[1] A decade later, he began taking charge of Danish top-flight games, and he was awarded his FIFA international badge in 1988 when he was still in his late 20s.

England went on to lose the match on penalties, and Beckham was blamed and vilified by the English tabloids for causing the loss as a result of his sending-off.

[2] At UEFA Euro 2000, Nielsen was put in charge of the Germany-Romania and Turkey-Belgium encounters, although the latter match ended in disappointment as he was forced out of the competition with a leg injury.

He received another accolade after being appointed as the referee for the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final between AS Monaco and Porto at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.

After his performance during the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals between PSV Eindhoven and Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas complained about different gifts and accolades Nielsen allegedly received from Dutch officials.