Michael Laudrup

danish association football musician and coach

Michael Laudrup ( danish pronunciation : [ ˈmiˌkʰɛˀl ˈlɑwˀtʁɔp ], born 15 June 1964 ) is a danish professional football coach and early player. He is the older brother of colleague retired football player Brian Laudrup. He is wide regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] During his playing career, Laudrup won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, playing chiefly as an attacking midfielder, although he was besides adequate to of playing in other offensive positions. A world class playmaker, he was a penis of Johan Cruyff ‘s “ Dream Team “ at Barcelona, where he won nine trophies, including four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994 and the european Cup in 1992. Laudrup moved to arch-rivals Real Madrid in 1994, with whom he won his one-fifth La Liga claim in a row.

Reading: Michael Laudrup

Laudrup made his debut for the Denmark national team on his 18th birthday in 1982, and scored 37 goals in 104 appearances. He starred in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and from November 1994, he captained Denmark for a sum of 28 matches, [ 7 ] including the victorious 1995 Confederations Cup tournament. He played alongside his brother Brian in the Denmark team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, and retired as an active agent actor after the tournament. In 1999, Laudrup was voted the Best Foreign Player in spanish football over the preceding 25-year period [ 8 ] and in April 2000 he was knighted, receiving the order of the Dannebrog. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA ‘s Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Denmark by the Danish Football Union, their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. [ 9 ] He was officially named the best danish football player of all time by the Danish Football Union ( DBU ) in November 2006. [ 10 ] He was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 tilt of the worldly concern ‘s greatest exist players at a FIFA awards ceremony in 2004. [ 11 ] In April 2013, he was named by Marca readers in the “ Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid ‘s history “. [ 12 ] On 16 October 2021, at a read celebrating the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark ‘s hundred-and-twenty-fifth anniversary, 125 candidates for the deed of the greatest ever danish sports star had been reduced to eight, and Laudrup was named the winner. [ 13 ] After retiring as a actor, Laudrup took up coach, and became assistant coach of the Denmark national team. He got his first coach job at former cabaret Brøndby in 2002, whom he guided to the 2005 Danish Superliga championship. He chose not to extend his contract with Brøndby in May 2006. He took over as coach of Getafe and had noteworthy success there. He brought the club comparative success in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup, and the team ‘s attacking style received plaudits. On 15 June 2012, Laudrup was appointed the director of Premier League club Swansea City on a biennial contract. [ 14 ] In his beginning season in south Wales, he won the League Cup, the first base major english trophy in Swansea ‘s 100-year history. On 4 February 2014, he was sacked by Swansea after a “ meaning ” slump in the Premier League, leaving them two points above the delegating zone. [ 15 ] Laudrup then managed Qatari clubs Lekhwiya and Al Rayyan between 2014 and 2018 .

Club career [edit ]

Born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, [ 2 ] Michael Laudrup began playing football in founder Finn Laudrup ‘s childhood cabaret Vanløse. When Finn Laudrup became player/coach of Brøndby IF in 1973, the class moved to Brøndby and both Michael and his brother Brian Laudrup started playing for the club arsenic well. Michael followed his father to the top-flight Danish 1st Division clubhouse Københavns Boldklub in 1976, while Brian remained at Brøndby .

early career [edit ]

Laudrup made his senior debut playing for KB ( Kjøbenhavns Boldklub ) in 1981, and made his debut for the danish under-19 national team in February 1981. [ 16 ] In all, he scored a compound full of 14 goals in 25 games at respective young levels. He went back to play for Brøndby in 1982, where his father had ended his career in 1981, contributing to the promotion of Brøndby to the 1st Division. At Brøndby, Laudrup scored two goals in the club ‘s 1st Division debut game, as mate promoted team Boldklubben 1909 were beaten 7–1. He scored 15 league goals in 1982, and ended the temper as the third top goal scorer of the 1st Division. His accomplishments earned him the 1982 Danish Player of the Year award. He played part of the 1983 season for Brøndby, and scored nine goals, before he was sold to defending Serie A champions Juventus from Italy in June 1983. It was the biggest transfer deal in Danish football at the time, worth about $ 1 million. He was due to sign for Liverpool the same year on a three-year compress, but at the last minute, Liverpool proposed a four-year condense and Laudrup opted not to sign. [ 17 ] Under restriction of a maximum of two foreign players in the team, of which the clubhouse had polish midfielder Zbigniew Boniek and Michel Platini, Juventus initially lent Laudrup to newly promoted Rome club Lazio for a single temper, something he had not been informed about before signing for Juventus. With Lazio, he scored two goals in his Serie A debut, a 2–4 loss to Hellas Verona. In his first year at Lazio, Lazio narrowly avoided relegation, but as Juventus wanted to keep Boniek and Platini, he stayed for another class. Lazio started the 1984–85 season ill, finally finishing in final place to become banish to Serie B. Laudrup scored barely one goal that season. Laudrup returned to Juventus in summer 1985 to replace Zbigniew Boniek, playing aboard Michel Platini. In his first class at the club, he won the 1985–86 Serie A ampere well as the Intercontinental Cup trophy, scoring the equalising goal in the final of the latter tournament, although he later missed a penalty in the result shoot-out ; [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 20 ] he was once again named Danish Player of the class in 1985. however, the following season was not a success for Laudrup, who suffered multiple injuries. When Platini retired in 1987, Laudrup was expected to lead the team in his locate, playing aboard newly bought Welsh forward Ian Rush. But Laudrup failed to live up to Platini ‘s standards and did not score any goals, despite playing all 30 matches of the 1987–88 season. [ citation needed ]

