Martin Laursen
Encyclopedia
Martin Laursen is a Danish
former footballer who played in the centre back position. He played three seasons for Italian
club AC Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League
and the 2004 Serie A
championship. He also played for Italian clubs Hellas Verona
and Parma FC, and was the team captain of English
club Aston Villa
. He is the current manager of BK Søllerød-Vedbæk
.
Laursen was capped
53 times and scored two goals for the Denmark national team
from 2000 to 2008, and he was named 2008 Danish Football Player of the Year. He represented Denmark at the 2000 European Championship, 2002 FIFA World Cup
, and 2004 European Championship tournaments.
, Laursen started playing football with local amateur club Horn/Fårvang IF. He started his senior career with nearby top-flight club Silkeborg IF
in the Danish Superliga
championship. Laursen made his Silkeborg debut in October 1995, under Silkeborg manager Preben Elkjær. Laursen helped steer Silkeborg to second place in the 1997–98 Superliga season
, under new Silkeborg manager Sepp Piontek, as he played 22 games and scored one goal during that season. Laursen played 35 games and scored one goal for Silkeborg in the Superliga from his debut until his last game in June 1998.
in August 1998, to play for Hellas Verona
in the second-tier Serie B
league. The contact with Verona was mediated by former Verona player and Silkeborg manager Preben Elkjær. Laursen was plagued by a knee injury for the majority of his first season at Verona, where the club won promotion
to the top-flight Serie A
championship. Laursen established himself in the Verona starting lineup
during his second season in Italy. He became known as Lionheart Laursen among the Verona fans, describing his courage and great ability to time his headers.
Seeking a high profile move, Parma AC
made a successful bid of a reported DKK 34million to co-own Laursen in the summer 2000, in a deal including Parma-owned player Anthony Šerić
remaining at Verona on loan. Laursen played a further season with Verona. After the 2000-01 Serie A
season, Laursen moved to join Parma who acquired the remaining 50% of his registration rights, while Šerić in turn made a co-ownership
deal with Verona in June 2001. Following only three weeks of training at the club, Parma loaned Laursen out before he would play any games for the club.
, who needed depth in their squad. He started out strong for his new club, scoring two goals in the first four rounds of the 2001-02 Serie A
season, and played 22 league games in his first season with Milan. Milan decided to buy him in the middle of the season for a fee
of DKK 88million. In the summer 2002, Milan bought Italian international
defender Alessandro Nesta
, and Laursen's playing time diminished to a combined 20 league games in the next two seasons.
Though winning silverware with Milan in 2003, Laursen did not play in the 2002-03 UEFA Champions League
final. He won the Coppa Italia
, UEFA Champions League
and European Super Cup
in 2003, and the 2004 Serie A
championship. Due to the presence of Paolo Maldini
and Alessandro Nesta, Laursen failed to establish himself in Milan's first team in the long run. When Milan bought Dutch international
defender Jaap Stam
in May 2004, Laursen left the club shortly thereafter.
for a fee of £3 million, on a four-year contract. His debut with Villa came against Southampton
on 14 August, a match which ended 2–0 in Villa's favour. Laursen's time at Villa initially proved frustrating. He put in a few encouraging performances on and off, during the 2004–05 season, but the knee injury that plagued him earlier in his career returned and kept Laursen at playing only one Premier League game for Aston Villa during the 2005–06 season. After a re-occurrence of the knee injury during the summer 2006 off-season, his playing future at club and international level was seen to be in doubt.
He underwent a full rehabilitation in Bologna
, and returned to the Villa side in August 2006. Villa hired Martin O'Neill
as manager in August 2006, and he and Laursen came to an understanding of giving Laursen the freedom to train as he wanted, which helped prevent further injuries. Laursen became an integral part of O'Neill's plans, and the physical English playing style proved to suit Laursen perfectly. Laursen became an effective goalscorer for Villa during the 2007–08 season, scoring six goals from his position of centre back. This included three goals against Tottenham Hotspur
, two of which came in a thrilling 4–4 draw at White Hart Lane
, the other coming in a 2–1 home victory. Laursen agreed terms on a new two-and-a-half-year deal with Aston Villa in January 2008. He played all Villa's matches, except for League Cup
games, during the 2007–08 season and he was voted the Supporters' Player of the Year in 2008.
