From netting for Portsmouth against King's Lynn to winning silverware at the Stade de France - ex-loanee's remarkable career turnaround

Now Rasmus Nicolaisen is a Coupe de France winner after claiming the prestigious trophy in front of 78,038 at the Stade de France.

The Dane endured an underwhelming season-long loan at Fratton Park for the 2020-21 campaign.

Handed just 12 league starts, the central defender struggled to establish himself under Kenny Jackett and then replacement Danny Cowley.

Inevitably he returned to Midtjylland in the summer of 2021, with neither party interested in a permanent arrangement.

However, in the two years since his time on the south coast, Nicolaisen’s career has flourished.

Since being sold to Toulouse in August 2021, signing a four-year deal, they have won the Ligue 2 title and now triumphed 5-1 over Nantes to capture the Coupe de France.

The 26-year-old has been a constant first-team presence, establishing himself as a regular in their starting XI over the last two campaigns.

Last weekend’s cup final victory marked his 35th outing of the season, all of them starts, with Toulouse presently 13th in the French top flight.

There has been a hefty 6-1 defeat to Marseilles in December and a 3-0 loss to PSG, nonetheless they remain nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Such has been Nicolaisen’s development, he was last season named in Ligue 2’s Team of the Season in recognition of his 32 appearances and four goals during their promotion.

The former Danish under-19 international has remained first choice upon their return to the top flight.

And that was capped by lining up at the Stade de France for Saturday’s Coupe de France final, with Toulouse racing into a 4-0 lead after 31 minutes.

They eventually triumphed 5-1, through goals from Logan Costa (2), Thijs Dallinga (2) and Zakaria Aboukhlal to claim the trophy for the first time in the club’s history.

During Nicolaisen’s 2020-21 season at Fratton Park, he was often overlooked for a central-defensive spot, with Sean Raggett and Jack Whatmough preferred.

James Bolton also stood in on occasions, while Paul Downing was chosen ahead of the Midtjylland loanee for the final two matches as the Blues missed out on the play-offs.

In total, he made 27 appearances in all competitions, with his sole goal arriving against King’s Lynn in November 2020.

Meanwhile, in March 2021, Nicolaisen was fined £2,500 by the FA after breaching betting rules after placing a total of 53 football-related bets, although none involved Pompey games.

Still, it has since been an outstanding two years for the towering left-footed defender.