Jonathan Richter

{{short description|Danish footballer (born 1985)}}

{{for|the Australian footballer|Jonti Richter}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}

{{update|date=June 2018}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Jonathan Richter

| height = {{convert|1.78|m|ftin|0|abbr=on}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|1|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Denmark

| clubnumber =

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 = Rosenhøj BK

| youthclubs2 = BK Frem

| youthclubs3 = Brøndby IF

| years1 = 2005–2009

| clubs1 = FC Nordsjælland

| caps1 = 70

| goals1 = 9

}}

Jonathan Richter (born 16 January 1985) is a Danish disabled professional football midfielder, who played for the Danish Superliga side FC Nordsjælland. He is the son of a Gambian father and a Danish mother and the twin brother of Simon Richter.[http://www.tipsbladet.dk/artikel/interview/tvillingerne-fra-vestegnen] {{in lang|da}}

On 20 July 2009 while playing at Hvidovre Stadion, Richter was struck by lightning which resulted in cardiac arrest. He was put into a medically induced coma.

Medical staff at Hvidovre Hospital had hoped to be able to wake Richter from the coma soon after the accident but Richter's recovery was slower than hoped. This resulted in the doctors pushing back to bring Richter out of the coma twice.{{Cite news

|author1=David Andersen |author2=Anne-Marie Madsen |author3=Søren Lauridsen | title = Richters tilstand kritisk efter lynnedslag

| url = http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/fodbold/dansk_fodbold/superligaen/fc_nordsjaelland/article1196720.ece

| date = 2009-07-20

| publisher = Ekstra Bladet

| language = Danish

}}{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hE-fItjKOgfTiExPjgyRbWcUtqRw|title=Danish soccer player in coma after being struck by lightning|date=21 July 2009|work=The Canadian Press|accessdate=2009-07-21}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite news|url=http://sporten.tv2.dk/article.php/id-23903586.html?forside|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213023427/http://sporten.tv2.dk/article.php/id-23903586.html?forside|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 February 2013|title=Richters tilstand en smule bedre|date=24 July 2009|work=TV2 Denmark|publisher=in Danish|accessdate=2009-07-24}}

Around August 1, Richter was taken out of the coma and on August 2, when doctors removed the last parts of the respirator equipment, Richter started to speak almost immediately. When club owner Allan K. Pedersen called Hvidovre Hospital to check on Richter, Richter himself told doctors to tell Pedersen that everything was good.

In late August 2009, Richter and his medical advisors decided to amputate Richter's lower left leg. This has, according to medical sources, dramatically improved Richter's general well-being.{{cite news|url=http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20090901/danmark/90901004/|title=Richters left leg amputated| date=31 August 2009|work=Berlingske|publisher=Berlingske|accessdate=2009-08-31}}

FC Nordsjælland retired Richter's number 26 after his forced retirement from football at the age of 24.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Congratulations FC Nordsjælland|url=http://qosfc.com/content-news.aspx?newsid=1264|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117111726/http://qosfc.com/content-news.aspx?newsid=1264|archive-date=2019-11-17|access-date=|website=www.qosfc.com}}

Richter serves on the board of Danish team FC Græsrødderne, who compete in the fourth tier of the Danish football.{{Cite web|last=DBU|title=Fodbold Club Græsrødderne|url=https://www.dbukoebenhavn.dk/om-os/historie/klubber/g/graesroedderne/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=DBU|language=DA}}