Barcelona [edit ]

After an abortive season with Juventus, Laudrup decided it was time to leave, looking for a new experience after six years in Italy. In 1989, he joined spanish club Barcelona on the premise that Netherlands coach Johan Cruyff, his childhood function model, had been assembling a team that was striving for success. immediately, Laudrup enjoyed major success under Cruyff ‘s leadership, citing the Dutchman ‘s philosophy and perception of the plot as one of the main assets that helped foster his endowment. He was one of the restrict three alien players allowed in the team, aboard Dutch defender Ronald Koeman and Bulgarian striker Hristo Stoichkov, who were the pillars of the Barça “ Dream Team “, along with rising stars Pep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, and Txiki Begiristain. The Dream Team played attractive football that was comparable to the 1970s Ajax team, and won four consecutive La Liga championships from 1991 to 1994, american samoa well as the 1991–92 european Cup, along with the 1992 UEFA Super Cup, 1989–90 Copa del Rey and 1991 and 1992 Supercopa de España titles. Laudrup was twice named the best player of the year in Spain during his Barcelona years. When Barça hired a fourth foreign star player, brazilian striker Romário in 1993, it meant the four foreigners would rotate as the three alien players allowed in each match, and when he was not selected for the 1994 european Cup final examination 0–4 loss to Milan ( amid conflicts with Cruyff ), his meter at Barcelona was efficaciously over. [ 21 ] After the equal, Milan ‘s coach Fabio Capello remarked : “ Laudrup was the guy I feared but Cruyff left him out, and that was his error. ” [ 22 ] Laudrup ‘s passing from Barcelona was a huge gust for the fans and his teammates alike. Pep Guardiola was reportedly indeed overturn by the news that he cried and begged Laudrup to change his mind. [ 21 ] Reflecting on his fourth dimension at Barcelona, Laudrup commented, “ I think we played some very good football, and I think most of all we demonstrated that even without getting the ten best players in the world, you can have the best team. Because everybody talked about Begiristain, Bakero, Guardiola, Stoichkov, and Koeman, but when we started none of us was a best player, then we became possibly the best team in the populace, together with AC Milan in that time period. ” [ 23 ]

real Madrid [edit ]

In 1994, Laudrup completed a controversial move from Barça to Real Madrid after he fell out with Johan Cruyff. On this, Laudrup stated he did not have a hide agenda. It was the year after the 1994 FIFA World Cup and according to him, because players normally suffer a drop in performance after such a major international tournament, he correctly predicted that Barcelona would not win major trophies the follow season. Despite widespread impression Laudrup joined arch-rivals Real Madrid in an attempt to “ get back ” at Cruyff, the decision was based on the fact Real Madrid had been struggling for a long period and were eager to return to supremacy, like Barcelona when he decided to join them. Laudrup said, “ People say I wanted to go to Real Madrid good to get retaliation. I say retaliation from what ? I ‘ve had a perfect time ; five fantastic years here [ at Barcelona ]. I went to Madrid because they were then hungry to win, and they had four or five players who went to the World Cup. I said this would be perfective ; new coach, modern players, and athirst to win. ” [ 23 ] On 5 November 1994, he assisted Raúl ‘s inaugural professional goal in a 4–2 succeed over Atlético Madrid [ 24 ] Laudrup went on to guide Real Madrid in a championship-winning season that would end the Barça stranglehold, making him the only player ever to win the spanish league five times in a course playing for two unlike clubs. After the initial achiever at Real, a lackluster season would be in store for the club. Despite only playing two seasons at Real Madrid, he was voted the 12th-best actor in substantial Madrid history in an internet survey by spanish newspaper Marca when the club celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 2002. [ 25 ] While playing with Barcelona, he participated in the 5–0 victory over rivals real number Madrid in the 1993–94 season. The follow season while playing for Real Madrid, he aided in the revenge beating Madrid gave Barça, the final score besides ending 5–0. Daniel Storey wrote of Laudrup, “ no other player is loved on both sides of the clásico separate quite wish Laudrup ” as he remains held in gamey regard by both Barça and Madrid fans. [ 21 ] Following the catch, Laudrup ‘s early Barcelona director Cruyff commented : “ When Michael plays like a dream, a magic trick delusion, determined to show his new team his extreme point abilities, no one in the world comes anywhere near his flat. ” [ 26 ]

later career and retirement [edit ]

