Jon Anders Larsen
 Larsen playing for Port Rackham Rangers in 2007. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jon Anders Larsen | ||
| Year of birth | 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Hänävissen-ó-Cräiteland, Craitland | ||
| Height | 1.86m | ||
| Playing position | Full-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–03 |  Hänävissen-ó-Cräiteland FC | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls)* |
| 2003–06 | Edmildón United FC | ||
| 2006–08 |  Port Rackham Rangers | ||
| 2008–14 | Cherry Trees FC | ||
| 2014–18 |  Romero Sport | ||
| International career | |||
| 2007–14 | Craitland | 77 | (5) |
| * Appearances (Goals) Player has received at least one call-up for any emboldened national teams | |||
Jon Anders Larsen is a Craitish former-footballer who most recently played for Romero Sport in Tellia. Having won trophies in Riponia, Craitland and Tellia, as well as international titles with the national team, Larsen stands as one of the most successful Craitish footballers of all time, also holding the record as the first Craitish player to win the EMUFA Champions' League and EMUFA Super Cup. Although predominantly a right-sided defender when playing, he was known for his versatile nature, being able to play on either flank in both defence and midfield, as well as being one of the best free-kick takers on Micras. He is a member of Craitland's "Golden Generation".
Career
Club
A native of Hänävissen-ó-Cräiteland, Larsen joined the academy of his hometown club Hänävissen-ó-Cräiteland FC as a youngster. Despite being a right-sided defender, he was shifted to the left at youth level to accommodate Zyx Yaqinsen, where he formed a friendship and strong partnership down the flank with fellow future Craitish national team-mate Markko Edmildón. However, despite the partnership, Larsen never made it to the first team, seen behind Yaqinsen in the club's pecking order, and was subsequently sold to Edmildón United FC in 2003. Having been deemed surplus to requirements by HóC, Larsen joined the CrFA League 2 side for a fee of just Cr 1,000, where his career took off as he became one of the promising defenders outside CrFA League 1, often being credited for his strong tackling and reading of the game. Having previously been shifted out to the left, Larsen returned to the right side of the defence under Edmildón United's 3-5-2 formation, regularly being cited for his good anticipation and positioning. Excellent performances led to interest from League 1 clubs, as well as abroad.
At the age of 24, Larsen joined Riponian club Port Rackham Rangers for a mere fee of Cr 110,000, where his career evolved, becoming one of the most important players in Francisco Gutiérrez's squad as their number 6. Under the guidance of Gutiérrez at Port Rackham, Larsen was utilised as a right-back, albeit in a 4-4-2 formation where he was encouraged to constantly drive forward, helping him to become one of the most powerful, attacking full-backs in the game. Further attacking displays saw a shift further up the field, often playing as a right midfielder, as well as occasionally filling in on the left side whenever needed. Larsen was handed vice-captaincy of the club in 2007 behind captain Sébastien Focán, in which proved to be his most successful year at the club. Having won the 2007 EMUFA Champions' League and Riponian Premiership, he went on to defeat his hometown club HóC in the 2007 EMUFA Super Cup, captaining the side as well as taking revenge by opening the scoreline as Port Rackham swept the opposition away by winning 3–0.
Despite a multitude of success at Port Rackham, Larsen left the club in 2008 following the demise of Riponia and in turn the Riponian Premiership, joining Cherry Trees FC on a free transfer. As at Port Rackham, he retained his role as an attacking full-back, also taking over the set piece duties at Oesst Whiteside and being given the number 2. Larsen's first season at the club brought dual success, with a league title and cup win added to his list of honours. The two seasons following saw no further club trophies for Larsen, but the defender was a mainstay in Cherry Trees' starting line-up during this time as his personal performances remained of high quality.
Larsen continued his consistent starts for Cherry Trees into the 2011 season, as the club regained their league title, and in 2012, when the club added a fourth King's Cup victory. In the summer of 2012, Cherry Trees made Alexandrian full-back Maxime Sion a high-profile signing for a fee of Cr 12 million, giving the over-30 Larsen notable competition for his starting place. Larsen was appointed club captain following the appointment of Paul Pellegrino as interim club coach prior to the season's commencement.
Larsen was nominally Cherry Trees' starting right-back in the double-cup-winning 2013 season, being victorious in both the King's and Cities' Cups, but Sion notably limited the Crait's total appearances. Sion ultimately overtook Larsen as the team's primary right-sided full-back in 2014 as the team recorded a sixth league championship and a first confederational title; Larsen's second with as many clubs.
Larsen's relegation to the bench for Cherry Trees and subsequent limited international call-ups led to the defender leaving the club in the summer of 2014. A Cr 2 million deal, accepted a matter of minutes before the transfer deadline, saw Larsen join Tellian Serie A outfit Romero Sport, where he was handed the club's number 81 jersey; representing the year of his birth. Larsen spent four seasons with Romero, where he found himself utilised primarily as a versatile squad player, playing in a number of positions and varying formations, and won a league title in a third nation before ending his career in the summer of 2018 at the age of 37.
International
Larsen won his first cap in 2007, following his impressive form for Port Rackham Rangers in Riponia, becoming the first foreign-based player to play for the national team. Larsen rotated the national side's right-back position with Osĵätoņ Aztecs FC's Phil Demb throughout the nation's victorious World Cup showing, before making it his own in EMU 2007, helping the team to third place and scoring his shoot-out kick in the semi-final defeat to Riponia on penalties.
Larsen cemented his place in the Craits' starting line-up for subsequent years, being supported by quality performances at both club and international level. Larsen was a key figure as Craitland retained their title in the 2008 FMF World Cup, and also aided the team to a runners-up spot and third-place play-off win in the EMU Championships and World Cup in 2009, respectively.
Becoming renowned for his consistent, high-quality performances, Larsen remained an important part of Craitland's squads for the 2010 and 2011 back-to-back wins, with the latter seeing Larsen score goals against Antica in the group and Hamland to win their semi-final, as well as another successful shoot-out finish in the quarter-finals versus Alexandria. Larsen was one of the players left-out of Craitland's successful EMU 2011 campaign on home soil with resting prior to the year's World Cup in the managers' minds.
Following five solid years' consistent starts for Craitland, Larsen found himself superseded by Sverige Tiem FC's Daniel Hjansen; a former teammate from his time in Riponia. From 2012 onward, Larsen's international opportunities were limited by Hjansen's involvement, but he still gained places in the team's squads for the 2012 and 2013 World Cups, and EMU 2013.
Having lost his club starting place and not being included in a Craitish tournament squad for the first time since his début, Larsen, alongside a number of other Craits, announced his international retirement in 2014. In his Craitland career, Larsen won a total of 77 caps and scored five goals, also often deputising as team captain in cases where Manta Pellegrino was unavailable.
Honours
- FMF World Cup (4): 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011
- MicrOlympics Gold (1): 2008
- Riponian Premiership (1): 2007
- EMUFA Champions' League (1): 2007
- EMUFA Super Cup (1): 2007
- CrFA League 1 (3): 2008, 2011, 2014
- King's Cup (3): 2008, 2012, 2013
- Cities' Cup (1): 2013
- EMUFA Champions' League (1): 2013–14
- Tellian Serie A (1): 2017
Personal life
Born in Hänävissen-ó-Cräiteland, Larsen has an elder brother, Bjorn Arne, who previously played for TSU Yarumo in Kataria and has since played in Craitland's lower leagues.
