Delaney, Eriksen, Cornelius: Who are Denmark's top UEFA Champions League performers?

Denmark's greatest footballing success came in 1992 when the national team unexpectedly won the European Championship. However, if Danish clubs have never enjoyed similar levels of success, the nation's best players have long-since been successful abroad, the likes of Michael Laudrup, Peter Schmeichel, Allan Simonsen and Christian Eriksen showing their class at the very highest levels.

Most appearances by Danish players in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

65: Jan Heintze (PSV, Leverkusen)
53: Christian Eriksen (Ajax, Tottenham, Inter)
53: Thomas Delaney (Copenhagen, Dortmund, Sevilla)
48: Jesper Grønkjær (Aalborg, Ajax, Chelsea, Copenhagen)
47: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Newcastle, Feyenoord, AC Milan)
47: William Kvist (Copenhagen)
46: Peter Schmeichel (Brøndby, Man United, Sporting CP)
45: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Rosenborg)
44: Søren Lerby (Ajax, Bayern, PSV)
41: Michael Laudrup (Kjøbenhavns BK, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid)

Top-scoring Danish players in the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League (including qualifying)

Søren Lerby celebrates winning the European Cup with PSV in 1988©Getty Images

14: Søren Lerby (Ajax, Bayern, PSV)
12: Allan Simonsen (Mönchengladbach, Vejle)
11: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Rosenborg)
11: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Newcastle, Feyenoord, AC Milan)
10: Michael Laudrup (Kjøbenhavns BK, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid)
7: Frank Arnesen (Ajax, Anderlecht, PSV)
7: Andreas Cornelius (Copenhagen, Trabzonspor)
7: Christian Eriksen (Ajax, Tottenham, Inter)
7: Lasse Schöne (Ajax)
6: Peter Løvenkrands (Rangers, Schalke)
6: Bent Löfquist (B 1913 Odense)

Most appearances by Danish players in UEFA club competition*

Christian Poulsen celebrates a UEFA Cup goal for Sevilla©AFP/Getty Images

102: Christian Poulsen (Copenhagen, Schalke, Sevilla, Juventus, Liverpool, Ajax)
100: William Kvist (Copenhagen, Stuttgart)
99: Christian Eriksen (Ajax, Tottenham, Inter, Man United)
91: Jan Heintze (PSV, Leverkusen)
87: Mike Jensen (Brøndby, Rosenborg, APOEL)
86: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Heerenveen, Newcastle, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Stuttgart, Villarreal)
82: Lasse Nielsen (Aalborg, Gent, Malmö)
81: Jesper Grønkjær (Aalborg, Ajax, Chelsea, Stuttgart, Copenhagen)
81: Per Nielsen (Brøndby)
77: Michael Laudrup (Kjøbenhavns BK, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Ajax)
77: Thomas Delaney (Copenhagen, Dortmund, Sevilla)

Top-scoring Danish players in UEFA club competition*

Allan Simonsen after scoring in Barcelona's 1982 Cup Winners' Cup final success©Getty Images

44: Allan Simonsen (Vejle, Mönchengladbach, Barcelona)
27: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Heerenveen, Newcastle, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Stuttgart, Villarreal)
23: Kenneth Brylle Larsen (Vejle, Anderlecht, PSV, Club Brugge)
22: Michael Laudrup (Kjøbenhavns BK, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Ajax)
20: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Rosenborg, Copenhagen)
18: Søren Lerby (Ajax, Bayern, PSV)
16: Bent Christensen (Lyngby, Brøndby)
16: Heine Fernandez (Silkeborg, Voborg, Copenhagen, AB, HB Tórshavn)
16: Ebbe Sand (Brøndby, Schalke)
15: Christian Eriksen (Ajax, Tottenham, Inter, Man United)

Notable firsts

Kai Johansen with Rangers in 1967: he was the first Dane to appear in a UEFA final©Bob Thomas/Getty Images

First Danish player to appear in a European Cup Winners' Cup final
Kai Johansen (Bayern 1-0 Rangers, aet, 1966/67)

First Danish player to win the European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League
Johnny Hansen (Bayern 1-1, 4-0 Atlético, 1973/74)
 
First Danish players to appear in a UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final
Henning Jensen and Allen Simonsen (Liverpool 3-2 agg Mönchengladbach, 1972/73)

First Danish player to win a UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League final
Jørgen Kristensen (Tottenham 2-4 agg Feyenoord, 1973/74)

First Danish player to win a European Cup Winners' Cup final
Benny Nielsen (Anderlecht 4-0 Austria Wien, 1977/78)

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*UEFA club competitions means European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, Europa Conference League, European/South American Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup