Brian Laudrup

At 55 years old, Brian Laudrup has this physical status:

Brian Laudrup (born 22 February 1969) is a Danish former footballer who played as a winger, forward, or as a midfielder.

He currently works as a football commentator, pundit, and analyst on Kanal 5 and 6'eren.

Laudrup, alongside former international goalkeeper Lars H.gh, runs a football academy for marginalized youth during his brief playing career, which culminated in injury.

He joined Brndby, a Danish club, winning two Danish championships in the 1980s.

He then competed for German and Italian clubs, winning the 1993–94 Serie A as well as the 1994 UEFA Champions League championship with Milan.

He was a vital part of the Rangers team that dominated the Scottish Premier Division in the 1990s, winning three titles, among others.

In 1998, he won the UEFA Super Cup for a brief period with Chelsea, as well as a brief time with Copenhagen, Denmark, before ending his career with Ajax in 2000. Laudrup has played 82 games and scored 21 goals for the Denmark national team, and was a key part of the Danish teams that secured UEFA Euro 1992 and the 1995 Confederations Cup. Laudrup received the Danish Football Player of the Year award for the fourth time in a row.

He was voted by FIFA as one of the world's best living footballers at the FIFA 100 ceremony in March 2004 alongside his older brother Michael Laudrup.

Early life

Brian Laudrup was born into a football family – his father Finn Laudrup was a former Danish international, and his brother Michael Laudrup became a Danish international. Brian Laudrup was born in Vienna when his father was playing for Wiener SC.

Personal life

Laudrup is married to Mette, has a son, Nicolai, and a daughter, Rasmine.

He had lymphoma and was under medical care on September 7, 2010 — a new occurrence. He was told there were no symptoms of the disease three months after it began.

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Club career

Laudrup began his senior work with Brndby in Denmark. Claus Nielsen and Bent Christensen, the Danish internationals, were competing in Brndby for a spot in the starting lineup, and he developed a strong relationship with Nielsen. He competed in the Danish First Division with the club in 1987 and 1988. Laudrup's deal with Brndby came to an end halfway through the 1989 season, and he joined Bayer Uerdingen. The transfer fee was estimated to be around DKK 8 million, the partition of which Brndby and Brian's father and agent Finn Laudrup disagreed about. The Danish Football Union accepted Brndby's allegations of about DKK 3.9 million, but the Laudrups refused to pay the remainder. In March 1990, the litigation was finally settled.

Laudrup joined Uerdingen in order to play in a team with little pressure, and he was also keen on fellow Dane Jan Bartram, who was also playing for the club. During the 1989–90 Bundesliga season, he scored 6 goals in 34 games and was named Danish Player of the Year for both club and country.

Laudrup's results in the Bundesliga were widely lauded. Laudrup was rated the second best forward in the league's second highest class, international category, following Werder Bremen's Wynton Rufer. Laudrup was the best signing of the 1989–90 season, according to German sports newspaper Sport Bild, ahead of high-profile names such as Uwe Bein, Stefan Kuntz, and Thomas Strunz.

Laudrup began leaving the club in 1990 as he believed the Uerdingen executives would not improve the Uerdingen staff.

Laudrup's outstanding results in the Bundesliga and Denmark attracted Bayern Munich for his signature, who paid him for a DM6 million transfer fee in May 1990, making him the most expensive Bundesliga player at the time. Laudrup scored 9 goals in 33 games in his first season as the team finished in second place. Laudrup was also a member of the Bayern squad that reached the 1990-1991 European Cup semi-finals.

Laudrup was highly rated among the experts, but he was also extremely popular in large portions of Germany's rural areas. Kicker-readers were given the opportunity to select their favorite players at individual locations and the most popular player, "das Idol '90," was voted by Laudrup with four times as many votes as Klaus Allofs in second place. He received 24,245 votes and was named the fourth best performer out of 900 candidates among German legionnaires, as well as all participants in the 1. and 2. Bundesliga: A German fan of the football team. Andreas Brehme, Lothar Matthäus, and Rudi Völler, the world champions, received more votes. Laudrup came in first place ahead of high-profile names like Thomas Häßler, Jürgen Klinsmann, Andreas Möller, Thomas Doll, Jürgen Kohler, Karl-Heinz Riedle, and Matthias Sammer, and so on Bundesliga players, with Laudrup finishing first, despite being primarily on Bundesliga players.

