Introduction
Michael Elvers Tørnes (born 8 January 1986 in Herlev) is a Danish footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club Vitesse. He has played 18 games for various Danish national youth teams.
Club career
Early career
Having played for Herlev IF, Farum BK and Lyngby BK from a young age, Tørnes joined lower-league side Brønshøj BK preceding his release from Lyngby BK. After impressing at a young age, Tørnes made the move to Brøndby IF after a successful trial.
Brøndby IF
Tørnes had his debut for Brøndby IF in the 67th minute of a 0–0 draw against Flora Tallinn in the UEFA Cup, replacing goalkeeper Casper Ankergren who was sent off. Tørnes kept a clean sheet in the 4–0 second leg win on Brøndby Stadion, which he played for the whole 90 minutes. In the beginning of the 2010–11 season, Brøndby's first keeper Stephan Andersen, was long-term injured, resulting in Tørnes temporarily taking over his position.
Tørnes re-joined Brønshøj BK on loan for the start of the 2013–14 campaign, after failing to make an impression in the Brøndby IF side. On 28 July 2013, Tørnes made his Brønshøj BK return in a 4–1 defeat against Silkeborg IF.
HJK
Tørnes joined Finnish side HJK on a free transfer after his release from Brøndby IF. During the 2014 season, Tørnes broke the clean sheet record for Finnish Premier League. Tørnes played 960 minutes consecutively without conceding a goal in either Finnish Premier league matches or in Finnish Cup matches. Old record was 882 minutes by András Vilnrotter.
Sandefjord
After impressing in Finland, Tørnes joined Norwegian side Sandefjord on a free transfer after he rejected a new deal with HJK. On 19 April 2015, Tørnes made his Sandefjord debut in a 1–0 victory over Sarpsborg 08. Tørnes went on to appear in eight more league game before leaving on the expiry of his contract.
OB
On 13 August 2015, Tørnes returned to his home land; Denmark, to join OB on a one-year deal to provide back up to Sten Grytebust and Maksym Koval. Although Tørnes was back up, he made his debut on the opening game of the season in a 3–2 defeat against Randers. Tørnes went on to make three more consecutive appearances before being dropped due to some poor displays.
Tørnes was eventually released at the end of his contract on 30 June 2016.
Vitesse
On 27 July 2016, Tørnes joined Eredivisie side Vitesse on a two-year deal, after a successful pre-season trial. On 14 December 2016, Tørnes made his Vitesse debut in a KNVB Cup tie against Jodan Boys, in which Vitesse won 4–0.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby IF | 2008–09 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Danish Superliga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Danish Superliga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Danish Superliga | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Danish Superliga | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| Total | 69 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 80 | 0 | |||
| Brønshøj BK (loan) | 2013–14 | Danish 1st Division | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| HJK | 2014 | Veikkausliiga | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| Sandefjord | 2015 | Tippeligaen | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| OB | 2015–16 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Vitesse | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 112 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 0 | ||
Honours
Club
- KNVB Cup: 2016–17