Michael Gravgaard
Encyclopedia
Michael Julius Gravgaard (born 3 April 1978) is a Danish
former football player, who effectively ended his playing career at FC Nantes in May 2010. Despite the fact of having a contract with FC Nantes until July 2011, his club was not interested to honour the contract, and opted instead in May 2010, to try and file him as "lifetime injured" towards their insurance company. When this attempt ultimately got unapproved by the French authorities, and Gravgaard had passed all additional health checks, the club then opted in January 2011, to dismiss him permanently from the club – a half year prematurely. Forced by that, Gravgaard announced in January 2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel Canal 9
.
During his active career, he always played the position as centre back
. Except for some of the matches played during his stay at Viborg FF
, where he also occasionally played as a striker. His international career took place from August 2005 until September 2007, where he played 18 matches and scored five goals for the Danish national team
.
, Gravgaard started his senior career with local club Randers Freja
in 1996. Initially playing in the lower-league Danish 2nd Division
, Gravgaard helped the club win promotion
to the 1st Division
in 1999. He entered the Danish top-flight football relatively late in his career, as he foremost wished to pursue an academic career. Only after graduating as an accountant
, Gravgaard signed a contract in the top-flight Danish Superliga
championship, when he moved to Viborg FF
in July 2002.
.
, he was linked with a move to the English Premier League, where both Newcastle United
and West Ham
were rumoured to offer him a contract. None of the rumours were however converted to a transfer, and so he continued to play for FCK until July 2008.
. In the first half of the 2008–09 season, he played for FC Nantes in 14 games of Ligue 1. Performance wise, the first 14 games of the season was unfortunately very bad for the club with: eight defeats, three draws and three wins. For the next eight games, the coach decided not to offer anymore playing time for Gravgaard. In January 2009, he then agreed with the club, that he was free to sign a loan contract with another club, in case any offers would arrive.
, the Hamburger SV
decided to sign a half year loan contract from 1 February to 30 June, with Michael Gravgaard. During spring 2009, he played for the club in: 12 Bundesliga
games, seven Europa League games, and one German Cup
game. He managed together with Hamburger SV to reach the semifinal in both the Europa League and German Cup; but in both cases the club was unfortunate to be kicked out of the tournament by the Bundesliga rivals from Werder Bremen.
In August 2010, the filing of Gravgaard as "lifetime injured" was approved by La Médecine du Travail (the department for Occupational Health, under the French ministry for Labour). This decision was however appealed by Gravgaard, as he was convinced not to have any physical problems, that could force him to stop his football career. on 16 September, he won the appeal, and regained the legal right to continue his football career. When he asked FC Nantes to accept his return on the training field, the club however also required him to first pass a series of additional medical tests. Gravgaard at the same time announced, that he most likely would pass all the tests, but that he felt his future prospects anyway were rather bad. Because earlier in 2010, FC Nantes had told him not to count on anymore playing time for the 1st team of the club. And when he then asked them, for an agreement where he instead could be released from his ongoing contract, with the purpose of becoming entirely free to seek a new contract with another club, they had also refused. By the time of September 2010, the only hope Gravgaard therefore had, was that FC Nantes would change their mind, and accept him to leave the club for free, which would make it possible for him to sign a contract with a new club, where he could play for the remaining part of his career.
Four months later, when he had passed all additional medical tests, he once again tried to show up at the training field. This time however, he now got the message, that he had been permanently dismissed from the club. As Gravgaard had an ongoing contract with FC Nantes until July 2011, and did not receive any salary since May 2010, he consequently opted to launch a court case against his club, where a final ruling will arrive in June 2011. After being dismissed by FC Nantes, Gravgaard announced in Jan.2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel Canal 9
.
in August 2005. He played the second half, coming on as a substitute for Per Nielsen
, and scored the goal to 3–0, in a 4–1 friendly match win against England
. Gravgaard played his first full international match on 7 September 2005, against Georgia
. In the following two games against Greece
and Kazakhstan
, he scored a goal in each match. The start of his national team career thus featured three goals in five games, an impressive tally for a central defender.
On 2 June 2007, Gravgaard stopped the attacking fan in the 2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack in an international match against Sweden
which was subsequently abandoned. He played his latest and 18th game for the national team in September 2007.
