Daniel Agger facts for kids
Agger with Denmark at UEFA Euro 2012
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 December 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Hvidovre, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.91 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Denmark (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | Rosenhøj BK | ||
| 1996–2004 | Brøndby | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2006 | Brøndby | 34 | (5) |
| 2006–2014 | Liverpool | 175 | (9) |
| 2014–2016 | Brøndby | 43 | (2) |
| Total | 252 | (16) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003–2004 | Denmark U20 | 10 | (1) |
| 2004–2006 | Denmark U21 | 10 | (3) |
| 2005–2016 | Denmark | 75 | (12) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2021–2023 | HB Køge | ||
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Daniel Munthe Agger was born on December 12, 1984, in Denmark. He is a professional football coach and a former player. He played as a centre-back, which is a defensive position in football. Daniel was known for being good at reading the game, comfortable with the ball, and having a very powerful shot. He was named the Danish Football Player of the Year in 2007 and 2012.
Daniel started his senior career with Brøndby in July 2004. There, he helped his team win the Danish Superliga (the top football league in Denmark) and the Danish Cup. In January 2006, he moved to Liverpool, a famous English club. He played 175 games in the Premier League for Liverpool and won the League Cup and the Community Shield. In August 2014, Daniel returned to Brøndby for personal reasons. He retired from playing football two years later, at the age of 31.
Daniel also played for the Danish national team from 2005 to 2016. He played 75 games and scored 11 goals for his country. He represented Denmark in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, where he was the team captain. Today, he is the assistant manager for the Danish national football team.
Contents
Daniel Agger's Club Career
Playing for Brøndby IF
In July 2004, Daniel Agger joined Brøndby's main team. He quickly became a key player. His team won the 2004–05 Danish Superliga championship. After the first half of that season, Daniel was named "talent of the year" in 2004 by the Danish players' association.
In September 2005, Daniel got an injury that kept him out of games for the rest of that year. Even with the injury, on December 6, 2005, at just 20 years old, he was awarded the Danish "talent of the year" for all sports.
Playing for Liverpool
Joining Liverpool in 2006
Daniel Agger was often talked about as a player who would move to a big club. In January 2006, he joined Premier League team Liverpool. At the time, Liverpool was the champion of the UEFA Champions League. On January 12, 2006, Daniel signed a 4.5-year contract with Liverpool. The transfer fee was about £6 million, which made him the most expensive footballer ever sold by a Danish club to a foreign club. During his first few months at Liverpool, injuries meant he only played in four games. He also missed the team's win in the 2006 FA Cup Final.
Success in 2006–07
Daniel played the whole game when Liverpool won the 2006 FA Community Shield against Chelsea. He became a regular player in Liverpool's defense. He competed with players like Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypiä for a starting spot.
Daniel scored his first goal for Liverpool on August 26, 2006. It was a powerful shot from about 35 yards out in a game against West Ham United. His manager, Rafael Benítez, said he wasn't surprised because Daniel often scored such goals in training. This goal was named "Goal of the Month" by the BBC and later Liverpool's "Premiership Goal of the Season." In October 2006, fans gave him an award for his strong performances.
He scored his second goal for the club in a Football League Cup game against Birmingham City. His third goal was a header against Arsenal in a 4–1 victory. In the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League semi-final, Daniel scored a goal against Chelsea. This helped Liverpool win 1–0 in the second game, after losing the first. He then played in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final, where Liverpool lost to Milan.
Injuries and Comebacks
Daniel faced more injuries in the 2007–08 season. He hurt his foot in September and had to miss many games. In January 2008, he tried to return to training, but the injury came back. Doctors said he would need surgery and would miss the rest of the season.
He returned to full training in July 2008. After a friendly game, Daniel said, "I am almost starting my career at Liverpool all over again." He played in Liverpool's first game of the 2008–09 season. However, he was sidelined again for a while. There were rumors of disagreements with his manager, but the manager said there were no problems.
Daniel returned to the starting team in a League Cup game against Crewe Alexandra. He played the whole game and scored the first goal from a free kick. Liverpool won 2–1. He later scored another goal against Blackburn Rovers from 30 yards out. Liverpool won that game 3–0. In May 2009, Daniel signed a new five-year contract with Liverpool.
Later Seasons at Liverpool
In August 2009, Daniel had surgery for a back injury. He returned to play on October 25, 2009, in a 2–0 win against Manchester United. On February 28, 2010, he played his 100th game for Liverpool. He scored his seventh goal for the club with a fantastic backheel against Benfica in the UEFA Europa League.
In the 2010–11 season, Daniel had more injury problems, including a concussion. He missed many games. He also faced competition for his spot in the team. In March 2011, a knee injury ended his season early. He only played 21 games that season.
Winning a Trophy
In the 2011–12 season, Daniel scored two goals in a pre-season friendly game. On October 29, 2011, he played his 100th Premier League game for Liverpool. On January 28, 2012, he scored the first goal in an FA Cup game against Manchester United, which Liverpool won 2–1.
On February 26, 2012, Daniel helped Liverpool win their first trophy since 2006: the 2012 Football League Cup Final. He got a rib injury during the match. He returned to play in April. On May 8, 2012, he scored his first Premier League goal of the season in a 4–1 win against Chelsea.
Vice-Captain and Final Season
In the 2012–13 season, Daniel was sent off in the first league game. However, he signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool in October. In November, he was named Danish Player of the Year for the second time. He scored two more goals that season, both headers. On February 21, 2013, he played his 200th game for Liverpool.
