Career
He has played 31 games for the Denmark national football team Poulsen started his senior career for HFK Sønderjylland in the secondary Danish 1st Division in 2002. He played four seasons at HFK Sønderjylland.
In June 2005, he agreed to move to league rivals Football Club Midtjylland (FCM) in the summer 2006.
At the end of the 2005-2006 Superliga season. complained about the tapping-up of Poulsen to the Danish Football Association, but agreed to let Poulsen go in August 2005. Having played five Superliga games for, Poulsen went to FCM, with Thomas Rathe switching from FCM to as a replacement.
He established himself in the FCM team, and only missed one Superliga game in his first six months at the club He suffered an injury in February 2006, and returned to the team in May 2006.
In the first half of the Danish Superliga 2007-2008 season, Poulsen scored three goals in 18 games, and was included as left winger in the 2007 Danish Team of the Year.
On 23 December 2007, Poulsen transferred to Dutch side Arizona Alkmaar for an alleged transfer fee of €3,000,000, as the most expensive player sold by FCM at the time. He could not break into coach Louis van Gaal"s starting line-up as a winger, and was eventually moved to the position of left back. On 25 August 2012, Poulsen joined the Italian Serie A side University College Sampdoria on a three-year contract.
After his contract with Sampdoria had been dissolved on 16 January 2014, Poulsen rejoined his former team Arizona. On 15 May 2015, Poulsen signed for PSV. He was added as cover for incumbent PSV left-back Jetro Willems.
Poulsen made his international debut for the Danish under-19 national team in September 2002, and went on to play a combined 25 games and score one goal for various Danish youth selections. In May 2006, Poulsen was selected for the Danish under-21 national team squad for the 2006 European Under-21 Championship.
In all, he played 11 games and scored one goal for the Danish under-21 national team He was called up for the Denmark League XI national football team, and played unofficial national team games against the United States, El Salvador and Honduras in January 2007.
Poulsen was called up for the Danish national team in March 2007, by national team manager Morten Olsen.
He made his national team debut in a friendly match against Germany, coming on as a substitute for Dennis Rommedahl. He took part in two Union of European Football Associations Euro 2008 qualification in November 2007, after which his international career went on a hiatus. He was recalled to the team in May 2010, ahead of the 2010, as Olsen thought he had improved in the back position.
He took part in the friendly match against Senegal, and was included in Olsen"s final World Cup squad.
On 14 June in their first 2010 group match against the Netherlands, Poulsen had a crucial part in Daniel Agger"s own goal by heading the ball against his back inside the first minute of the second half which deflected past the Danish goalkeeper, thus giving the Dutch the lead.