Martin Laursen
| Date of birth | 26 February 1977 |
| Place of birth | Farvoug |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Weight | 79 kg |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Position | Defender |
One of the few youngsters to feature in Denmark's national squad, Martin is a capable performer in the centre of the park.
His international debut came against Portugal in March 2000 and he went on to make the squad for the Euro 2000 finals, although he only featured once from the subs' bench.
Now established as a regular in the squad, at club level his career began with Silkeborg before a move to Verona where he won a place in their line-up during the 1999-2000 season.
He moved on to AC Milan for £5million during the 2001 summer break after a brief spell at Parma.
Although he made a good start at the San Siro, Martin fell out of favour with coach Carlo Ancellotti and attracted the interest of Tottenham Hotspur.
Martin subsequently moved to the Premiership with Aston Villa in May 2004 on a four-year contract that was extended to June 2010 in January 2008.
He retired in May 2009 due to a knee injury.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silkeborg | 01 Jul 1995 | 01 Jul 1998 | |
| Hellas Verona | 01 Jul 1998 | 01 Jul 2001 | |
| Parma | 01 Jul 2001 | 01 Sep 2001 | |
| AC Milan | 01 Sep 2001 | 21 May 2004 | |
| Aston Villa | 21 May 2004 | 15 May 2009 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | Hellas Verona | Serie A | 31 |
4
|
1
|
||
| 2001-02 | AC Milan | Serie A | 18 | 4 |
2 |
3
|
|
| 2001-02 | AC Milan | UEFA Cup | 8 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2002-03 | AC Milan | Serie A | 3 | 7 |
1
|
||
| 2002-03 | AC Milan | UEFA Champions League | 4 | 5 |
|||
| 2003-04 | AC Milan | Serie A | 4 | 6 |
|||
| 2003-04 | AC Milan | UEFA Champions League | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 12 | 1 |
3
|
||
| 2005-06 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Aston Villa | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 12 | 2 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Aston Villa | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 38 | 6 |
1
|
||
| 2008-09 | Aston Villa | Premier League | 19 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2008-09 | Aston Villa | UEFA Cup | 3 | 2 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Aston Villa | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 2 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Oct 2000 | Bari v Verona | D | 1-1 | Serie A | 1 |
| 14 Oct 2000 | Verona v Udinese | D | 1-1 | Serie A | 2 |
| 22 Oct 2000 | Verona v Lazio | W | 2-0 | Serie A | 3 |
| 01 Nov 2000 | Atalanta v Verona | L | 3-0 | Serie A | 4 |
| 05 Nov 2000 | Verona v Inter Milano | D | 2-2 | Serie A | 5 |
| 12 Nov 2000 | Vicenza v Verona | D | 2-2 | Serie A | 6 |
| 26 Nov 2000 | Juventus v Verona | L | 2-1 | Serie A | 8 |
| 03 Dec 2000 | Verona v Brescia | W | 2-1 | Serie A | 9 |
| 09 Dec 2000 | Reggina v Verona | D | 1-1 | Serie A | 10 |
| 17 Dec 2000 | Verona v AC Milan | D | 1-1 | Serie A | 11 |
| 23 Dec 2000 | Fiorentina v Verona | L | 2-0 | Serie A | 12 |
| 14 Jan 2001 | Verona v Napoli | W | 2-1 | Serie A | 14 |
| 20 Jan 2001 | Bologna v Verona | L | 1-0 | Serie A | 15 |
| 28 Jan 2001 | Verona v Parma | L | 0-2 | Serie A | 16 |
| 03 Feb 2001 | Perugia v Verona | L | 1-0 | Serie A | 17 |
| 11 Feb 2001 | Verona v Bari | W | 3-2 | Serie A | 18 |
| 17 Feb 2001 | Udinese v Verona | L | 2-1 | Serie A | 19 |
| 25 Feb 2001 | Lazio v Verona | L | 5-3 | Serie A | 20 |
| 04 Mar 2001 | Hellas Verona v Atalanta | W | 2-1 | Serie A | 21 |
| 11 Mar 2001 | Inter Milano v Verona | L | 2-0 | Serie A | 22 |
| 18 Mar 2001 | Verona v Vicenza | W | 1-0 | Serie A | 23 |
| 01 Apr 2001 | AS Roma v Verona | L | 3-1 | Serie A | 24 |
| 08 Apr 2001 | Verona v Juventus | L | 0-1 | Serie A | 25 |
| 14 Apr 2001 | Brescia v Verona | L | 1-0 | Serie A | 26 |
| 29 Apr 2001 | AC Milan v Verona | L | 1-0 | Serie A | 28 |
| 06 May 2001 | Verona v Fiorentina | D | 0-0 | Serie A | 29 |
| 12 May 2001 | Verona v Lecce | D | 0-0 | Serie A | 30 |
| 20 May 2001 | Napoli v Verona | L | 2-0 | Serie A | 31 |
| 27 May 2001 | Verona v Bologna | W | 5-4 | Serie A | 32 |
| 10 Jun 2001 | Parma v Verona | W | 1-2 | Serie A | 33 |
| 17 Jun 2001 | Verona v Perugia | W | 2-1 | Serie A | 34 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Denmark | UEFA Under-21 | 2 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Denmark | Under-21 | 2 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Denmark | UEFA Under-21 | 3 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Denmark | Under-21 | 4 | ||||
| 1997-98 | Denmark | Under-21 Algarve Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1998-99 | Denmark | UEFA Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Denmark | International Friendly | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Denmark | FIFA World Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Denmark | International Friendly | 2 | ||||
| 2001-02 | Denmark | FIFA World Cup | 7 |
2
|
|||
| 2001-02 | Denmark | International Friendly | 5 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Denmark | International Friendly | 3 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Denmark | UEFA European Championship | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Denmark | International Friendly | 4 | ||||
| 2003-04 | Denmark | UEFA European Championship | 5 | 1 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Denmark | FIFA World Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Denmark | International Friendly | 1 | ||||
