Jacob Neestrup was appointed by Panathinaikos on May 26, 2026, signing a contract until the summer of 2028.
He was born on March 8, 1988, in Copenhagen, Denmark. He took his first steps as a professional footballer at Copenhagen, but a serious injury prevented him from pursuing the career he had hoped for. He then moved to the Icelandic club Hafnarfjörour, where injuries once again led to a short spell. His final club as a player was Fremad, a fourth-division team in Denmark. Ultimately, at just 23 years of age, he retired from professional football and almost immediately began his coaching career.
In 2013, he started as coach of Copenhagen’s U17 team and six years later became head coach of Viborg, a Danish second-division club. He remained there for a year and a half before accepting an offer from Copenhagen to become assistant coach to Jess Thorup. In September 2022, Copenhagen appointed Neestrup as head coach. He led Copenhagen to two Danish league titles and two Danish Cups (2023, 2025), while also achieving a remarkable qualification from the UEFA Champions League group stage to the knockout rounds during the 2023-24 season, finishing ahead of Manchester United and Galatasaray in the group, behind only Bayern Munich. His cooperation with Copenhagen came to an end last March.