In 1996, Laudrup left Real Madrid to play for Vissel Kobe in Japan. On 18 August 1996, he played his first match for Vissel Kobe and scored two goals in a 4–2 succeed against Brummell Sendai. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] He helped Vissel to forwarding from the second-tier Japan Football League to the J1 League. [ 29 ] He was registered as a player in bosnian Premier League club Čelik Zenica in a controversial sign in which he did not play any games for Čelik, but was signed as a musician. [ 30 ] After the details were resolved, he ended his playing career in a championship winning season at Dutch side Ajax in 1998. Following his retirement, Laudrup sometimes turned out to play for Lyngby ‘s Old Boys team in his spare fourth dimension. [ 31 ]

International career [edit ]

Laudrup was called up for the Denmark national team during Brøndby ‘s debut season in the top-flight. On his 18th birthday on 15 June 1982, he became the then-second-youngest Danish national team musician ever, following Harald Nielsen. Despite playing for relegation battlers Lazio, Laudrup starred for the Denmark national team at UEFA Euro 1984, playing all four of Denmark ‘s matches. Laudrup participated in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, a operation which is best remembered for his exceptional solo drip and goal in the 6–1 frustration of Uruguay. He was besides a part of the disappoint Denmark police squad at Euro 1988, though Laudrup experienced personal success, scoring one of Denmark ‘s two goals. Following three matches in the qualification campaign for Euro 1992, Laudrup opted to quit the national team in November 1990 ( alongside his brother Brian Laudrup and Jan Mølby ) following differences with coach Richard Møller Nielsen. [ 32 ] The Danes primitively failed to qualify but were subsequently given Yugoslavia ‘s place as Yugoslavia were disqualified due to war in their state. Notwithstanding their qualification, Laudrup rated Denmark ‘s chances of success indeed first gear he stayed on vacation. however, Denmark caused one of the biggest upsets in football history by going on to win the tournament, beating holders the Netherlands in the semi-final and, in the concluding beat reigning world champions and favourites Germany, with a 2–0 gain thanks to goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort. Laudrup returned to Nielsen ‘s danish police squad in August 1993, but saw Spain and the Republic of Ireland qualify for the 1994 World Cup ahead of Denmark. He scored a finish in the 2–0 victory against Argentina, as Denmark won the 1995 Intercontinental Cup. He besides scored four goals in ten matches as Denmark qualified for Euro 1996. Laudrup ‘s last matches for Denmark came at the 1998 World Cup, when he captained the state to the quarter-final. Laudrup made his hundredth appearance for Denmark in the team ‘s open game of the tournament, a 1–0 frustration of Saudi Arabia in Lens. [ 33 ] Denmark was defeated 2–3 by Brazil in the quarter-finals, and both Michael and Brian Laudrup announced their external retirement following the elimination. Both brothers ended their external careers on a eminent note as both Michael and Brian were named in FIFA ‘s All-Star Team .

Player profile [edit ]

style of bet [edit ]

