 2017 to participate in the 2017 Malaysia Super League season, having impressed head coach Tan Cheng Hoe during the trial period. Ilsø was Kedah's third foreign acquisition, joining teammates Liridon Krasniqi and Sandro da Silva Mendonça.
Penang FA
Ilsø committed to a one-year contract with Malaysia Premier League club Penang on 16 January 2018. On 18 May 2018, he and the club mutually agreed to terminate the contract, citing delayed salary payments since February of that year. Ilsø expressed his plan to escalate the matter to FIFA through the Danish Football Association if the wage dispute remained unresolved.
Adelaide United
Ilsø signed a one-year deal with Australian A-League team Adelaide United on 6 July 2018. He made his first appearance in a friendly match against Para Hills Knights SC, where he contributed an assist in a 2–0 victory on 10 July 2018. Subsequently, Ilsø faced suspension by the Football Federation Australia (FFA) after testing positive for cocaine. On 18 October 2019, the FFA handed him a two-year ban following detection of Benzoylecgonine. After receiving the suspension, Ilsø announced his immediate retirement from professional football.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | Regional Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SC Heerenveen | 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006–07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| FC Zwolle (loan) | 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| SønderjyskE | 2008–09 | Superliga | 28 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 9 | ||
| 2009–10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 32 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 9 | ||||
| FC Midtjylland | 2009–10 | Superliga | 25 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 15 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 10 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 12 | ||||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) | 2010–11 | 2.Bundesliga | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 7 | ||
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 2011–12 | 2. Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | |||
| Total | 71 | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 73 | 13 | ||||
| VfL Bochum | 2013–14 | 2.Bundesliga | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||
| VfL Bochum II | 2013–14 | Regionalliga West | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Guangzhou R&F | 2014 | Chinese Super League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 2 | ||
| Home United | 2015 | S.League | 19 | 11 | 5 | ২ | 1 | ০ | — | 25 | 13 | |
| 2016 | 22 | 19 | 3 | ২ | ২ | ২ | — | 27 | 23 | |||
| Total | 41 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 3 | ২ | — | 52 | 36 | |||
| Kedah | 2017 | Malaysia Super League | 18 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | — | 33 | 25 | |
| Penang | 2018 | Malaysia Premier League | 6 | 3 | ০ | ০ | ০ | ০ | — | 6 | 3 | |
| Adelaide United | 2018–19 | A-League | 19 | 3 | 5 | ০ | ০ | ০ | — | 24 | 3 | |
| Career total | 229 | 81 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 1 | ০ | 265 | 99 | ||
Honours
Midtjylland
- Danish Cup finalist: 2010
Home United
- Singapore Cup finalist: 2015
Kedah
- Malaysian Charity Shield winner: 2017
- FA Cup champion: 2017
Adelaide United
- FFA Cup winner: 2018
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Living people
- 1986 births
- Danish men's footballers
- Denmark men's under-21 international footballers
- SC Heerenveen players
- Sønderjyske Fodbold players
- FC Midtjylland players
- Fortuna Düsseldorf players
- VfL Bochum players
- VfL Bochum II players
- Guangzhou City F.C. players
- Lion City Sailors FC players
- Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players
- Penang F.C. players
- Adelaide United FC players
- Bundesliga players
- 2. Bundesliga players
- Regionalliga players
- Chinese Super League players
- Singapore Premier League players
- Malaysia Super League players
- A-League Men players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Germany
- Expatriate men's footballers in China
- Expatriate men's footballers in Singapore
- Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia
- Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia
- Men's association football midfielders
- Men's association football forwards
- University of Southern Denmark alumni
- People from Solrød Municipality
- Danish expatriate sportspeople in Germany
- Danish expatriate sportspeople in China
- Danish expatriate sportspeople in Singapore
- Danish expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia
- Danish expatriate sportspeople in Australia
- Denmark men's youth international footballers
- Danish expatriate men's footballers
- Kjøbenhavns Boldklub players
- Boldklubben Frem players
- PEC Zwolle players
- Footballers from Region Zealand
- 21st-century Danish sportsmen