| 2006-07 | Denmark | UEFA European Championship | 1 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Denmark | International Friendly | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Denmark | UEFA European Championship | 5 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Denmark | FIFA World Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2008-09 | Denmark | International Friendly | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Feb 1997 | Israel v Denmark | W | 1-2 | U21 | |
| 28 Mar 1997 | Croatia v Denmark | L | 2-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 30 Apr 1997 | Denmark v Slovenia | W | 2-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 21 May 1997 | Norway v Denmark | W | 1-3 | U21 | |
| 05 Aug 1997 | Switzerland v Denmark | L | 3-2 | U21 | |
| 20 Aug 1997 | Bosnia-Herzegovina v Denmark | D | 1-1 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 09 Sep 1997 | Denmark v Croatia | W | 1-0 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 10 Oct 1997 | Greece v Denmark | W | 2-3 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 03 Feb 1998 | Denmark v Norway | D | 1-1 | U21 ALGARVE CUP | |
| 04 Feb 1998 | Portugal v Denmark | L | 1-0 | U21 ALGARVE CUP | |
| 24 Mar 1998 | Scotland v Denmark | W | 1-2 | U21 | |
| 21 Apr 1998 | Denmark v Norway | W | 3-0 | U21 | |
| 04 Jun 1998 | Denmark v Finland | L | 1-3 | U21 | |
| 08 Jun 1999 | Wales v Denmark | W | 1-2 | UEFA U21 | Group 1 |
| 29 Mar 2000 | Portugal v Denmark | L | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Apr 2000 | Denmark v Sweden | L | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 03 Jun 2000 | Denmark v Belgium | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 15 Nov 2000 | Denmark v Germany | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 24 Mar 2001 | Malta v Denmark | W | 0-5 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 28 Mar 2001 | Czech Republic v Denmark | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 25 Apr 2001 | Denmark v Slovenia | W | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 02 Jun 2001 | Denmark v Czech Republic | W | 2-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 15 Aug 2001 | France v Denmark | L | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Sep 2001 | Denmark v Northern Ireland | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 05 Sep 2001 | Bulgaria v Denmark | W | 0-2 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 06 Oct 2001 | Denmark v Iceland | W | 6-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 3 |
| 13 Feb 2002 | Saudi Arabia v Denmark | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 27 Mar 2002 | Republic of Ireland v Denmark | L | 3-0 | International Friendly | |
| 17 Apr 2002 | Denmark v Israel | W | 3-1 | International Friendly | |
| 26 May 2002 | Denmark v Tunisia | W | 2-1 | International Friendly | |
| 01 Jun 2002 | Uruguay v Denmark | W | 1-2 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group A |
| 06 Jun 2002 | Denmark v Senegal | D | 1-1 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group A |
| 11 Jun 2002 | Denmark v France | W | 2-0 | FIFA World Cup | Finals Group A |
| 15 Jun 2002 | Denmark v England | L | 0-3 | FIFA World Cup | Finals 2nd round |
| 21 Aug 2002 | Scotland v Denmark | W | 0-1 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Sep 2002 | Norway v Denmark | D | 2-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Egypt v Denmark | W | 1-4 | International Friendly | |
| 29 Mar 2003 | Romania v Denmark | W | 2-5 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 30 Apr 2003 | Denmark v Ukraine | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 07 Jun 2003 | Denmark v Norway | W | 1-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 11 Jun 2003 | Luxembourg v Denmark | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 10 Sep 2003 | Denmark v Romania | D | 2-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 11 Oct 2003 | Bosnia and Herzegovina v Denmark | D | 1-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group 2 |
| 31 Mar 2004 | Spain v Denmark | L | 2-0 | International Friendly | |
| 28 Apr 2004 | Denmark v Scotland | W | 1-0 | International Friendly | |
| 30 May 2004 | Estonia v Denmark | D | 2-2 | International Friendly | |
| 05 Jun 2004 | Denmark v Croatia | L | 1-2 | International Friendly | |
| 14 Jun 2004 | Denmark v Italy | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group C |
| 18 Jun 2004 | Bulgaria v Denmark | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group C |
| 22 Jun 2004 | Denmark v Sweden | D | 2-2 | UEFA European Championship | Finals Group C |
| 27 Jun 2004 | Czech Republic v Denmark | L | 3-0 | UEFA European Championship | Quarter-final |
| 18 Aug 2004 | Poland v Denmark | W | 1-5 | International Friendly | |
| 26 Mar 2005 | Denmark v Kazakhstan | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 2 |
| 06 Jun 2007 | Latvia v Denmark | W | 0-2 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 22 Aug 2007 | Denmark v Republic of Ireland | L | 0-4 | International Friendly | |
| 08 Sep 2007 | Sweden v Denmark | D | 0-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 12 Sep 2007 | Denmark v Liechtenstein | W | 4-0 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 13 Oct 2007 | Denmark v Spain | L | 1-3 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 17 Oct 2007 | Denmark v Latvia | W | 3-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 17 Nov 2007 | Northern Ireland v Denmark | L | 2-1 | UEFA European Championship | Group F |
| 26 Mar 2008 | Denmark v Czech Republic | D | 1-1 | International Friendly | |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Denmark v Spain | L | 0-3 | International Friendly | |
| 06 Sep 2008 | Hungary v Denmark | D | 0-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 1 |
| 10 Sep 2008 | Portugal v Denmark | W | 2-3 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 1 |
| 11 Oct 2008 | Denmark v Malta | W | 3-0 | FIFA World Cup | Europe group 1 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.