Laudrup demonstrating his skills in Qatar, 2015 A flying, intelligent and talented midfielder, known for his pace on the ball, Laudrup is regarded as one of the most effective and versatile attacking midfielders, vitamin a well as one of the most adept and elegant players in the history of the game. Although primarily an offensive playmaker, he was adequate to of playing in several positions in or behind the front-line, and was even deployed as a winger, as a central midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, or as a second striker on juncture, in particular in his youth, or even as a forward or striker on rare instances ; he was besides used as a centre-forward on occasion under his Barcelona director Johan Cruyff, a function which was similar to that of the advanced false 9 character. Laudrup is considered by many in the sport as one of the best passers of all meter, and as one of the most technically accomplished players ever. [ 34 ] [ 35 ] [ 36 ] [ 37 ] [ 38 ] [ 39 ] [ 40 ] [ 41 ] [ 42 ] [ 43 ] Regarding Laudrup ‘s vision and die ability, his brother Brian stated in 2008 : “ My brother started as an attacker but became an elegant attack midfielder, possibly the most complete there has always been. His imagination, speed of thinking and pass were on a different tied ; he constantly knew what was going to happen before anybody else did. If anyone had a ‘football brain ‘, it was him. ” [ 42 ] Despite being primarily a creative team player, he besides possessed an accurate shot, [ 35 ] [ 38 ] and was capable of scoring goals a well as creating them. [ 41 ] Nicknamed “ The Prince of Denmark, ” [ 44 ] [ 45 ] throughout his career, Laudrup was acclaimed for his proficiency, balance wheel, elegance, ball command, and dribbling ability, a well as his imagination, ability to read the game, and range of pass, including thick passes, through balls, and crosses, which made him an excellent serve supplier. [ 46 ] [ 47 ] [ 48 ] [ 49 ] In regard to his vision, Jorge Valdano, the argentinian coach of Laudrup in Real Madrid, said, “ [ H ] einsteinium has eyes everywhere. ” His brand motivate – looking one means and passing the early – fooled countless opponents during his career. [ 44 ] The Laudrup trickle, a key signature feint besides known as the croqueta, was possibly the best-known part of his game, and involved him quickly moving the ball from one foot to the early aside from the defender, a move which was later besides popularised by by and by Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta. [ 50 ] Laudrup ‘s ball skills and feints were combined with creativity, which he used to get by defenders in one on one situations. [ 45 ] This led to the expression “ Made in Laudrup ” being coined in the spanish football media, which was widely used in Spain to describe his trademark assists, in particular his lob passes, angstrom well as his alone play. [ 51 ] According to a 2018 article by Josh Butler of The Athletic and These Football Times, respective of Laudrup ‘s teammates said of his creative style of play : “ Just test, he will always find a manner of passing you the ball. ” [ 52 ]

reception [edit ]

