• Name: Daniel Arrocha 
  • 19 (09-01-1995)
  • Position: RB/LB/CB
  • Club: HB Køge
  • International Caps: 
    • U18: 5 matches / 0 goals
    • U17: 2 matches / 0 goals
    • U16: 1 match / 0 goals
  • Value: £25.000
This week we keep an eye on yet another Danish talent with an exotic name; Danish/Spanish Daniel Arrocha is this week's keep an eye on talent.

In his younger years, Arrocha played football in BK Frem, one of the traditional Copenhagen football clubs, before he and his family moved to Haslev in Southern Zealand. Suddenly, the daily commute into Copenhagen seemed to long and the defender joined the local club Haslev FC. However, after meeting Herfølge [HB Køge today] in a couple of matches, the defender went for one training and decided to join the 1. Division clubs youth department. 

In Herfølge and later HB Køge, Arrocha went through a massive development and played himself onto the Danish U16 national team followed up by spells at the U17's and U18's. 

“It has been exciting, both when it was just Herfølge and now when it is HB Køge and the focus is on youth talents. It has been good to play in HB Køge as a youth player and there is a good set-up here," Arrocha says about his youth years in Køge. 

“I achieved to make it to the youth national teams, and to get my debut on the 1. Division team. I have found out that I want to become a professional football player and the club has helped me on the way.”

Today, the defender is 19-years old and have more or less gotten a small breakthrough for HB Køges 1. Division team. After starting against Vendsyssel FC last year, the defender has been promoted to the senior squad - despite still being eligible for the U19's - and have played five matches since January. However, he has not played many matches on his favorite position in the center defends.

“I see myself as a center back and I prefer to play in the center defends, but I can play on both backs, as well. However, at the moment I am playing where the manager wants me to play and then I might get more regular position as I make my way into the starting line-up," the all-around defensive player says.

With his breakthrough, in the Danish 1. Division, Arrocha could soon follow other HB Køge talents footstep and join one of the Superliga clubs or go abroad:

“HB Køge is an interesting club because they are willing to give young players a chance, but also because it is a window towards bigger leagues," the talent says.

However, the fans will still see him at SEAS-NVE Park, the home of HB Køge, in the future. His current goal is just to develop and get as much experience as possible.

“HB Køge means a lot to me, but of course I want to try something bigger, but I’m only 19-years old so I am not thinking about the future somewhere else," Arrocha ends the interview.


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  • Name: Christopher Geertsen
  • Age: 21 (24-01-2014)
  • Position: Central Midfield
  • Club: FC Fredericia 
  • International caps:
    • Denmark U19
      • 3 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U18
      • 6 matches / 0 goals
    • Denmark U17
      • 11 matches / 3 goals
    • Denmark U16
      • 2 matches / 0 goals
  • Value: £100.000 (Transfermarkt)

He might have taken a step down from the best Danish league, but for this week's talent it is only a matter of time before he is back in the Superliga, and till then he is just doing his best to develop as a footballer. This week we keep an eye on Christopher Geertsen of FC Fredericia.

He was only ten when he was brought in from Helsted Fremad, one of Randers FC's satellite clubs to help Randers FC in their youth Danish Championship tournament. The team won the tournament, and Geertsen had left such a great impression on the coach that he stayed in Randers throughout his youth years. In fact, he became a profile on the teams he played for, and was a part of the Danish national youth teams, as well. 

All young Danish footballers dream of becoming professional, and that dream reached Geertsen when he was only thirteen; Feyenoord wanted him to join the club:

We attended a youth tournament in Den Haag and I became the best player, and a week after Feyenoord called Randers’ head of talents and asked if I could come on a week’s trial. I came for a couple of days to see how the environment was, and then they came to Denmark to watch me play, and then I was down there for two weeks," the talent tells.

"I thought it was great to come to such a big club and train with such good players; I played against Jack Wilshere and Arsenal in a friendly, and that is when you start dreaming of making it in football. They wanted me to join them, but neither the club [Randers] and I were interested at the time.”

Instead, Geertsen stayed in Randers throughout his Junior years, and was promoted to the senior squad when the club was still playing in the Danish 1. Division. By the age of 17, he was given his debut in the light blue shirt, and only a year after he signed his first senior contract leading to seven matches in the second best division, in Denmark. However, the adventure in Randers stalled when Michael Hemmingsen, the manager that had believed in Geertsen was sacked just as the club returned to the Danish Superliga. 

Instead, the former Sunderland and Derby Country defender Colin Todd took over.

"Colin [Todd] came to the club, and at the time it didn’t seem as there was any space for me, but there are no hard feelings towards Randers," Geertsen says about the change of manager.

Geertsen decided to look for a new club, and was handed a two-year contract after a trial with FC Fredericia from the Danish 1. Divison. While some might see his change as a step down, the talent believes it is a step up considering the lack of match time he got in Randers. 

“As a young player you need a lot of match time, and if you can’t get that in the best league then you take a step down. I feel that Fredericia is a good club that wants to achieve something, and I feel that the 1. Division is a good division to play in,” Geertsen says,
“Because I am playing more here, I feel that I have developed more in Fredericia than during my senior year at Randers, so for me it is not a step down.”

