Lars Jacobsen has a football CV boasting four Danish league championships, two Danish cups and one German league cup.  

He made multiple appearances in the Champions League and won 86 senior caps for Denmark’s national team.   

For the former defender, though, ranked right up alongside those achievements is the FA Cup runner-up medal he received as an Everton player in 2009.    

“I still have that medal!” Jacobsen reveals. “It’s still a real milestone in my career. I grew up watching the FA Cup final and all the build-up that went with it. It was a big, big experience.    

“Of course, as a football player, you always want to win, but it wasn’t to be. I have never watched the game back, I never do with my matches, but maybe one day I will.”     

The contest against Chelsea remains Everton’s last Cup final appearance, the Club’s previous appearance being their 1995 triumph over Manchester United. 

On a baking-hot May day back in 2009, Louis Saha opened the scoring for the Blues after just 25 seconds – at the time the fastest-ever goal in an FA Cup final - but Didier Drogba equalised in the 21st minute before Frank Lampard scored the winner with less than 20 minutes to play.   

“Chelsea were very strong,” recalls Jacobsen. “We got an early lead from Louis. But then Didier Drogba equalised, and Frank Lampard got the winner.      

“We didn’t really manage to create too many chances in the second half. But we have to realise just how good Chelsea were back then. They had won so many titles and were one of the best teams in the world.    

“We actually played them a month earlier at Stamford Bridge, it finished 0-0. We were very close to winning that game. Jô, the striker, missed a one-against-one.  

“That draw gave us belief in the final that we could beat them and we weren’t far away, really. Sometimes it’s just small details.”   

Jacobsen was named as a substitute for the showpiece event but then replaced Tony Hibbert at right-back for the start of the second half.   

“I played a lot of the games before the final but didn’t actually play any of the FA Cup matches in the previous rounds,” he explains. “I travelled to the semi-final against Manchester United but didn’t play in the game. I remember the manager said to me before the final, ‘I am going to play Hibbo’.    

“I said that’s fair enough. He had played most of the season and he deserved it. I was disappointed but I totally understood it.”    

Lining up for Chelsea’s star-studded side that afternoon was a dangerous Florent Malouda who had been in scintillating form throughout 2008/09 campaign; he finished the season with nine goals and nine assists.   

Malouda was in a particularly menacing mood that afternoon at Wembley, pushing Hibbert – short of match fitness after a recent injury - to his limit. The former France international also whipped in a pinpoint cross for Drogba to head past Tim Howard and draw the game level.    

“Hibbo had a small injury,” Jacobsen recalls. “He couldn’t play longer than 45 minutes, which meant I got my chance to be out there.”   

Jacobsen entered the fray to put in a robust performance that helped shackle the in-form Chelsea attacker for much of the second half. Not that the Dane recalls much of his admirable display.    

“I hardly remember anything from the game itself,” he admits. “It’s always tough to go on at half-time. I was an experienced player, but there were some nerves. There was probably a billion people watching at home, nearly 100,000 in the stadium... you are going to war and it’s time to perform.    

“It was so hot that day, and at Wembley, you sit right under the sun on the bench. I remember being told to get warm. My first thought was ‘Trust me, I am warm - actually, I’m burning'!"     

Despite the disappointment of the result, it was a strong end to what had been a frustrating personal campaign for Jacobsen at Goodison Park. He arrived at Everton in the summer of 2008 on a 12-month deal from German club FC Nürnberg, having been on the radar of then-manager David Moyes for a couple of seasons.    

“It was at Copenhagen where my career really started to take off,” says Jacobsen. “I started playing for the national team, and there were a lot of clubs looking at me because we were playing Champions League. One of those sides was Everton.   

“I had a meeting with David Moyes and his assistant Alan Irvine after the last Champions League game against Celtic in 2006.    

“He told me he wanted me to go to Everton... but then I went to Nurnberg instead! That was my first mistake,” he laughed.    

“I thought it would be the right move for me as I knew the German league. I guess I took a safer route going to Germany because I really wanted to guarantee I’d play.   

“But then, I ended up being injured for pretty much the whole year and we got relegated. So I had to search for a new club.    

“My agent called Everton and asked if they would be interested and, unfortunately for the Club, but thankfully for me, Hibbo had got injured so they needed another right-back. I arrived a year later than I was supposed to, but the move finally happened.    

“I trained for a couple of days before going away with the national team. But then I dislocated my shoulder against Portugal. It was devastating. I was injured for most of the season and only managed to come back for the final 10 games or so. “   

Jacobsen admits bad fortune still irks him now as he believes it hindered his ability to produce his best form in royal blue.  

