Living his boyhood dream on Faroese football pitches

There are Danish football players like Christian Eriksen at Manchester United and Andreas Christensen at Barcelona. Players most people will have heard of, who make millions and who have been written into Danish history books as some of the country’s greatest footballers.

Into the history books

Mikkel Dahl is not one of them. But he shares the same profession – he makes a living from playing football. It is his job. It is his dream.

Mikkel Dahl's everyday is not like everyone else's everyday. He makes a living playing football.

And he has got himself written into the history books. Not Danish ones, for sure, but the Faroese ones, because with 27 goals he is the player with the most league goals ever scored in one season for the Faroese Premier League – Betri deildin.  

For that same reason, Mikkel Dahl is also a name that all football-interested Faroese know. 67 goals in 104 matches make an impression.

An offer out of the blue

Mikkel Dahl is in his fourth season playing in the Faroese Premier League. He was 27 when he joined the Havnar Bóltfelag (HB) club in Tórshavn in 2020. He has remained there ever since, bar for a brief visit to play football in Iceland in 2022.

“The offer from HB was a bit of a surprise out of the blue. One day, after a training session in Denmark, Jens Berthel Askou rang. I had played against his team when he was their coach in Denmark. Now he had moved on, and he told me about HB and the Faroe Islands.

“I must admit I was a little sceptical to begin with. It wasn’t what I had been imagining, but it is a choice I am very happy I made,” explains Mikkel Dahl, who by the way scored in that match against Askou’s team in Denmark.

Police escort

After some discussions back and forth with Askou and his own family in Denmark, Mikkel Dahl decided to try his luck in the top Faroese football league, which also meant a chance to play European football. 

This was not an option in Denmark's first division with Nykøbing FC, where Mikkel Dahl played. HB has European matches on the schedule almost every year.

As a result, Mikkel Dahl has played against Glentoran and Derry City from Northern Ireland, Maccabi Haifa from Israel, Buducnost Podgorica from Montenegro, and this year, Hajduk Split from Croatia, with Ivan Rakitić and Ivan Perišić on the team.

Rakitić has played for Sevilla and Barcelona, while Perišić has played for Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, and, yes, his childhood club Hajduk Split, which faced HB and Mikkel Dahl in the UEFA Conference League in July this year.

“The matches against Maccabi Haifa and Hajduk Split are among the best experiences I’ve ever had. Being escorted by police cars to away games, training in a huge stadium the day before the match, and then playing in front of more than 28,000 people. 

“It gave me a glimpse of what it must be like to play at the very highest level, if only for a short while. I would never have had these unforgettable experiences if I hadn’t moved to HB,” explains Mikkel Dahl.

No millionaire

There are usually only a couple of European matches each summer. Other than that, it is everyday life – although Mikkel Dahl’s everyday is not like most people’s.

“It’s not a nine-to-five job. And when other people are off, I must perform because our matches are typically on a Saturday or a Sunday. I have to stay in shape and for that reason too I have never really any time off. There is no time for alcohol, partying and celebrations, and because I live abroad I have given up on family gatherings and birthdays,” says Mikkel Dahl. 

But he in no way complains about his situation.

“I would of course have liked to be paid the same as Haaland and Mbappé, but you don’t become a millionaire by playing Faroese football. I have all my expenses and needs covered. This is my dream and I am happy about it,” he says.

Can live from football

Mikkel Dahl intentionally mentions Norwegian and French football stars Erling Braut Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, as they are two of the world's highest-paid players.

"Many people think that if you're a professional footballer, you earn millions and drive a Ferrari. But very few footballers actually do that. On the other hand, I’m often asked if I can make a living playing football when I tell people where and at what level I play. But I can," says Mikkel Dahl, who is living the dream on the Faroe Islands' football fields. 

When reality replaces the dream

Mikkel Dahl is now 31. He makes sure to eat well and get enough sleep because he hopes and believes that he still has some years left on the pitch. He is also very aware that he has a sell-by-date as a football player. He knows reality will one day come knocking. 

“This has been my dream all of my life. I have gone all-in and I am very dedicated. But I have also tried to prepare for life after football as I am very aware that I will be a bit late starting an education compared to many others.

That’s why I pursued a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and health while playing football in Denmark. I think about the fact that I’m not just a football player. It’s my primary focus right now, but it’s not my entire identity," says Mikkel Dahl.