Laursen replaced Gareth Barry
as club captain for Villa on a permanent basis for the 2008–09 season. In Aston Villa's first game of the 2008-09 season, Laursen captained the side in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
, and continued his goal-scoring record from set pieces by scoring Villa's second goal in the 2-2 draw against Danish
team Odense BK
. Laursen also managed to get onto the scoresheet in a UEFA Cup match with FH Hafnarfjörður, and against Stoke City
in the Premiership. On 23 October 2008, Laursen gave Aston Villa the lead in the UEFA Cup game against Ajax Amsterdam with a header from close-range. Villa went on to win the match 2–1. He was named 2008 Danish Football Player of the Year in November 2008.
In December 2008, Laursen was injured again. He returned for the game against West Bromwich Albion
in January 2009, but suffered an injury relapse. In April 2009, O'Neill expressed his fears that Laursen's career might be over due to the injuries which, even if treated, would require 10 months of reconvalescence. In May 2009, Laursen announced his decision to retire from football rather than undergo major surgery. 24 May saw Aston Villa's final game of the season at home to Newcastle United
. Prior to kick-off, Laursen appeared in front of the Villa Park crowd and performed a speech to thank the fans and wish them well for the future. Following this, he was inducted into the "Villa Legends" section of Aston Villa's official website.
in December 1996. He was called up for the Danish under-21 national team
in February 1997, and went on to play 14 games for the under-21s until June 1999. Laursen made his debut for the senior Denmark national team in a friendly match
against Portugal
in March 2000. He was a part of the Denmark squad at the UEFA Euro 2000, though he did not play a single game at the tournament due to injury.
Laursen's breakthrough with the national team came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, when he played full time in all four Denmark games before elimination. Laursen scored his first goal for his country in September 2003, in the UEFA Euro 2004 qualification, an all-important goal in injury time of the penultimate qualification match. His goal levelled the game with Romania
to 2–2, and kept Denmark in the race for a place at the final competition. Laursen and the Denmark team secured qualification when they drew the last game, thus winning their qualification group. Laursen played full time in Denmark's four games at the tournament, playing impressively.
After the March 2005 game against Kazakhstan
, Laursen's national team career went on a hiatus, due to a knee injury. After his absence from the Danish national team for more than one and a half years, he was called up in November 2006, but had to withdraw from the team before the game due to yet another knee injury. In June 2007, Laursen returned to Denmark's starting line-up in a 2–0 win against Latvia
. He played his last international game on 11 October 2008 against Malta
. In January 2009, Laursen announced his retirement from international football, as he found it physically straining to play for both club and country.
. He worked as a football pundit for Sky Sports
briefly, and also as a co-commentator for Danish broadcaster TV2
. The former defender told the website of previous club Aston Villa that his primary focus was to spend time with his family; a career in the football media allows him to remain active in the game whilst not taking up too much time. However, he refused to rule out a career in coaching or management in the future.
in the Danish 2nd Divisions in order to start a managing career.
Individual
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
former footballer who played in the centre back position. He played three seasons for Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club AC Milan, with whom he won the 2003 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and the 2004 Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championship. He also played for Italian clubs Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
and Parma FC, and was the team captain of English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He is the current manager of BK Søllerød-Vedbæk
BK Søllerød-Vedbæk
BK Søllerød-Vedbæk is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division East. They play at Vedbæk Stadion in Vedbæk near Copenhagen, which has a capacity of 5,000.-Current squad:as of 16 April 2011-Sports:...
.