“When you have been out for so long, you aren’t on top of your game,” he concedes. “It was a really hard time for me. I had never been injured before, then I went to Germany and missed a whole season. Then at Everton, the same happened again.    

“I was fortunate to get back at the end of the season, playing in the run-in and of course, the FA Cup final. I had some good games. I remember against West Ham at home, I played well. But you can’t be at 100 per cent when you have been out for such a long time.”   

Despite Jacobsen’s injury issues and struggles in terms of finding his best form, Moyes was keen to extend the Dane’s contract by another year. However, he opted for a more long-term deal proposed by Blackburn Rovers. That proved another decision he’d come to regret. 

“I spoke with the gaffer at the end of the season, and the Club offered me a one-year extension, on the same terms,” he revealed.    

“It wasn’t a big contract. But it was fair enough, I had been injured for nearly a whole season. However, Blackburn offered me a two-year contract. It was a far better deal and gave me a bit more security. But looking back, it was a big mistake. I should have stayed at Everton.      

“I was putting my family first. My wife was pregnant at the time so I took the security. It’s tough jumping from country to country with a family. You want to say, ‘Right let’s settle here’, but then things can change. So that option of knowing you will be somewhere for at least two years is really important.  

“At Blackburn, I played the first half of the season, but then came out of the team and never got back in. It didn’t work out with Blackburn, so then I moved to West Ham. My time in England was back and forth... Liverpool, Blackburn and then London.    

“It was hard to find my rhythm, but in my final season at West Ham, I did stay fit and had a good year personally despite the team’s relegation.   

“I wanted to stay at West Ham, but the manager was sacked and then they appointed Sam Allardyce. He was my manager at Blackburn... so there was no point in staying! So that was me gone from England."    

Asked whether his injury issues dampened his experience at Everton, Jacobsen is unequivocal in his response: “My year at Everton was still great. You could feel it was a big and great club. I had great teammates, and we had a really good squad of players.    

“There was a good atmosphere in the dressing room. Finch Farm was brand new at the time, everything was good. We had a decent season with the FA Cup final, and we finished fifth in the Premier League table.    

“You can feel when the environment is right, and for me, at Everton it was just that. Even despite the fact I was injured. Although the group was strong at Everton, I reflect and think I would have got game-time. I knew everyone and was happy at Everton.    

“There was me and Hibbo, but Phil Neville played a lot at right-back, especially when I was injured. In the Premier League, there are a lot of games. I am sure I would have got mine. I liked the city, too. Liverpool is a great place.”   

It was on Merseyside that Jacobsen strengthened his relationship with former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger. And that friendship would eventually blossom into a thriving working relationship back in Demark at first division club HB Køge, where Agger is manager and Jacobsen his assistant. 

After leaving West Ham, Jacobsen returned to Copenhagen. He played there for three years before joining French side Guingamp in Ligue 1 where his career continued for two more seasons before retiring at the age of 36.   

Five years as a pundit on Danish TV followed. However, for Jacobsen it didn’t satisfy a competitive void left by his retirement. 

“I had the break, but football sucked me back in again,” he explains. “I missed the locker room. I missed winning and losing. When you are doing television, you can’t win or lose. You might say something silly, which feels like you have lost... but it’s not like losing a football game. That feeling of being completely devastated. That rush, you get addicted to it, and I missed it.    

“In Liverpool, Daniel and I lived close to each other. I spoke to him for a couple of years after retirement, and he felt the exact same way. Then we got the opportunity to coach together at HB Køge and we’ve done that for two years now. 

“It’s been tough, a good experience also, but tough. It’s another level in comparison to being a player. You have a certain opinion when you are a player, but as a coach, you have to control 22 players. Some are happy, some are not. It’s very different. There’s a lot of planning every day. It’s 24/7.“    

Looking ahead to his potential long-term coaching journey, Jacobsen admits: “There’s no master plan. I want to get better, and maybe one day I will be a manager myself. But right now, it’s a good match with Daniel, we are a good fit. So, let’s see what happens.      

“At some point, I want to go abroad to see how football has developed and to get more tactical knowledge.”   

Jacobsen is asked whether his journey of discovery will include a trip back to Merseyside and, more specifically, Goodison Park.    

“I hope so!” says the Dane. “Get back and see how many of the old guys are still there. I did see the video called Behind Blue Eyes recently on social media. I saw Jimmy the Kitman and Tony Sage were still there.    

“People like that are the heart and soul of every football team, as are the fans. Especially at Everton.  Players will move on, but people like that will stay. When I watch Everton on the television, I am always looking at the bench to try to work out who is still there that I know. 

“I haven’t been back since I played, so I would love to make the trip soon.”