Michael Laudrup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michael Laudrup

Laudrup in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Michael Laudrup
Date of birth	(1964-06-15) 15 June 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Frederiksberg, Denmark
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder, forward
Youth career
1971–1973	Vanløse
1973–1974	Brøndby
1974–1980	KB
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981	KB	14	(3)
1982–1983	Brøndby	38	(24)
1983–1985	Lazio	60	(9)
1985–1989	Juventus	103	(16)
1989–1994	Barcelona	166	(41)
1994–1996	Real Madrid	62	(12)
1996–1997	Vissel Kobe	15	(5)
1997–1998	Ajax	21	(11)
Total		478	(119)
National team
1982–1998	Denmark	104	(37)
Teams managed
2002–2006	Brøndby
2007–2008	Getafe
2008–2009	Spartak Moscow
2010–2011	Mallorca
2012–2014	Swansea City
2014–2015	Lekhwiya
2016–2018	Al Rayyan
Honours Men's football Representing  Denmark FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 1995 Saudi Arabia
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Michael Laudrup (born 15 June 1964) is a famous Danish football coach and former player. Many people think he is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was known for his calm play, great passes, and amazing dribbling skills. Michael is also the older brother of another well-known footballer, Brian Laudrup.

During his time as a player, Laudrup won league titles with big clubs like Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He mostly played as an attacking midfielder. He was a key player in Johan Cruyff's famous "Dream Team" at Barcelona. There, he won nine trophies, including four La Liga titles in a row from 1991 to 1994. He also won the European Cup in 1992. After this, he moved to Barcelona's rivals, Real Madrid, and won his fifth straight La Liga title.

Laudrup started playing for the Danish national team on his 18th birthday in 1982. He scored 37 goals in 104 games for Denmark. He was a star in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. From 1994, he was the captain for 28 matches, including the winning 1995 Confederations Cup. He and his brother Brian played together in the Danish team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He stopped playing football after that tournament.

In 1999, Laudrup was named the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football over the previous 25 years. In 2000, he was made a knight, receiving the Order of the Dannebrog. In 2003, he was chosen as Denmark's "Golden Player" by the Danish Football Union. This meant he was their best player of the past 50 years. In 2006, the Danish Football Union officially named him the best Danish footballer ever. Pelé also included him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004. In 2021, he was named the greatest ever Danish sports star.

After he stopped playing, Laudrup became a coach. He was an assistant manager for the Danish national team. His first main coaching job was at his old club Brøndby in 2002. He led them to win the Danish Superliga in 2005. He then coached Getafe in Spain, where his team played exciting, attacking football. In 2012, Laudrup became the manager of Premier League club Swansea City. In his first season, he won the League Cup, which was Swansea's first major English trophy ever. He later managed clubs in Qatar, Lekhwiya and Al Rayyan.

Michael Laudrup's Club Career

Michael Laudrup was born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. He started playing football at his father's childhood club, Vanløse. When his father, Finn Laudrup, became a player and coach for Brøndby in 1973, Michael and his brother Brian Laudrup also joined the club. Michael later followed his father to KB in 1976.

Early Days as a Player

Laudrup first played for the senior team at KB in 1981. He also played for the Danish under-19 national team that year. He scored 14 goals in 25 games for various youth teams. In 1982, he returned to Brøndby. He helped them get promoted to the top division.

At Brøndby, Laudrup scored two goals in the club's first game in the top division. He scored 15 league goals in 1982. This made him the third-highest goal scorer in the league. Because of his great play, he won the 1982 Danish Player of the Year award. In 1983, he was sold to Juventus in Italy. This was the biggest transfer deal in Danish football at that time.

Playing for Lazio

Juventus already had two foreign players, so they loaned Laudrup to Lazio for one season. He scored two goals in his first game for Lazio. In his first year, Lazio barely avoided being moved down to a lower league. Juventus wanted to keep their other foreign players, so Laudrup stayed at Lazio for another year. Lazio had a tough season in 1984–85 and was moved down to Serie B. Laudrup only scored one goal that season.

Time at Juventus

Laudrup went back to Juventus in 1985. In his first year, he helped them win the 1985–86 Serie A league title. He also won the Intercontinental Cup in 1985. He scored a goal in the final of that tournament. He was named Danish Player of the Year again in 1985. The next season was harder for Laudrup because he had many injuries.