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 football player, who effectively ended his playing career at FC Nantes in May 2010. Despite the fact of having a contract with FC Nantes until July 2011, his club was not interested to honour the contract, and opted instead in May 2010, to try and file him as "lifetime injured" towards their insurance company. When this attempt ultimately got unapproved by the French authorities, and Gravgaard had passed all additional health checks, the club then opted in January 2011, to dismiss him permanently from the club – a half year prematurely. Forced by that, Gravgaard announced in January 2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel Canal 9
Canal 9 (Denmark)
CANAL9 is a Danish television channel owned by the TV4 Group and C More Entertainment.The channel is designed for men and was launched as a low-pay sister channel to Canal+ and share sports rights with Canal+ Sport, and is based on sports, mostly football including broadcasts from the Danish...
.
During his active career, he always played the position as centre back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. Except for some of the matches played during his stay at Viborg FF
Viborg FF
Viborg FF is a Danish professional football club located in Viborg. The full name of the club is Viborg Fodsports Forening , but the name is frequently abbreviated as Viborg FF or VFF. The club was founded in 1896, but would have to wait more than a century before winning its only countrywide...
, where he also occasionally played as a striker. His international career took place from August 2005 until September 2007, where he played 18 matches and scored five goals for the Danish 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...
.
Early career
Born in Spentrup, eight kilometres North of RandersRanders
Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...
, Gravgaard started his senior career with local club Randers Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja is a Danish multi-sport club fielding teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football.- History :Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted to JBU in 1907....
in 1996. Initially playing in the lower-league Danish 2nd Division
Danish 2nd Division
The 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league...
, Gravgaard helped the club win 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 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
in 1999. He entered the Danish top-flight football relatively late in his career, as he foremost wished to pursue an academic career. Only after graduating as an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, Gravgaard signed a contract in the top-flight 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, when he moved to Viborg FF
Viborg FF
Viborg FF is a Danish professional football club located in Viborg. The full name of the club is Viborg Fodsports Forening , but the name is frequently abbreviated as Viborg FF or VFF. The club was founded in 1896, but would have to wait more than a century before winning its only countrywide...
in July 2002.
Viborg
At Viborg, he established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Superliga, and he was at times used, with relative success, as a striker. In his three seasons at Viborg, he appeared in 94 league games for the club and he scored 18 goals. In the summer break 2005, Gravgaard moved on to league rivals F.C. Copenhagen (FCK), alongside Viborg's goalkeeper Jesper ChristiansenJesper Christiansen
Jesper Ringsborg Christiansen is a Danish professional footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper for IF Elfsborg in the Allsvenskan championship. He has previously played for Danish Superliga clubs Odense BK, Vejle BK, Viborg FF, and F.C. Copenhagen, winning four Superliga championships and two Danish...
.
FC Copenhagen (FCK)
He quickly established himself among the key players of FCK, and due to his heading ability, he soon earned the nickname of "Copenhagen Air Force" among the FCK fans. In the January 2007 transfer windowTransfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, he was linked with a move to the English Premier League, where both 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...
and West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
were rumoured to offer him a contract. None of the rumours were however converted to a transfer, and so he continued to play for FCK until July 2008.
Nantes
On 6 July 2008, he signed a contract for thiree years with FC Nantes in the French Ligue 1Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
. In the first half of the 2008–09 season, he played for FC Nantes in 14 games of Ligue 1. Performance wise, the first 14 games of the season was unfortunately very bad for the club with: eight defeats, three draws and three wins. For the next eight games, the coach decided not to offer anymore playing time for Gravgaard. In January 2009, he then agreed with the club, that he was free to sign a loan contract with another club, in case any offers would arrive.
Loan to Hamburger SV
In response to the long-term injury of Bastian ReinhardtBastian Reinhardt
Bastian Reinhardt is a former German footballer. He is the current sportdirector of Hamburger SV.- Career :...
, the Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
decided to sign a half year loan contract from 1 February to 30 June, with Michael Gravgaard. During spring 2009, he played for the club in: 12 Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
games, seven Europa League games, and one German Cup
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
game. He managed together with Hamburger SV to reach the semifinal in both the Europa League and German Cup; but in both cases the club was unfortunate to be kicked out of the tournament by the Bundesliga rivals from Werder Bremen.