Throughout his career, Laudrup was often ranked among the best players in the world, with the french three-time european football player of the year award winner Michel Platini describing him as one of the most talented players always, only lamenting his lack of selfishness causing him to score excessively few goals. [ 53 ] [ 54 ] In a 2006 interview, Laudrup ‘s Real Madrid teammate Raúl called him the best player he had ever played with, [ 55 ] [ 56 ] a scene echoed by his Barcelona teammate Romário, who opined that he was able to create and score goals about at will, and ranked him the fourth-best musician in the history of the game ( behind Pelé, Diego Maradona and himsel ). [ 57 ] Luís Figo alternatively labelled Laudrup as arguably the best adversary he had always faced. [ 58 ] Ronald Koeman rated Laudrup as “ possibly the most adept and elegant player [ he ] always played with, ” adding : “ Few could dribble like he could. He could sense when a game was ready to be seized and transformed by a here and now of individual brilliance. ” [ 59 ] Roberto Galia stated in 2008 : “ I have played against Maradona, Platini and Baggio. But the actor I saw do the most indefinable things was Michael Laudrup. ” [ 60 ] Former teammate Guillermo Amor said : “ I have never seen a better musician in one-on-ones. He was our special actor. ” [ 61 ] Thierry Henry named Laudrup as the best player he had never played with, saying he did not know any better passer than him and “ the world of football did not give him the accredit that guy [ Laudrup ] deserved. ” [ 62 ] John Toshack ranked Laudrup as “ the best player of his generation, ” likening him to Cruyff both as a player and a coach, [ 63 ] a see shared by Franz Beckenbauer, who dubbed Laudrup the best player of the 90s. [ 26 ] Javier Clemente once stated : “ To me, Michael Laudrup is the most brilliance musician the world has always seen. He will always be my numero uno. Always. ” [ 26 ] José Mari Bakero alternatively remarked : “ No one has given the cabaret [ Barcelona ] as much inspiration as Michael. We all look up to him. It is a prerogative to have your day enriched by a brilliance. ” [ 26 ] In 2012, Ian Rush described him as “ an incredible musician, ” who “ probably had the most individual skill ” he had always seen. [ 64 ] Daniel Storey of Planet Football stated in 2020 that he believed that Laudrup was one of the most underestimate players of the previous 30 years, [ 65 ] a view shared by Albert Ferrer, who stated in 2009 : “ few people made me enjoy the game deoxyadenosine monophosphate much as Michael. possibly he did n’t get the media recognition he deserved, but he was so classy and a veridical thinker. A overlord of the blind pass and impossible through-balls and I will never forget his ‘spoon ‘ communicate in a game against Osasuna. He lifted the ball right over the defense and Romario touched it in first clock time. ” [ 66 ] At Barcelona, Laudrup played alongside Hristo Stoichkov, who scored many goals from Laudrup ‘s passes. Regarding Laudrup ‘s ability to create chances for his teammates, he commented in his 2008 autobiography : “ From more than hundred goals that I scored I ‘m indisputable that over 50 were assisted by Michael. To play with him was extremely easy. We found each other by intuition on the playing field and found common football lyric. Look at Ivan Zamorano. Laudrup went there ( Real ) and Zamorano is a goalscorer. sometimes I envy Ivan for the passes he receives. Passes on foot after you accelerated. few people understand football like the Danish actor. He can merely be compared with Maradona, Schuster or Roberto Baggio. They make things easy and find the right solutions. For them [ it ] is childlike, for the adversary – unthinkable. phenomenal ! His only trouble is his character. He is emotional and terribly reserved. This affects him a set, because he takes everything personally – no count if person tells him something or decision that he does not agree. His relations with Cruyff were delicate because he could n’t take the critics. I listen to him but I do n’t care that much. For Michael this was black. He could n’t take it anymore so he left without a son. ” [ 67 ] That same year, in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, Stoichkov included Laudrup in his “ Perfect XI, ” and labelled him as : “ One of the best european players I ‘ve always seen, ” and as a actor who was “ up there with the greats. ” He went on to describe him as : “ An elegant, antique playmaker, ” who “ did things few early footballers could do. ” [ 68 ] In 2010, he alternatively said that “ Laudrup was the greatest. ” [ 69 ] Another striker who benefitted from Laudrup ‘s playmaking abilities was actual Madrid teammate Iván Zamorano, who called Laudrup “ El Genio “ ( “ The Genius, ” in spanish ) during Laudrup ‘s time in the spanish capital. Zamorano was going through a hard spell in Madrid, but when Laudrup arrived to assist his goals, Zamorano immediately became the top goalscorer of La Liga, winning the pichichi trophy ; Zamorano himself credited Laudrup for his role in his increase goalscoring output, describing him as a “ brilliance, ” while besides commenting : “ … The reason why I make so many goals is Laudrup. ” [ 44 ] [ 26 ] He besides stated : “ Michael was a magician and one of the greatest players ever. He was amazing in one-on-ones besides. I always say that Laudrup had three eyes, not two like everyone else. As a forward, I had to be aware all the time, because he could make you a chance out of nothing and you had to be prepared for that moment. ” [ 70 ] Andrés Iniesta, who became known for using Laudrup ‘s key signature dribbling move – the croqueta – rated Laudrup as the greatest actor of all time. [ 71 ] Throughout his career, his numeral of assists were about constantly the highest of his team. however, despite his talent and reputation as one of the most technically gifted and creative players of his generation, certain players, pundits and managers have questioned Laudrup ‘s make rate, brain, decision, and consistency throughout his career at times, in particular in his early career. [ 38 ] [ 44 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ] His early Juventus teammate and admirer Michel Platini, for model, once said, “ [ Laudrup ] ‘s the greatest player in the global, in training, ” [ 45 ] [ 46 ] besides describing him as “ one of the biggest talents always, ” while besides lamenting that he “ never used his endowment to its fullest during matches. ” [ 26 ] His former Barcelona director Johan Cruyff described him as “ One of the most difficult players [ he had ] worked with, ” adding : “ When he gives 80–90 % he is still by far the best, but I want 100 %, and he rarely does that. ” [ 72 ] In 1998, he stated : “ Had Michael been born in a poor ghetto in Brazil or Argentina with the ball being his merely direction out of poverty he would today be recognised as the biggest brilliance of the game ever. He had all the abilities to reach it but lacked this ghetto-instinct, which could have driven him there. ” [ 73 ] At Swansea in 2012, Alan Tate commented : “ He is still the best player in discipline at [ historic period ] 48 years. ” [ 74 ] This was echoed by Swansea player Danny Graham : “ Laudrup was the best musician in train by a nautical mile. It was unreal. ” [ 75 ] In accession to his playing ability, Laudrup was known for his good lead on the pitch and he never received a red card in his career. [ 76 ]

Managerial career [edit ]

Laudrup during his clock time as adjunct director of Denmark in 2000

early years [edit ]

After his playing career ended with Ajax, Laudrup became a passenger car at long time 36 when he started serving as an assistant coach for the Denmark national team head coach Morten Olsen in 2000. The national team would play a 4–2–3–1 geological formation, depending on two fast wingers and with the drive to dominate games with a short-passing monomania game. together, they led Denmark to the knock-out stage of the 2002 World Cup .

