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Destined to be one of the breakout stars at this year's
World Cup, Denmark's Ebbe Sand has quietly emerged as
one of the premier strikers in the world and the marquee
scoring threat on a strong corps of Danish forwards.
A star for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga (German first
division), Sand is a well-rounded forward who reads
the game very well and has great pace. Sand is an intelligent
player, using his speed to easily beat defenders and
to run into open space to get into scoring position.
Born July 19, 1972, Sand began his career in the Danish
league with local club Hadsund before making a move
to Brondby in 1993. After four average seasons, Sand
exploded during the 1997/1998 campaign, helping Brondby
win the league title and Danish Cup. That year, Sand
netted 28 goals to finish as the top scorer in Denmark,
and was voted Danish Footballer of the Year.
Sand made his national team debut in April 1998 against
Norway and scored his first goal for Denmark a mere
24 seconds after coming off the bench as a substitute
against Nigeria at France '98.
His career suffered a major blow when he was diagnosed
with testicular cancer, but he made a remarkably speedy
recovery from surgery and returned to the national team
by the end of 1998.
After seven seasons with Brondby, he moved to Schalke
04 on a 3.3-million pound transfer in 1999, and proceeded
to finish as the top scorer in the German league with
22 goals in his second season.
He solidified his value to Denmark's national team
when he scored nine goals in 10 qualifying games. Now
presented with the opportunity to shine in Japan and
South Korea, Sand hopes to match that prolific strike
rate from the qualifying round and help Denmark advance
through the World Cup.
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