As UEFA Euro 2024 draws closer, we’re focusing on a player from each of the 24 participating countries (except for France). In this latest article of the series, we’ll concentrate on former Evian Thonon Gaillard star Daniel Wass.
Wass spent five years with Thonon Evian, where he made 147 appearances across all competitions after arriving from SL Benfica in 2011, initially on a loan deal. During his tenure with the French club, the Danish player achieved the highest number of goals (27) for any team he has played for in his career.
Of the 27 goals that Wass scored while playing for Les Croix de Savoie, nine of them came via a direct free kick. In 2014, during an interview with The Ligue 1 Show, the now 34-year-old explained what went into his craft regarding his ability to score off of the set piece.
“I see a lot of YouTube videos with [David] Beckham, Ronaldo, [and] Juninho. I see how many steps to take to the ball and the angle to the ball. And my own technique is dependent on the ball [whether it’s] Adidas, Puma, Nike—all those kinds of things.”
One reason Wass found success at Thonon Evian was having a fellow Dane on the team to help him lay the groundwork for a prosperous tenure. Christian Poulsen played for Les Roses during the 2011-12 season, and in an interview with Forbes in 2020, Wass noted that the veteran took him under his wing and offered advice.
“I almost lived at his house, even with my wife and my kid; every day we would go to eat at his place. Christian was older and had tried a lot in his career. I asked him for advice. He gave me so much knowledge of his life; his wife gave so much knowledge to my wife.”
“I think that year helped me so much to become what I am today because he gave me so much knowledge and he helped me so much. I didn’t feel alone at any point because I knew I had Christian.”
Wass’ success in France led to him receiving call-ups to the Danish national team. From 2011 to 2022, he made 44 appearances for De Rød-Hvide, scoring one goal. His performances in Ligue 1 also allowed the player to move on to La Liga, playing for clubs like Valencia and Celta de Vigo.
It was with Valencia that Wass won the first trophy of his career as Los Ches defeated FC Barcelona 2-1 in 2019 to win the Copa del Rey. Wass made 152 appearances for Valencia, scoring nine goals and registering 15 assists.
Once his time with Valencia came to an end in 2022, he signed with Atlético Madrid but a season-ending knee injury ended his stint. After his short tenure with Los Colchoneros, Wass returned to his boyhood club, Brøndby, where he’s been since 2022.