Brøndby [edit ]

After his success as Denmark assistant coach, Laudrup signed on as director for Danish Superliga baseball club Brøndby. As his adjunct coach, he paired up with former Danish championship win coach John Jensen, who had played aboard him in the Denmark home team. At the beginning of his predominate, he proclaimed a tactical scheme close to that which Olsen and he had coached at the home team. He renovated the Brøndby team by letting a boastfully contingent of older and experienced players leave, in favor of several new offensive players, and he besides gave the chance to new talents from the baseball club ‘s youth scheme .
To ensure the defensive strength of the team, Laudrup signed prove national team player Morten Wieghorst. He began his reign as Brøndby coach by winning his first trophy in his managerial career, the 2002 Danish Supercup. In his first season as head coach, he guided the team to win the danish Cup, after Brøndby beat Midtjylland 3–0 in the final examination and runner-up in the danish Superliga. Laudrup ‘s achiever led him to being voted and awarded the Danish Manager of the year. In the following season, he again finished the season runner-up to first place Copenhagen by barely one point. however, he would not be denied in the 2004–05 season, where he finally led the team to the Danish Superliga style. In the lapp season, he besides completed The Double after he won his second base danish Cup in four seasons. This saw him being given his second Danish Manager of the Year award. After finishing runner-up in the 2005–06 Danish Superliga, Laudrup announced that he, along with assistant Faxe Jensen, could not come to an agreement for a annual narrow extension that was offered by the club. The pair, after winning four trophies in four seasons, subsequently left Brøndby in June 2006. [ 77 ] Laudrup was associated with several new jobs, including becoming coach of former clubhouse Real Madrid and that he would replace Lars Lagerbäck as point coach of the Sweden national team. In 2007, Brøndby decided to name a fresh sofa at the stadium “ The Michael Laudrup Lounge ”, with Laudrup ‘s approval. His success led him to being voted and awarded the Danish Manager of the year .

Getafe [edit ]

On 21 June 2007, Laudrup was linked to a move to Madrid -based La Liga club Getafe by sports newspaper Marca. This was confirmed on 9 July 2007. During his arrest in Getafe, the clubhouse reached the final of the Copa del Rey, losing to Valencia, and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing in extra time to Bayern Munich. During his tenure as successor to Bernd Schuster, he brought in a fresh brand of exciting and free-flowing attacking football to the club, bringing back memories of Laudrup as a musician. His team, which was not one of the establish powers in spanish football, enjoyed relative success. however, he performed only one temper as director, resigning in May 2008. [ 78 ] After Laudrup announced his passing from Getafe, he was linked with jobs at Barcelona, [ 79 ] Valencia, Benfica, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow and West Ham United. He about got the job at Panathinaikos, but according to danish media, he wanted an option to allow him to leave if he received an propose from a spanish club. This request was not accepted by the Greeks, who chose to hire Henk ten Cate alternatively. [ 80 ]
Laudrup at a Champions League crusade conference in 2008

Spartak Moscow [edit ]

On 12 September 2008, it was formally announced that Laudrup had signed a one-and-a-half-year narrow to manage Spartak Moscow, replacing Stanislav Cherchesov following his judgment of dismissal after a string of poor results. [ 81 ] however, Laudrup started on a poor note, winning just one of his foremost four league matches. He was subsequently sacked on 15 April 2009, just seven months on the occupation, [ 82 ] in the wake of Spartak ‘s quarter-final 3–0 loss to Dynamo Moscow in the russian Cup. The official argument from Spartak read, “ From this bespeak onwards, head coach Michael Laudrup has been relieved of his responsibilities because of unsatisfactory results. ” [ 83 ] On 22 October 2009, spanish media announced Laudrup would be appointed as new director of spanish english Atlético Madrid, replacing the short and unsuccessful tend of Abel Resino, following Atlético ‘s 4–0 UEFA Champions League group stagecoach defeat to Chelsea. however, Laudrup and Atlético were not able to agree on terms and the hand fell aside. The day after, on 23 October, Resino was sacked and Quique Sánchez Flores was appointed vitamin a bus as the side ‘s second-choice .

Mallorca [edit ]

In July 2010, Laudrup was appointed coach of Mallorca on a compress lasting until the end of June 2012. In his first season, he kept the struggling Mallorca side from delegating, which was suffering from losing many first team players and who was ejected from the UEFA Europa League ascribable to its hapless fiscal site. At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, on 27 September 2011, Laudrup resigned as coach following the fire of his assistant, Erik Larsen. Laudrup cited bang-up frustration with Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the club ‘s film director of football, leading to a bad work climate as the main reason for his resignation. [ 84 ]

Swansea City [edit ]