On August 9, 2013, Daniel was named Liverpool's vice-captain. This happened after there were rumors that Barcelona wanted to sign him. He helped set up a goal in a 1–0 win against Manchester United. However, he played less often as another defender, Mamadou Sakho, was often chosen instead. On May 11, 2014, in Liverpool's last home game of the season, Daniel scored an equalizing goal against Newcastle.
Returning to Brøndby
On August 30, 2014, Daniel Agger returned to his old club, Brøndby IF. He signed a two-year deal and took a much lower salary. He chose to play in Denmark because the league was less physically demanding. He said that his Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, didn't appreciate his efforts.
On June 9, 2016, at the age of 31, Daniel Agger announced he was retiring from football when his contract with Brøndby ended.
Daniel Agger's International Career
Daniel Agger played his first game for Denmark on June 2, 2005, in a friendly match against Finland. He played the whole game, and Denmark won 1–0. On September 7, he scored his first goal for Denmark in a 6–1 win against Georgia. Before playing for the senior team, he played 10 games and scored 3 goals for the Danish under-21 national team.
Daniel scored on June 2, 2007, in a 3–3 home game against Sweden. This game was stopped early due to issues with the crowd.
He played in eight games to help Denmark qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored one goal in a 3–0 win against Malta. In the World Cup in South Africa, Daniel accidentally scored an own goal in a 2–0 loss to the Netherlands. He played in the other two group games, but Denmark did not move past the group stage.
Daniel first captained Denmark on August 11, 2010, in a 2–2 friendly game against Germany. He became the permanent captain a year later. Under his leadership, Denmark qualified for UEFA Euro 2012. Again, Denmark was eliminated in the group stage.
On October 15, 2013, Daniel scored two penalty goals in a 6–0 win against Malta. This helped Denmark secure second place in their World Cup qualification group. On May 28, 2014, he scored the only goal from a penalty in a 1–0 win over Sweden. Denmark did not qualify for Euro 2016. After this, Daniel said he planned to retire from international football in 2016, which he did.
Daniel Agger's Life Outside Football
Daniel Agger is a qualified tattoo artist. He has many tattoos, including a Viking on his upper right arm. He also has a large drawing of Vikings and a graveyard on his entire back. This tattoo includes his birth date and a Latin phrase, "Mors certa, hora incerta" which means "death is certain, its hour is uncertain." He also has the letters "YNWA" tattooed on his knuckles. This stands for "You'll Never Walk Alone", the famous song of Liverpool F.C.
In May 2010, Daniel married his girlfriend, Sofie Nielsen. They have two sons together.
In September 2014, Daniel donated money to the Denmark homeless national football team. This helped them pay for travel to the Homeless World Cup in Chile. In 2012, Daniel started "The Agger Foundation" to help children in need.
After Retirement
After retiring from football, Daniel Agger and his wife moved to Spain. Daniel now runs a sewerage company called KloAgger with his brother, uncle, and a childhood friend. He also invested in a tattoo company called Tattoodo.
Daniel still plays football in charity matches. He played for Liverpool against Real Madrid in a charity game on March 25, 2017.
In April 2017, Daniel started a new golf project to raise money for the Danish charity fund "Red Barnet". He held events called "Agger for Charity" and invited former Liverpool stars like Pepe Reina and Steven Gerrard. Daniel has always loved golf and has given a lot of money to charity over the years.
Daniel Agger's Managerial Career
In March 2021, it was announced that Daniel Agger would become the manager of Danish 1st Division team HB Køge starting in June 2021. Another former Danish national team player, Lars Jacobsen, became his assistant. In August 2021, Daniel was even registered as a player again for a short time. After two seasons leading the club, Daniel left HB Køge in June 2023.
On August 8, 2024, Daniel Agger became the assistant manager of the Denmark national football team.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby | 2004–05 | Danish Superliga | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 5 | ||||||
| 2005–06 | Danish Superliga | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 34 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||||||||
| Liverpool | 2005–06 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | |||
| Total | 175 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 232 | 14 | ||
| Brøndby | 2014–15 | Danish Superliga | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Danish Superliga | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 252 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 305 | 21 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2005 | 4 | 1 |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 12 | |
- Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Agger goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 September 2005 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 4 |  Georgia |
3–1 | 6–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 11 October 2008 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 22 |  Malta |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 9 February 2011 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 39 |  England |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 15 November 2011 | Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg, Denmark | 44 |  Finland |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 2 June 2012 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 46 |  Australia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 26 March 2013 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 56 |  Bulgaria |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 7 | 10 September 2013 | Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | 58 |  Armenia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 8 | 15 October 2013 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 60 | Malta |
2–0 | 6–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 9 | 4–0 | |||||||
| 10 | 28 May 2014 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 64 |  Sweden |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 11 | 3 September 2014 | TRE-FOR Park, Odense, Denmark | 65 |  Turkey |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
Honours and Awards
Brøndby
- Danish Superliga: 2004–05
- Danish Cup: 2004–05
- Danish League Cup: 2005
Liverpool
- Football League Cup: 2011–12
- FA Community Shield: 2006
- FA Cup runner-up: 2011–12
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2006–07
Individual Awards
- Danish Football Player of the Year: 2007, 2012
- Danish U21 Young Player of the Year: 2005
- BBC Goal of the Month: August 2006
Images for kids
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Agger has "YNWA" tattooed on his knuckles
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Agger para niños