Laursen was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
53 times and scored two goals for the Denmark national team
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
from 2000 to 2008, and he was named 2008 Danish Football Player of the Year. He represented Denmark at the 2000 European Championship, 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, and 2004 European Championship tournaments.
Club career
Born in Fårvang near SilkeborgSilkeborg
Silkeborg is a city in central Denmark. Located in Silkeborg municipality in Jutland, the city has a population of 42,724 . The development of Silkeborg as a modern city may be traced to the foundation of the paper mill by Michael Drewsen on the Gudenaa in 1844...
, Laursen started playing football with local amateur club Horn/Fårvang IF. He started his senior career with nearby top-flight club Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF
Silkeborg IF is a Danish professional football club based in the city of Silkeborg, in the middle of Jutland. Silkeborg IF plays in the Danish Superliga. The club was founded in 1917 and they first reach the highest level of football in Denmark in 1987, at that time called 1st division today known...
in the Danish Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
championship. Laursen made his Silkeborg debut in October 1995, under Silkeborg manager Preben Elkjær. Laursen helped steer Silkeborg to second place in the 1997–98 Superliga season
Danish Superliga 1997-98
The 1997-98 Danish Superliga season was the 8th season of the Danish Superliga league championship, governed by the Danish Football Association. It took place from the first match on July 25, 1997 to final match on June 1, 1998....
, under new Silkeborg manager Sepp Piontek, as he played 22 games and scored one goal during that season. Laursen played 35 games and scored one goal for Silkeborg in the Superliga from his debut until his last game in June 1998.
Verona
After three seasons at Silkeborg, Laursen moved to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in August 1998, to play for Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona F.C.
Hellas Verona Football Club is a professional Italian association football team, based in Verona, Veneto. The team's colours are yellow and blue and gialloblu is the team's most widely used nickname...
in the second-tier Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
league. The contact with Verona was mediated by former Verona player and Silkeborg manager Preben Elkjær. Laursen was plagued by a knee injury for the majority of his first season at Verona, where the club won promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the top-flight Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championship. Laursen established himself in the Verona starting lineup
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
during his second season in Italy. He became known as Lionheart Laursen among the Verona fans, describing his courage and great ability to time his headers.
Seeking a high profile move, Parma AC
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
made a successful bid of a reported DKK 34million to co-own Laursen in the summer 2000, in a deal including Parma-owned player Anthony Šerić
Anthony Šeric
Anthony Šerić , is a Croatian Australian footballer who currently plays as a defender for Karabükspor.-Club career:Šerić was born to a Croatian family in Sydney, Australia and received a football scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport...
remaining at Verona on loan. Laursen played a further season with Verona. After the 2000-01 Serie A
Serie A 2000-01
In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
season, Laursen moved to join Parma who acquired the remaining 50% of his registration rights, while Šerić in turn made a co-ownership
Co-ownership (football)
Co-ownership is a system whereby two football clubs own the contract of a player jointly, although the player is only registered to play for one club...
deal with Verona in June 2001. Following only three weeks of training at the club, Parma loaned Laursen out before he would play any games for the club.
AC Milan
In July 2001, Laursen was loaned out to Serie A rivals AC MilanA.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, who needed depth in their squad. He started out strong for his new club, scoring two goals in the first four rounds of the 2001-02 Serie A
Serie A 2001-02
In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
season, and played 22 league games in his first season with Milan. Milan decided to buy him in the middle of the season for a fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
of DKK 88million. In the summer 2002, Milan bought Italian international
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
defender Alessandro Nesta
Alessandro Nesta
Alessandro Nesta, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Milan. Considered by many as one of the best centre backs to have ever played the game, he is a four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year.-Early life:Nesta was raised in...
, and Laursen's playing time diminished to a combined 20 league games in the next two seasons.