On 15 June 2012, Laudrup was appointed director of Swansea City on a biennial narrow, becoming the first Dane to manage in the Premier League. [ 85 ] He made several fresh signings after arriving at Liberty Stadium, including Michu, Chico Flores, Pablo Hernández, Jonathan de Guzmán and Ki Sung-yueng. His first competitive couple as Swansea director came as an impressive 0–5 away win at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers. [ 86 ] At Swansea, Alan Tate said that Laudrup was considered to be the best player in train, despite being 48 years old. [ 87 ] He has been commended for his choice of signings, most notably with Michu, who scored 22 goals in 2012 for swansea after he signed him for a bargain €2.5 million from Rayo Vallecano. [ 88 ] On 23 January 2013, he led Swansea into their inaugural ever major cup final after defeating reigning european champions Chelsea 2–0 on aggregate over two legs in the League Cup semi-finals. [ 89 ] On 7 February 2013, Laudrup appointed former Danish external midfielder Morten Wieghorst as his adjunct after previously signing him as a player when Laudrup was managing Brøndby. [ 90 ] Laudrup would late say he “ surely ” believes Wieghorst “ can be coach ” of Swansea, as “ he has know from scots football and is familiar with English football ”. [ 91 ] On 24 February, Laudrup said he had no “ ambition to become the coach ” of a adult cabaret, because he could not “ have done everything for 10 years ” in management and then be fired “ after nine months ” for not winning any trophies. [ 92 ] He besides said it gave him “ much more pleasure to see how well ” he could do where he did not “ have to win all the clock ”. [ 93 ] On 24 February 2013, Laudrup won his first trophy with Swansea after his side beat Bradford City 5–0 to win the Football League Cup at Wembley. [ 94 ] This was besides Swansea ‘s first major trophy in English football in the club ‘s history. Following Swansea ‘s 1–0 winnings over Newcastle United on 2 March 2013 [ 95 ] the cabaret moved into one-eighth military position in the top-half of the Premier League board, apparently safe from relegation with 40 points and ten games left ; Laudrup said he wanted Swansea to finish eighth, stating that “ coming one-eighth [ will be ] like winning the league ” for the baseball club because he felt “ the first seven spots ” were already taken by Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton. [ 96 ] On 3 March, though he had said that his “ intention ” was “ to stay ” in south Wales for the following year, Swansea president Huw Jenkins said that the clubhouse were in the “ process of looking for the adjacent coach ” of the club in case Laudrup did choose to leave the clubhouse. [ 97 ] On 8 March 2013, Laudrup signed a new compress with Swansea, keeping him at the club until 2015. [ 98 ] Reports indicated that he agreed to a contract with a release article in the area of £5 million, much like the release article Brendan Rodgers agreed to when he signed a contract extension at the Liberty Stadium four months prior to joining Liverpool. [ 99 ] On 10 May, however, he confirmed that his “ intention ” was to stay at Swansea “ future season, ” saying that reports he wanted to leave Wales was “ saturated speculation. ” [ 100 ] On 4 February 2014, Laudrup was sacked by Swansea following a poor rivulet of form which left the club two points clear of relegation. [ 101 ] At the time of the decision, the team had lost six out of their last eight league games. [ 15 ]

Lekhwiya [edit ]

On 30 June 2014, Laudrup became the new coach of Qatar Stars League champions Lekhwiya after signing a annual deal. [ 102 ] He guided the Lekhwiya to a club-record Qatar Stars League and a Crown Prince Cup double in his beginning temper. The club besides qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2015 AFC Champions League during his reign. On 17 June 2015, Laudrup announced that he would not extend his contract, departing the club. [ 103 ]

Al Rayyan [edit ]

On 3 October 2016, Laudrup was unveiled as the modern director of Al Rayyan on a biennial narrow, replacing Jorge Fossati. [ 104 ] His foremost couple in charge was on 15 October 2016, when Al Rayyan faced Al Sailiya in an away match in the league, with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. [ 105 ]

expressive style of management and tactics [edit ]

As assistant director to Morten Olsen, the Denmark national team employed a 4–2–3–1 system with pacey wingers playing the pivotal function in attack. Laudrup teach from Olsen and used the same tactical stylus with Brøndby, with the team becoming more assaultive and focused on a short pass style. He continued to employ a exchangeable tactical expressive style when he joined Getafe, ushering a fresh trade name of exciting and free-flowing attacking football to help the clubhouse to the Copa del Rey final. however, at Spartak Moscow, he could not adapt his formation and tactics to the russian game, with the club unable to score adequate goals per match. As Mallorca director, Laudrup inspired a team that lost a number of key players from relegation by playing an offensive game. In 2012, he joined Swansea City as director, replacing Brendan Rodgers. [ 106 ] Under Rodgers, Swansea were known to play a 4–3–3 approach with a batch of focus on extremely, where the full-backs pushed up when in possession and the outfield players played a high tempo pressing game. Under Laudrup, the team began employing a 4–2–3–1 formation, becoming more attacking while retaining the communicate and pressing game. He besides signed a number of fresh players, chiefly from La Liga, trying to bring the attacking style from Spain to Wales, which saw more goals scored. [ 107 ] He said, “ You can get a lot of quality for a reasonable sum in Spain right now. ” [ 108 ] Laudrup earned plaudits for maintaining their flow, attacking post of football and attractive, passing style of dally throughout the season, which saw his side win the League Cup, after beating Bradford City a read 5–0 in the final. “ You ca n’t ask players to do things that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are doing, but you can ask the easy things, ” he said. “ sometimes the easiest things in football, a bare pass five or eight yards, can be the most effective. That, everybody can learn. ” [ 109 ]