Laudrup was a consistent performer in his first five matches of the 1991-1992 season, but he sustained acruciate ligament injury in his right knee in August 1991. Laudrup watched from the stands as the team suffered in a terrible season. New Bayern executives Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were causing chaos in the team's public denigration of the younger Bayern players, according to Laudrup in December 1991. He returned to the team in February 1992 and played in the last 15 games of the season as Bayern finished in tenth place. Despite the injury-plagued season, Laudrup continued to finish the 1991–92 season as the Danish Player of the Year for the second time and placed fifth in the FIFA World Player of the Year competition.

Laudrup's fame began to rise, and he fulfilled his lifelong aspiration when he signed for Fiorentina (arguably the best league in the world at the time) in 2005. Fiorentina's 1993-1993 season was off to a promising start in the first season of the season. However, Fiorentina's second half of the season saw a change in bosses, which was the beginning of the season. Despite the appearance of such other players as Stefan Effenberg and Gabriel Batistuta, the team as a whole was unexpectedly dismissed after more than 50 years of playing in Serie A. Despite the relegation, Laudrup himself had a good season and was loaned to Milan for the 1993-94 season.

Laudrup was loaned to Milan for the 1993-1994 season, but he only saw him play a handful of games over the season due to the club's squad rotation system and also because of the three foreigners' reign at the time. At the time, Milan's world class crew had seven internationals, including Laudrup, Marcel Desailly, Jean-Pierre Papin, Dejan Savievi, and Marco van Basten, which meant Laudrup was not used often. It was also manager Fabio Capello's very tight system, in which he preferred to play more defensive style players rather than Laudrup's direct play. Capello's defensive system did not work at the end of the season, with Milan winning the Scudetto only scoring 36 goals in 34 matches. Laudrup's 1993–94 European Championship Championship-winning Milan team won seven European games. Laudrup said in December 1993 that he did not want to return to the club despite being on a fiancée until the summer of 1996.

When Laudrup was approached by Walter Smith of Rangers in July 1994, he was given an escape route from Italy. At that time, Rangers were an exciting club and had to invest to try to win European glory. Laudrup was attracted by the prospect of a £2.3 million transfer fee.

He had an immediate effect at Rangers. It was from his precise cross that Mark Hateley led the first league match of the season against Motherwell in August 1994. With just a few minutes remaining in the second half, he continued his help with a long run from the half-way line before advancing to Duncan Ferguson, who scored Rangers' second goal and clinch a 2–1 victory. In a Scottish League Cup tie against Falkirk, he scored his first goal for the club later this month. Although Scottish football was more athletic than what he had been used to, the boy excelled in the free role given to him by boss Walter Smith. After signing for Rangers, Laudrup turned down a Barcelona five-month contract. Rangers defeated their seventh straight Championship last season with ten goals in 33 League games, in addition to a variety of assists. Laudrup received both the Scottish Football Writers and Scottish PFA Player of the Year awards in recognition of his fine work. His appearances for Rangers and Denmark culminated in him winning his third Danish Player of the Year award.

Laudrup missed a stretch of nine League games in the early part of the season 1995–96 due to a bout of international service. In a 3–3 draw at Ibrox, he returned against Celtic in November 1995 and scored Rangers' first goal. He was also playing with Paul Gascoigne, and the pair were instrumental in Rangers winning their eighth league championship. Laudrup also had a huge influence in the Scottish Cup's later stages of the season. In the semi-finals against Celtic, he scored the winning goal after being in a one-two with Gordon Durie before taking control of the ball and chipping it over the Celtic keeper. Rangers beat Hearts 5–1. Durie scored a hat-trick, the first-ever Rangers player to do so in the final, but it was Laudrup who received the Man of the Match award, having provided support for all three of Durie's goals and scoring the other two herself. Since being dubbed the Laudrup Final, the tournament has become known as the Laudrup Final.

