Pascal Simpson


Pascal "Pagge" Simpson is a Swedish football striker who played for IF Brommapojkarna, AIK, Vålerenga IF, FC Copenhagen, and Halmstads BK.

Early life

Simpson was born in Lomé, Togo, to a Togolese father and a German mother, moved to Sweden at the age of six and was raised on Ekerö, Stockholm. His father had played professional football in Germany. He acquired Swedish citizenship in September 1991.

Playing career

Club

Simpson started his football career in Ekerö IK and joined IF Brommapojkarna in 1988. He won the JSM för klubblag with the IF Brommapojkarna youth squad in 1989 and made his senior debut in 1990.
He joined AIK and was part of the AIK squad that won the Swedish Championship in 1992, its first such championship in 55 years. Simpson contributed significantly to the win. He scored twice against FC Barcelona in the 1997 Cup Winners Cup quarter-finals; at Camp Nou he stunned the Catalans by scoring in the first minute of play. He was also part of the AIK squad that won the Swedish cup in 1996 and 1997. In the 1996 cup final he scored the winning goal against Malmö FF.
Simpson had severe leg and knee problems due to a ligament injury. He had surgery in 1997 but in the end this damage caused his footballing career to come to an early end. The knee injury has caused Simpson severe pain, stopping him from running and jogging. Despite this, he has stayed involved with football by coaching youth for Brommapojkarna and lower league clubs. In 2007, he was the coach for IFK Eskilstuna but left due to the club's financial problems.

International

Simpson was capped twice for the Swedish national team and played 7 matches for the Swedish Olympic football team in 1992. He scored the qualifying goal for the Swedish Olympic football team against the Netherlands that landed the team a spot at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Coaching career

Simpson managed Södertälje FK. In December 2015, it was announced that Simpson was taking over Swedish third-tier team Vasalund after Roberth Björknesjö. His first game in charge was a pre-season 5–4 victory over his old club AIK.

Honours

Club

AIK
FC Copenhagen