Success at Barcelona

After six years in Italy, Laudrup joined Spanish club Barcelona in 1989. He was excited to play for his childhood hero, coach Johan Cruyff. Laudrup quickly found great success under Cruyff. He was one of three foreign players allowed on the team. The team, known as the Barça "Dream Team", played exciting football.

The Dream Team won four La Liga championships in a row from 1991 to 1994. They also won the 1991–92 European Cup and other trophies. Laudrup was named the best player in Spain twice during his time at Barcelona. In 1993, Barcelona signed another foreign player, Romário. This meant Laudrup sometimes wasn't chosen to play. When he wasn't picked for the 1994 European Cup final, he decided it was time to leave Barcelona.

Moving to Real Madrid

In 1994, Laudrup made a big move from Barcelona to their main rivals, Real Madrid. He said he wanted to join Real Madrid because they were very eager to win again. He believed they had a good chance to win trophies. On 5 November 1994, he helped Raúl score his first professional goal.

Laudrup helped Real Madrid win the league title in his first season. This made him the only player to win the Spanish league five seasons in a row with two different clubs. Even though he only played two seasons for Real Madrid, fans still remember him. In 2002, he was voted the 12th-best player in Real Madrid's history. Fans of both Barcelona and Real Madrid still respect him.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1996, Laudrup left Real Madrid to play for Vissel Kobe in Japan. He scored two goals in his first game for Vissel Kobe. He helped Vissel get promoted to the J1 League. He finished his playing career in 1998 with Dutch team Ajax, where he won the league title.

Michael Laudrup's International Career

Laudrup was called up to the Danish national team on his 18th birthday in 1982. He became the second-youngest Danish national team player ever. He played in UEFA Euro 1984 and all four of Denmark's matches.

Laudrup played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. He is remembered for his amazing solo dribble and goal against Uruguay. He also played in UEFA Euro 1988, where he scored one of Denmark's two goals.

In 1990, Laudrup decided to leave the national team because he had disagreements with the coach. Denmark didn't qualify for UEFA Euro 1992 at first. But they were given a spot when Yugoslavia was disqualified due to war. Denmark then surprisingly won the tournament! Laudrup was on holiday and didn't play in that championship.

Laudrup returned to the Danish team in 1993. He scored a goal in Denmark's 2–0 win against Argentina in the 1995 Intercontinental Cup. He also scored four goals as Denmark qualified for UEFA Euro 1996.

Laudrup's last games for Denmark were at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was the captain and led Denmark to the quarter-finals. He played his 100th game for Denmark in their first match of the tournament. He scored a goal against France and made two assists against Nigeria. Denmark lost to Brazil in the quarter-finals. After this, both Michael and Brian Laudrup announced they would stop playing for the national team. Both brothers were named in FIFA's All-Star Team for the 1998 World Cup.

Michael Laudrup's Playing Style

Laudrup showing his skills in Qatar, 2015

Michael Laudrup was a fast, smart, and very talented midfielder. He was known for his speed with the ball and was one of the most skilled and elegant players ever. He mainly played as an offensive playmaker. But he could also play in many other attacking positions, like a winger or a second striker.

Many people in football think Laudrup was one of the best passers of all time. His brother Brian said Michael's "vision, speed of thought and passing were on a different level." He always knew what would happen before anyone else did. Even though he was mostly a creative player who set up goals, he could also score them himself.

Laudrup was called "The Prince of Denmark." He was praised for his technique, balance, and amazing dribbling skills. He also had great vision and could read the game well. His passes were excellent, including long passes and crosses. His special move was looking one way and passing the other, which tricked many opponents.

His famous dribble, called the croqueta, involved quickly moving the ball from one foot to the other to get away from defenders. This move was later made popular by Andrés Iniesta. Laudrup's ball skills and fake moves, called feints, were combined with his creativity. This helped him get past defenders. In Spain, people used the phrase "Made in Laudrup" to describe his special assists.

Michael Laudrup's Coaching Career

Laudrup as assistant manager of Denmark in 2000

After he stopped playing, Laudrup became a coach at age 36. He started as an assistant coach for the Danish national team under Morten Olsen in 2000. They led Denmark to the knockout stage of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Coaching Brøndby

After his success with the national team, Laudrup became the manager of Danish Superliga club Brøndby. He worked with his former teammate John Jensen as his assistant. He changed the Brøndby team, bringing in new attacking players and giving chances to young talents.

Laudrup as Brøndby manager in 2005

In his first season, he won his first trophy as a manager, the 2002 Danish Supercup. He also led the team to win the Danish Cup and finish second in the league. Laudrup was named the Danish Manager of the Year. In the 2004–05 season, he led Brøndby to win the Danish Superliga title. He also won his second Danish Cup that season. He left Brøndby in 2006 after winning four trophies in four seasons.

