Great Danes: Denmark and Ligue 1
Legends
With Mika Biereth having impressed with a hat trick against AJ Auxerre last weekend, ahead of his AS Monaco taking on Paris Saint-Germain tomorrow, we look at the careers of five legendary Danish players, some of the dozens who have plied their trade in Ligue 1 McDonald's over the years.
Simon Kjaer LOSC Lille 2013-15
Having joined Les Dogues from Wolfsburg, the hulking Kjaer was a success in place of the departed Aurélien Chedjou, as his side had the league's second-best defence and finished third in the league table. His following season was somewhat less off a success, but he would go on to feature an incredible 132 times for his country, as well as winning the league with AC Milan in Serie A.
Martin Braithwaite Toulouse FC 2013-17, Girondins de Bordeaux 2018
Already a full Danish international before joining Les Violets from his first club, Esbjerg, Braithwaite was highly regarded in France for his work rate and aerial ability. Now plying his trade in Brazil with Gremio, he scored forty goals in total for Toulouse, including hitting double digits in each of his final two seasons. With more than 60 caps for Denmark, he then returned for a brief loan spell with Bordeaux in 2018, joining from Middlesbrough.
#OnThisDayInMay we wish Daniel Wass a Happy Birthday!
No one did free kicks like the Danish international 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/fHyKhwlCCD— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 31, 2020
Daniel Wass Evian TG 2011-15
While Juninho Pernambucano is likely Ligue 1 McDonald's finest free-kick taker of all-time, Wass' dead ball ability was also a force with which to be reckoned. His goals were vital in helping the eastern side survive for four consecutive seasons in the top flight, and after time in Spain, Wass is still playing in his native country at the age of 35.
Jakob Friis-Hansen LOSC Lille 1989-95, Girondins de Bordeaux 1995-96
Like Kjaer before him, Friis-Hansen plied his trade for Les Dogues as a centre back, but failed to make as much of an impression as did his younger compatriot, featuring just 19 times for his country. For Lille, though, he was a stalwart in defence, despite no small amount of managerial churn during his time in the north of France.
John Sivebæk - AS Saint-Étienne 1987-91, AS Monaco 1991-2
Already an experienced player when traded Old Trafford for the Chaudron in 1987, Sivebæk was a talented right back who would make nearly 90 appearances for his country, and is today best-known for scoring the first goal for the Red Devils under Alex Ferguson. While he wasn't a serial winner at club level, he would feature in four matches as the Danes wrote a Cinderella story by winning the 1992 European Championships. After later spells in Italy and Denmark, Sivebæk retired to become a player agent.
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