In a 4–3 victory over Hearts in the 1996 Scottish League Cup Final, his third season at Rangers, 1996–97, saw another cup final goal, this time in a 4–3 win over Rangers. Rangers' quest to beat Celtic's record of nine straight league titles was the season's most notable concern. With Rangers being plagued by a string of niggling injuries to their main strikers, a greater burden on goalscoring was put on Laudrup. He responded by scoring 16 goals in 33 league games, including the only goal against Celtic in November 1996, as well as a headed goal in a 1–0 victory over Dundee United in May 1997, clinching the league title and the club's quest for nine-in-a-row. He was honoured once more by his appearances, earning the Scottish Football Writers' Award. His outstanding results for Rangers and Denmark earned him his fourth Danish player of the year.

In 1997, Laudrup was linked to a £5 million transfer to Ajax Amsterdam, but Rangers were advised not to remain with Rangers for one more season to help them win their eighth consecutive league title. Despite a good start, the season ended up as an anti-climax, with Laudrup's attempts to replicate previous seasons' form. Rangers finished runners-up in the 2010 Scottish Cup Final behind Celtic, and the season ended trophyless after losing to Hearts. Laudrup joined the club shortly after. Later in life, he referred to his time at Rangers as "the four best years of my career."

In 1998, Laudrup joined Chelsea in the summer. When Alex Ferguson phoned Brian about his move to Old Trafford, it was likely that Laudrup would become a Manchester United Utd player. "I had to tell him that I called a day late because I had just signed with Chelsea," Laudrup said.

However, he had reservations and tried to get out of his deal before he even kicked a ball for Chelsea, informing them about the 1998 World Cup. Chelsea were not understanding, and they told Laudrup that if the deal was not followed, they would go to court or involve FIFA and UEFA.

Laudrup returned to Chelsea and became a Chelsea player, but he was upfront that he was dissatisfied with London and with the squad rotation system. "I would have thought twice about signing for Chelsea if I had known," he said. "Nobody told me about this device when I first discussed terms with Chelsea in February," he said, adding that "I don't like the rotation scheme."

Chelsea won the 1998 UEFA Super Cup for the first time, making it his debut. He missed several games due to a combination of injuries, the squad rotation system that Chelsea had, and also because of his fallout with the club. Laudrup contributed to the 4–3 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park after coming off the bench to equalize 3–3. In the 2–0 win over Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge, Laudrup added another assist.

Chelsea's only Chelsea goal, Tony Johnson, was enough to win Chelsea by a single goal against Copenhagen, sending Chelsea through to the quarterfinals. It was also his last match for the London club. Despite the club's unhappiness, manager Gianluca Vialli had no reservations about playing Laudrup against Copenhagen, saying, "I've always had faith in Brian." I knew he was having a difficult time with all the action going on, but he's been doing really well in preparation and previous matches. He's been dedicated, and the reward was the right one for him." He pressed on Copenhagen, who had reached an understanding at the time of Chelsea's two games against Chelsea.

Despite being personally dissatisfie in London, Laudrup's time at Chelsea was brief, his performances were lauded, and he maintained a professional demeanor when called into action.

Laudrup was added to his greatest ever XI by Chelsea teammate Graham Le Saux later.

Laudrup returned to Denmark in 1999 for a short time with Copenhagen. He was unceremoniously booed by home supporters as he revisited Brndby Stadium in March 1999, and was also threatened by fans from other Danish clubs.

Laudrup was forced to join Ajax due to family issues. After leaving Copenhagen, Laudrup's registration had reverted to Chelsea, so Ajax and Chelsea had to negotiate a transfer fee. "I had offers from 15 clubs, and I have the feeling that Ajax is the right club for me," he said. I didn't like playing with FC Copenhagen. I had the same issues as Chelsea; I couldn't be able to portray more than half of my true self." "I like Brian a lot because he can adapt and play many positions," Ajax head coach Jan Wouters, who spent a season with Laudrup at Bayern Munich, added. Laudrup could not return from another season after a fruitful season from 1999 to 2000, scoring 15 goals in 38 games, but was unable to return to action due to injuries. After one of Denmark's most fruitful careers, he was forced to withdraw from top-level football at the age of 31.