Coaching Getafe

On 9 July 2007, Laudrup became the manager of Spanish club Getafe. He led the club to the final of the Copa del Rey and the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. His team played exciting, attacking football. He only stayed for one season, leaving in May 2008.

Laudrup at a Champions League press conference in 2008

Coaching Swansea City

On 15 June 2012, Laudrup became the manager of Swansea City in the Premier League. He was the first Dane to manage in this league. He signed several new players, including Michu, who scored many goals. In January 2013, he led Swansea to their first major cup final ever.

On 24 February 2013, Laudrup won his first trophy with Swansea. His team beat Bradford City 5–0 to win the Football League Cup at Wembley. This was Swansea's first major trophy in their history. He signed a new contract with Swansea in March 2013. However, on 4 February 2014, Laudrup was sacked by Swansea after a difficult period.

Coaching in Qatar

On 30 June 2014, Laudrup became the manager of Qatar Stars League champions Lekhwiya. He led Lekhwiya to win the Qatar Stars League and the Crown Prince Cup in his first season. The club also reached the quarter-finals of the 2015 AFC Champions League. He left the club in June 2015.

On 3 October 2016, Laudrup became the new manager of Al Rayyan. He coached them until July 2018.

Michael Laudrup's Coaching Style

As an assistant manager for Denmark, Laudrup learned to use a 4–2–3–1 system. This system used fast wingers and focused on short passes to control the game. Laudrup used a similar style when he coached Brøndby. His team became more attacking and focused on passing. He continued this style at Getafe, which led to exciting, attacking football.

When he joined Swansea City, he kept their passing and attacking style of play. He signed many new players, mostly from Spain. He wanted to bring the attacking style from Spain to Wales. Laudrup was praised for keeping Swansea's flowing, attacking football. He said that players should learn the "easy things" in football, like a simple pass, because they can be the most effective.

Outside of Football

Personal Life

Michael Laudrup comes from a family of footballers. His uncle was a football manager. His father, Finn Laudrup, was also a Danish national team player. Michael has a son named Mads from his first marriage. Mads has been a captain for Danish youth national teams. Michael is now married to Siw Retz Laudrup. They have two children, Andreas and Rebecca. Andreas also played football for the under-16 national team.

Michael Laudrup's younger brother, Brian Laudrup, was also a famous footballer. Brian won the Danish Player of the Year award four times. He was rated as the fifth-best player in the world by FIFA in 1992. Brian was part of the Danish team that won UEFA Euro 1992. Michael did not play in that tournament because of disagreements with the coach. In 2004, both Laudrup brothers were named in the FIFA 100. This list included the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé.

Business Interests

In 1993, Laudrup started importing Spanish wine to Denmark. What began as a hobby grew into a successful business. His company, Laudrup Vin og Gastronomi, now has many employees. It also runs a Wine Academy and imports wines from all over the world.

Honours

Player

Juventus

• Serie A: 1985–86
• Intercontinental Cup: 1985

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94
• Copa del Rey: 1989–90
• Supercopa de España: 1991, 1992
• European Cup: 1991–92
• UEFA Super Cup: 1992

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1994–95

Ajax

• Eredivisie: 1997–98
• KNVB Cup: 1997–98

Denmark

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 1995

Individual Awards

• Danish Player of the Year (2): 1982, 1985
• Don Balón Award – La Liga Best Foreign Player of the Year: 1991–92
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998
• Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football in the last 25 years: 1974–1999
• UEFA Golden Player (Greatest Danish Footballer of the last 50 Years): 2003
• FIFA 100
• Denmark's Best Player of All Time: 2006
• Scandinavia Best Player Ever: 2015
• Danish Football Hall of Fame

Manager

Brøndby

• Danish Superliga: 2004–05
• Danish Cup: 2002–03, 2004–05
• Danish League Cup: 2005
• Danish Supercup: 2002

Swansea City

• Football League Cup: 2012–13

Lekhwiya

• Qatar Stars League: 2014–15
• Crown Prince Cup: 2014–15

Individual Awards

• Danish Manager of the Year: 2002–03, 2004–05
• Qatar Stars League Manager of the Month: August 2014, December 2014

Orders

• Order of the Dannebrog: 2000

Films

• Jørgen Leth, "Michael Laudrup – a Football Player", Denmark, 1993