In his eight months, in Fredericia, Geertsen has played 19 matches and is becoming a regular name on the match sheet, and the talent is not in a hurry to leave his new club, although he is looking to return to the Danish Superliga within a couple of years.

“Fredericia wants to develop me and get the best out of me, and I hope that it can bring me back to the best league in Denmark," he says and finishes off the interview with a talk about going abroad. 
“Without a doubt [would I like to play abroad], but you need to crawl before you can walk, so I am taking it step by step, and I would rather return to the Superliga before an adventure abroad and I just only turned 21.”

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Photo: Ali Shahrokhtash

  • Name: Kevin Ray Mendoza Hansen
  • Age: 19 (29-09-1994)
  • Position: Goalkeeper
  • Club: Viborg FF
  • International Caps: None
  • Value: £50.000 (Transfermarkt.co.uk)

He had his debut in the Danish 1. Divison when he was only 17, have had a tryout in Liverpool and is now on the look for a new club; this week we keep an eye on Viborgs Kevin Ray Mendoza Hansen.

Take the name Kevin Ray Hansen, add then Mendoza and you have a not so typical Danish name. However, there is a good explanation to the young goalkeeper's rather untraditional name of Danish standards and as the talent put it himself he is a mix of nationalities. His grandmother was Filipino and his Grandfather was Spanish, add then his Danish father and you have a multinational young talent eligible to play for the Philippines. Even though his mother have urged him to contact the Philippine national team, Kevin Hansen has his mind somewhere else.

The young keeper is a product of Viborg's youth department and is described as a safe goalkeeper with a great calmness and self confidence and was already at a young age promoted to the, back then, 1. division squad.

“It is a special feeling; when you come from U17 and U19 you have the green blood running through your veins, and it is a perfect feeling to be a part of the best team in Viborg," Hansen says about his life in Viborg.

Soon after being promoted, and by the age of 17, Kevin Hansen was given his debut for Viborg as the, by then, first choice Martin Hansen was going through a troubled time of injuries. For the same reason, it didn't come as a shock for the talent that he suddenly was in the lineup. However, since the debut the goalkeeper has had trouble getting time on the pitch, even before the start of this season where Viborg only had Kevin Hansen in their squad. However, the club decided to bring in another and more experienced goalkeeper.

“Obviously, you are disappointed and it feels like a defeat, but I was prepared as I knew they wanted a more experienced goalkeeper, so it wasn’t a big surprise, but obviously I hoped they would give me a chance," Hansen says the arrival of a new goalkeeper. 

While not  getting a chance in Viborg, Liverpool gave him a chance last year when they invited the goalkeeper for a week's tryout in England. The tryout was arranged with the help from Martin Hansen who was a part of Liverpool's youth department before joining Viborg made the contact with John Acterberg, the goalkeeper coach at the Merseyside club. Mendoza sent some videos to Acterberg and luckily for the talent, he liked what he saw.

“It is probably the biggest experience in my life; the environment was perfect and I got to train with some of the best players, so it was really good," the talent says. 

“I learned that everything is hard work, the training was harder and there was a lot of self training and weightlifting.”

Despite the interest from Liverpool Hansen have been in the shadows of more experienced goalkeepers, and by the end of this season his time in Viborg is over. The talent is looking to leave his heart club in order to get more experience even though it means he may have to take a step down from the Danish Superliga level. 

“My aim is to get back in the best league, but I’m still young and has the time on my side," he says and ends the interview with a talk about his dreams in football: 

“I dream of a breakthrough abroad somewhere; England is a dream, but Spain, Germany and maybe Italy would also be great.”







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  • Name: Carlos Shiralipour
  • Age: 21 (06-05-1992)
  • Position: Right/Left back or Central Midfield
  • Club: Viborg FF
  • International Caps: 
    • Denmark U18
      • 3 Matches
      • 0 Goals
  • Value: £25.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)
A knee injury threatens to end the career, even before it has even started, but this talent keeps fighting. This week we keep an eye on Viborgs Carlos Shiralipour.

While Viborg is celebrating the promotion to the best Danish league, Superligaen, Carlos Shiralipour is hoping to be able to join them in the new season. The talented defender has been struggling with knee injuries since 2011 and seems to be some distance away from a comeback.

“When I sleep I dream about playing in the Superliga, but I wake up to the reality and the injury. It is only if everything works out right that I will be playing in the best league, in Denmark,” Shiralipour says.

The talent has been a part of Viborg's youth department, where he came on a contract as 15-year old, before being promoted to the senior squad in 2009. Here, he got his debut against Hvidovre when he was sent on after 77 minutes in the 3-0 victory.

Assistant Manager in Viborg, Søren Frederiksen, calls Shiralipour a great talent who has not been allowed to show his full potential yet, and at the same time thanks Viborgs youth department for developing one talent after the other:

“It is always great to that the work that is done in the youth department is successful, and Carlos is one of the players that have taken the chance and gotten a contract. It is great work from our youth coaches from U13 to U19; they make a tremendous work and they deserve all the tribute they can get.”