Though winning silverware with Milan in 2003, Laursen did not play in the 2002-03 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2002-03
The 2002–03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding in 1992, and the 48th European Cup tournament overall. The competition was won by Milan, who beat Juventus on penalties in the European Cup's...
final. He won the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
, UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
in 2003, and the 2004 Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championship. Due to the presence of Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
and Alessandro Nesta, Laursen failed to establish himself in Milan's first team in the long run. When Milan bought Dutch international
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
defender Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
in May 2004, Laursen left the club shortly thereafter.
Aston Villa
On 21 May 2004, Laursen was bought by FA Premier League side Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
for a fee of £3 million, on a four-year contract. His debut with Villa came against Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
on 14 August, a match which ended 2–0 in Villa's favour. Laursen's time at Villa initially proved frustrating. He put in a few encouraging performances on and off, during the 2004–05 season, but the knee injury that plagued him earlier in his career returned and kept Laursen at playing only one Premier League game for Aston Villa during the 2005–06 season. After a re-occurrence of the knee injury during the summer 2006 off-season, his playing future at club and international level was seen to be in doubt.
He underwent a full rehabilitation in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, and returned to the Villa side in August 2006. Villa hired Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
as manager in August 2006, and he and Laursen came to an understanding of giving Laursen the freedom to train as he wanted, which helped prevent further injuries. Laursen became an integral part of O'Neill's plans, and the physical English playing style proved to suit Laursen perfectly. Laursen became an effective goalscorer for Villa during the 2007–08 season, scoring six goals from his position of centre back. This included three goals against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, two of which came in a thrilling 4–4 draw at White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane is an all-seater football stadium in Tottenham, London, England. Built in 1899, it is the home of Tottenham Hotspur and, after numerous renovations, the stadium has a capacity of 36,230....
, the other coming in a 2–1 home victory. Laursen agreed terms on a new two-and-a-half-year deal with Aston Villa in January 2008. He played all Villa's matches, except for League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
games, during the 2007–08 season and he was voted the Supporters' Player of the Year in 2008.
Laursen replaced Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team.Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa, and, at the end of his career with the club, lay eighth in...
as club captain for Villa on a permanent basis for the 2008–09 season. In Aston Villa's first game of the 2008-09 season, Laursen captained the side in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
, and continued his goal-scoring record from set pieces by scoring Villa's second goal in the 2-2 draw against Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
team Odense BK
Odense BK
Odense Boldklub is a Danish professional football club based in the town of Odense. The club has won three Danish championships and five Danish Cup trophies. OB play in the Danish Superliga and their home field is TRE-FOR Park in Odense on Funen...
. Laursen also managed to get onto the scoresheet in a UEFA Cup match with FH Hafnarfjörður, and against Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
in the Premiership. On 23 October 2008, Laursen gave Aston Villa the lead in the UEFA Cup game against Ajax Amsterdam with a header from close-range. Villa went on to win the match 2–1. He was named 2008 Danish Football Player of the Year in November 2008.
In December 2008, Laursen was injured again. He returned for the game against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
in January 2009, but suffered an injury relapse. In April 2009, O'Neill expressed his fears that Laursen's career might be over due to the injuries which, even if treated, would require 10 months of reconvalescence. In May 2009, Laursen announced his decision to retire from football rather than undergo major surgery. 24 May saw Aston Villa's final game of the season at home to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
. Prior to kick-off, Laursen appeared in front of the Villa Park crowd and performed a speech to thank the fans and wish them well for the future. Following this, he was inducted into the "Villa Legends" section of Aston Villa's official website.
International career
While playing for Silkeborg, Laursen played one game for the Danish under-19 national teamDenmark national under-19 football team
The Denmark national under-19 football team was founded in 1950 as a under-18 team. In 2001, it was changed to a under-19 team.-Competitive record:...
in December 1996. He was called up for the Danish under-21 national team
Denmark national under-21 football team
The Denmark national under-21 football team has played since 1976 and is controlled by the Danish Football Association. Before 1976, the age limit was 23 years.-U-21 European Championship:*1978 – Quarterfinals*1980 to 1984 – Did not qualify...
in February 1997, and went on to play 14 games for the under-21s until June 1999. Laursen made his debut for the senior Denmark national team in a friendly match
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in March 2000. He was a part of the Denmark squad at the UEFA Euro 2000, though he did not play a single game at the tournament due to injury.