personal life [edit ]

Michael Laudrup is part of a family with three generations of footballers. His uncle was former Brøndby and Aberdeen director Ebbe Skovdahl. He is the son of early Danish national team player Finn Laudrup and Michael ‘s oldest son Mads Laudrup has been the team master of respective Danish youth national teams since January 2005, and his youngest son Andreas Laudrup was selected a separate of the under-16 national team in March 2006. [ 110 ] Michael Laudrup has a younger brother, Brian Laudrup, who was besides a football player. Brian Laudrup is the record holder of Danish actor of the year awards with four, [ 111 ] and was rated by FIFA as the fifth-best musician in the world in 1992. [ 112 ] Brian Laudrup was in the Euro 92 team of the Tournament and World Cup 98 team of the Tournament. Brian was besides known for his part in the Rangers squad which won nine consecutive titles in the 1990s. Brian was a part of the trophy-winning Danish national team at UEFA Euro 1992, but Michael did not play in that championship ascribable to differences with the national team coach Richard Møller Nielsen [ 113 ] and because he thought that the bar of Yugoslavia for political, preferably than football, reasons was not good. [ 114 ] In 2004, both the Laudrup brothers were named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest survive footballers chosen by Pelé as contribution of the celebration of FIFA ‘s hundredth anniversary. Laudrup is married to Siw Retz Laudrup. But with his ex-wife Tina Thunø, he had his elder son, Mads. With his wife Siw Retz Laudrup, he has two children, Andreas and Rebecca. [ 115 ]

Politics and business [edit ]

Alongside his professional football career, Laudrup began importing spanish wine to Denmark starting in 1993. initially, the wine meaning was screen of a avocation, but clientele grew quickly and today his company Laudrup Vin og Gastronomi has over ten employees, runs a Wine Academy and imports wines from all over the global. [ 116 ] In 2004, Michael Laudrup was one of the founders of CEPOS, a danish classical liberal/free-market conservative think-tank. [ 117 ]

career statistics [edit ]

baseball club [edit ]

International [edit ]

Appearances and goals by national team and year[118]

National team
Year
Apps
Goals

Denmark

1982
3
2

1983
5
7

1984
13
2

1985
6
6

1986
10
1

1987
4
0

1988
9
1

1989
8
4

1990
6
3

1991
0
0

1992
0
0

1993
4
0

1994
8
3

1995
9
5

1996
8
1

1997
2
1

1998
9
1

Total
104
37

Scores and results list Denmark’s goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Laudrup goal.

managerial statistics [edit ]

As of 25 July 2018

Team

Nat

From

Record

G
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Win %

Brøndby

July 2002

June 2006

132
76
31
25
237
119

+118

0 57.58
Getafe

July 2007

June 2008

59
25
15

Honours [edit ]

player [edit ]

Juventus
Barcelona
Real Madrid
Ajax
Denmark
Individual

coach [edit ]

Brøndby
Swansea City
Lekhwiya
Individual

Orders [edit ]

Order of the Dannebrog: 2000

Films [edit ]

( in Danish ) Jørgen Leth, “Michael Laudrup – en fodboldspiller“, Denmark, 1993

References [edit ]

Sources [edit ]

Jakob Kvist (1996). Ambassadøren – en bog om Michael Laudrup (in Danish). Denmark. ISBN 87-583-1285-4.

further read [edit ]

( in Italian ) Bruno Bernardi, “Michael Laudrup”, Italy, 1986
( in Danish ) Flemming Nielsen and Vagn Nielsen, “Fodboldkunstneren Michael Laudrup : rundt om en stjerne“, Denmark, 1986
( in Danish ) Michael Laudrup, “Mod nye mål“, Denmark, 1989, ISBN 87-559-0848-9

Sporting positions

Preceded byLars Olsen
Denmark captain
1994–1998

Succeeded byPeter Schmeichel