During his youth years, Shiralipour got three matches for the Danish U18 national team and could probably have gotten more. However, the player was in the shadow of other players at the time and acknowledged that he probably did not take the chance when he got it. However, as his mother is from Thailand, Carlos actually has the opportunity to play for the nation.

"It is a possibility, but it is not something I have thought about. However, you can never say never,” he says.

The injury that put the talents career on a break came in 2011, during a training match against Kjellerup IF. Shiralipour was was covering a ball when a player rambled into his knee. An ACL knee injury and 12 months away from the pitch.

“I went through surgery 3 months later and had a long recovery time, but had the motivation for a comeback," Shiralipour says.

Despite, the long injury time, Viborg decided to extend the talents contract with a year in 2012. Søren Frederiksen had no doubts when the leaders of the club were discussing the new contract:

“We wanted to give him support as we still believed in him and felt sorry for the lad. He didn’t get any great contract, but enough to make a living while he was recovering and hopefully would return and we wanted to help him. He never had the chance to show what he could, so we wanted to give him a chance.”

During autumn 2012, the talent returned to the training ground and felt the grass and the ball again. However, during a training session he sustained a new knee injury, and had to go through surgery in December. When the news about the injury spread in Viborg, fans made a TIFO wishing him well, and children made drawings and send them to their injured soldier. Today, Shiralipour is grateful for the support:

“It means everything for me as I have had all these injuries. Viborg is my hometown, and to have that kind of support is amazing and gives me believe that I one day can pull the Viborg shirt back on.”

The contract ends this summer, and while the player is still hoping for a comeback, he has prepared a plan B. Applications to different Danish Universities has been sent, and Shiralipour is hoping to study either psychology or medicine. However, returning to the pitch is still the main target:

"I still hope to come back, and sees it as a bonus if I can reach the same level as I had earlier. However, it is important to have other plans to fall back on if I can’t return to football," Shiralipour says.

Assistant Manager Søren Frederiksen shares his players hope:

“It is hard to say, but I know that Carlos has the will to come back, and he has always said that he will return and show what he is capable of. I respect him for that and hope he will return and play for us.”

Whether or not Carlos Shiralipour will return to the training ground and play for Viborg, or his future lies outside football is unknown. One thing is for sure; the player will fight to comeback, and the fans love him for it.









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              Name: Lee Rochester Sørensen
               Age: 18 (30.04.1994)
          Position: Attacking midfield/Attacker
              Club: HB Køge
International caps: Denmark U18: 9 match(es)
                                 4 goal(s)
                    Denmark U17: 5 match(es)
                                 2 goal(s)
             Value: £225.000 (transfermarkt.co.uk)

34 matches and 3 goals in the age of 18, that is the statistic for Lee Rochester Sørensen. In 2011, only sixteen years old, he made his debut in the second best league in Denmark, becoming the youngest debutant for HB Køge ever. Only three matches later, he became the youngest goal scorer in the club.

“I’m proud of what I have achieved; however, it does not have a meaning for me. Even though, I am the youngest debutant and the youngest goal scorer, I have to show why and work harder to achieve some more”.

The young talent, who joined HBK from Team Lolland, describes himself as a skilled technician who is “dangerous with the ball and in the box”. In Køge, Rochester Sørensen is team mate with his two years older brother Marc Rochester Sørensen. A situation which the attacker is happy for whenever he needs support. However at times there are disadvantages:

“It is great to play with him on the pitch, as we know each other’s patterns and understand each other well. However, at times we are battling for the same position in the starting line, but there are never any bad feelings.”

Lee Rochester Sørensen had his debut for the Danish U17 national team against England, during the U17 EURO championship. A funny situation for the young Dane, as his father is from England. The Danish team had success at the EURO, and qualified for the World Cup, where they met Brazil, Australia and the Ivory Coast. Even though, Denmark was left with no chance against their opponents during the World Cup, Rochester Sørensen experienced success as he started and scored against Australia.

Lee Rochester has also had his matches on the U18 national team but is now pushing for a role on the U19 national team. Last week he was gathered with a group of young talents, trying to convince coach Thomas Frank, that he has the potential:

“I am taking one step at a time, and my goal is to be a part of the 18-man squad on the U19, U20 and U21. Then we will have to see, whether or not I will make it from there.”

While Lee Rochester’s father is English and his mother Danish, he also has Jamaican roots. However, the talent has not considered the Jamaican national team.

“I haven’t considered the Jamaican national team at all. However, if I ever should be so good [a footballer] I could play for the English national team, I would consider it. However, the Jamaican could be a possibility.”

At the moment, the attacker is prioritizing his career in HB Køge. However, he has dreams of something bigger than domestic football in Denmark. The biggest dream is to play in Arsenal, as he has been a fan since he was a child. The Arsenal-fan is confident that the Gunners will survive the sale of Robin van Persie and Alex Song:

“Of course, I am sorry that two of the best players from last season are gone. However, if we end in top four this season, I am sure we will be able to bring some better players to the squad”.

Who knows? A new name might be Lee Rochester Sørensen?

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