Laursen's breakthrough with the national team came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, when he played full time in all four Denmark games before elimination. Laursen scored his first goal for his country in September 2003, in the UEFA Euro 2004 qualification, an all-important goal in injury time of the penultimate qualification match. His goal levelled the game with Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
to 2–2, and kept Denmark in the race for a place at the final competition. Laursen and the Denmark team secured qualification when they drew the last game, thus winning their qualification group. Laursen played full time in Denmark's four games at the tournament, playing impressively.
After the March 2005 game against Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team represents Kazakhstan in international men's association football and is directed by Football Federation of Kazakhstan. They split from the Soviet Union national football team after independence in 1991 and joined the Asian Football Confederation's Central and...
, Laursen's national team career went on a hiatus, due to a knee injury. After his absence from the Danish national team for more than one and a half years, he was called up in November 2006, but had to withdraw from the team before the game due to yet another knee injury. In June 2007, Laursen returned to Denmark's starting line-up in a 2–0 win against Latvia
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
. He played his last international game on 11 October 2008 against Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
. In January 2009, Laursen announced his retirement from international football, as he found it physically straining to play for both club and country.
Retirement
Laursen returned to Denmark following his retirement, settling in VedbækVedbæk
Vedbæk is a small town in the municipality of Rudersdal , Denmark. It is located on the Øresund coast of Zealand, between Rungsted to the north and Skodsborg to the south. The town has a station on the busy Kystbanen railway line, approximately midway between Copenhagen and Helsingør...
. He worked as a football pundit for Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
briefly, and also as a co-commentator for Danish broadcaster TV2
TV 2 (Denmark)
TV 2 is a publicly owned television station in Denmark based in Odense. The station began broadcasting on 1 October 1988, thereby ending the television monopoly previously exercised by the Danmarks Radio ....
. The former defender told the website of previous club Aston Villa that his primary focus was to spend time with his family; a career in the football media allows him to remain active in the game whilst not taking up too much time. However, he refused to rule out a career in coaching or management in the future.
Managing career
In September 2011 Martin Laursen took the job as head coach of BK Søllerød-VedbækBK Søllerød-Vedbæk
BK Søllerød-Vedbæk is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division East. They play at Vedbæk Stadion in Vedbæk near Copenhagen, which has a capacity of 5,000.-Current squad:as of 16 April 2011-Sports:...
in the Danish 2nd Divisions in order to start a managing career.
International goals
- Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 2003-09-10 Copenhagen CopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
2-2 2-2 UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. 2004 UEFA European Football Championship qualifyingQualification for the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship took place between September 2002 and November 2003.Fifty teams were divided into ten groups, with each team playing the others in their group twice, once at home and once away...2 2007-09-12 Aarhus AarhusAarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
2-0 4-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual. 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifyingThis page describes the qualifying procedure for the UEFA Euro 2008.- Seedings :Qualification coefficients were used to rank the teams according to their results in both UEFA Euro 2004 and FIFA World Cup 2006 qualifying stages. Only the group matches, and not any additional playoffs, counted...
Honours
Milan- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2002-03Coppa Italia 2002-03- Second Round :-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Milan win Coppa Italia 6–3 on aggregate.-References:*... - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2002-03UEFA Champions League 2002-03The 2002–03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding in 1992, and the 48th European Cup tournament overall. The competition was won by Milan, who beat Juventus on penalties in the European Cup's... - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
: 2003 - Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 2003-04Serie A 2003-04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
Individual
- Danish Football Player of the Year: 2008