Return to Nantes
When he returned from his loan contract to FC Nantes in July 2009, he agreed to have an operation of his toe done. In the past year he had been playing with a lot of pain from his toe, due to chronic tendonitis, and the operation was believed to cure the problem. Unfortunately the operation failed, and he therefore agreed to have a second operation in December 2009. The second operation left him with a "stiff toe", but succeeded to remove the pain. By the end of March 2010 he was ready to play football games again, but for the remaining part of the season he was never given a chance for a comeback. Instead the club decided in May 2010, to try and file him as having a lifetime injury, to their insurance company.In August 2010, the filing of Gravgaard as "lifetime injured" was approved by La Médecine du Travail (the department for Occupational Health, under the French ministry for Labour). This decision was however appealed by Gravgaard, as he was convinced not to have any physical problems, that could force him to stop his football career. on 16 September, he won the appeal, and regained the legal right to continue his football career. When he asked FC Nantes to accept his return on the training field, the club however also required him to first pass a series of additional medical tests. Gravgaard at the same time announced, that he most likely would pass all the tests, but that he felt his future prospects anyway were rather bad. Because earlier in 2010, FC Nantes had told him not to count on anymore playing time for the 1st team of the club. And when he then asked them, for an agreement where he instead could be released from his ongoing contract, with the purpose of becoming entirely free to seek a new contract with another club, they had also refused. By the time of September 2010, the only hope Gravgaard therefore had, was that FC Nantes would change their mind, and accept him to leave the club for free, which would make it possible for him to sign a contract with a new club, where he could play for the remaining part of his career.
Four months later, when he had passed all additional medical tests, he once again tried to show up at the training field. This time however, he now got the message, that he had been permanently dismissed from the club. As Gravgaard had an ongoing contract with FC Nantes until July 2011, and did not receive any salary since May 2010, he consequently opted to launch a court case against his club, where a final ruling will arrive in June 2011. After being dismissed by FC Nantes, Gravgaard announced in Jan.2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel Canal 9
Canal 9 (Denmark)
CANAL9 is a Danish television channel owned by the TV4 Group and C More Entertainment.The channel is designed for men and was launched as a low-pay sister channel to Canal+ and share sports rights with Canal+ Sport, and is based on sports, mostly football including broadcasts from the Danish...
.
International career
He was selected for the Danish national teamDenmark 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...
in August 2005. He played the second half, coming on as a substitute for Per Nielsen
Per Nielsen
Per Lundgren Nielsen is a retired Danish professional football player who played in the central defense of Brøndby IF in the Danish Superliga for his entire club career. With Brøndby, Nielsen won five Danish championships and three Danish Cups since his senior debut in 1993...
, and scored the goal to 3–0, in a 4–1 friendly match win against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. Gravgaard played his first full international match on 7 September 2005, against Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
. In the following two games against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
and 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...
, he scored a goal in each match. The start of his national team career thus featured three goals in five games, an impressive tally for a central defender.
On 2 June 2007, Gravgaard stopped the attacking fan in the 2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack in an international match against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
which was subsequently abandoned. He played his latest and 18th game for the national team in September 2007.
International goals
- Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 17 August 2005 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...
3–0 4–1 Friendly match 2 8 October 2005 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...
1–0 1–0 World Cup 2006 qual. 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...3 12 October 2005 Almaty AlmatyAlmaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
1–0 2–1 World Cup 2006 qual. 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup...4 11 October 2006 Vaduz VaduzVaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop....
, LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
2–0 4–0 Euro 2008 qual. 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group F-Standings:Key:*Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finalsNotes on the qualified teams:*Spain secured qualification to the tournament proper on 17 November 2007 following a 3–0 win against Sweden, becoming the tenth team in the whole of the qualification stage to do so*Sweden secured...5 24 March 2007 Madrid MadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
1–2 1–2 Euro 2008 qual. 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group F-Standings:Key:*Teams highlighted in green qualified for the finalsNotes on the qualified teams:*Spain secured qualification to the tournament proper on 17 November 2007 following a 3–0 win against Sweden, becoming the tenth team in the whole of the qualification stage to do so*Sweden secured...
Honours
Team- Danish 2nd DivisionDanish 2nd DivisionThe 2nd Division is the third tier Danish football league, just after the 1st Division.It was founded in 1945, after World War II, as the second-best Danish football division. When the Danish Superliga was founded in 1991, the 2nd Division became the third level league...
: 1998–99, with Randers - Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe 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...
: 2005–06 and 2006–07, with FCK - Royal LeagueRoyal LeagueThe Royal League was an annual Scandinavian football tournament held three times between teams from the three Scandinavian monarchies , starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. Denmark, however, are in mid-season when the tournament starts...
: 2005–06, with FCK
Individual
- 2005 Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe 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...
profile (by the Superliga managers) - 2005 Danish profile of the year (by the player association)
- 2005 Danish team of the year (by the player association)
- 2006 Danish SuperligaDanish SuperligaThe 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...
autumn profile (by Tipsbladet) - 2006 Danish profile of the year (by the player association)
- 2006 Danish team of the year (by the player association)