International career

Laudrup made his international debut for the Denmark under-17 team in July 1984, and the team played six matches until October of this year. He appeared in 12 games and scored 6 goals for the under-19 team from October 1985 to August 1987. He has also appeared in five games from June 1987 to November 1988. He was called up by Sepp Piontek in April 1987 as a replacement for his brother Michael but not allowed him to debut, but he didn't get his first look.

Laudrup was selected in the senior Danish "Olympic national team" of under-21 coach Richard Mller Nielsen and competed in three qualification matches for the 1988 Summer Olympics. He made his debut on November 18, 1987, at the age of 18, in a 1–0 loss to West Germany, with Bjarne Goldbk making his debut in that match. In his third game, Laudrup defeated Greece 4–0 for his first national team goal, and he scored his first national team goal, a 4–0 win over Greece on April 20, 1988. He was then included as a member of coach Piontek's pick before the UEFA Euro 1988. He appeared as a substitute in a friendly match against Austria in April 1988, but he broke his collarbone right away before the final Euro 1988 squad was named.

Laudrup was sent to the senior national team in February 1989 and became a mainstay of the team under new national team coach Richard Mller Nielsen. As Denmark barely qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he scored three goals in four matches. It was discussed during Brndby's transfer fee scandal whether the Danish Football Union should have barred Laudrup from the national team. Laudrup resigned from the national team in November 1990 after three matches in the qualification campaign for the Euro 1992, when he lacked admiration for coach Nielsen.

Laudrup returned to the national team under coach Nielsen in April 1992. Laudrup was one of the few attacking players in 1992 as a member of the Danish national team to Euro 1992 in Sweden, and in a strictly defensive spirit, Laudrup was one of the few attacking players. Despite the fact that he did not score a single point in the tournament, Laudrup's ability and speed were an important part of the Danish team's win, and he and colleague Dane Schmeichel were named joint fifth in the 1992 FIFA World Player of the Year poll, where Laudrup gained the upper hand over Schmeichel in the domestic polls, where Laudrup received his second Danish Player of the Year award in 1992.

Denmark was barred from participating in the 1994 World Cup by Spain and the Republic of Ireland, with Laudrup scoring two goals in 12 matches. Michael Laudrup had re-entered the team during World Cup qualifying.

Laudrup was a key member of the Danish team that lifted the Confederations Cup in 1995. In the 2–0 win over Saudi Arabia, he defeated three defenders before shoving it into the net from a wide angle. FIFA has rated the goal as one of the highest goals ever scored in the game's history. Denmark defeated Argentina 2–0, with Laudrup's excellent dribble down the wing helping in the second goal. Laudrup was named the top player of the tournament by the Golden Ball award, naming him the best player of the tournament.

Laudrup aided Denmark in qualifying for Euro 1996, but the tournament was a letdown for the defending champions. Laudrup was a highlight for the Danes in multiple games, including two against Turkey, but the team was disqualified in the preliminary group stage.

Laudrup was a central part of the Danish team that qualified for the 1998 World Cup, his first World Cup victory of his career, with four goals in seven games. At the tournament, he shone, scoring two goals and collecting three assists. With a goal in the 4–1 surprise thrashing of Nigeria in the first knock-out round, he saw Denmark through to the quarterfinals. Despite Laudrup's first goal to make it 1–0 and scoring to the top of the goal, the match was tied at 2–2. They had never lost until the Brazil match, when Laudrup had scored for Denmark.

The quarter-finals at the World Cup was the best ever Danish result, and Laudrup later ranked the 1998 Denmark team higher than the Euro 1992 winners. He was selected by FIFA as part of the World Cup's "All Star Team" team, as well as his brother Michael. Laudrup said he decided to end his national team career after playing in 82 games and scoring 21 goals over the course of 11 years.

Career after football

Laudrup is now a pundit and co-commentator for Discovery Networks Denmark, covering the Premier League and Denmark national team. In the same role for Danish TV3+, he has covered the UEFA Champions League.

He is also involved with the so-called "Laudrup & Hgh ProCamp," a youth football camp, co-coached with former national team goalkeeper Lars Hgh.

He competed for Lyngby BK's Old Boys team alongside Michael Laudrup in his spare time.

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