Mariann Gajhede Knudsen

Mariann Gajhede Knudsen (born 16 November 1984) is a retired Danish footballer who last played as a central midfielder for Linköpings FC of Sweden's Damallsvenskan. She won over 100 caps for the Danish national team, before announcing her retirement from international football in November 2014 and making a brief comeback the following year. She was named Danish Player of the Year in 2008. In 2017, she joined the Norwegian national team as fitness coach and physiotherapist to the team.

Mariann Gajhede
Personal information
Full name Mariann Gajhede Knudsen
Date of birth (1984-11-16) 16 November 1984
Place of birth Skagen, Denmark
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Skagen IK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001 B52/Aalborg
2002–2010 Fortuna Hjørring
2011–2016 Linköpings FC 117 (10)
National team‡
2001–2003 Denmark U-19 24 (2)
2003–2015 Denmark 107 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:16, 29 December 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14:16, 29 December 2016 (UTC)

Club career

Gajhede Knudsen represented Fortuna Hjørring in both legs of the 2003 UEFA Women's Cup Final, a 1–7 aggregate defeat by Umeå IK of Sweden. After being named 2008 Danish Player of the Year, she was nearly forced into retirement in 2009, when a blood clot on her leg kept her out for approximately twelve months.[1]

In November 2010 Gajhede Knudsen brought eight years and 215 matches with Fortuna Hjørring to an end and signed for Linköpings. She was cup-tied for the remainder of LFC's 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League campaign.[2] She won the 2016 Damallsvenskan league championship with Linköpings, then retired as the successful squad broke up at the end of the season.[3]

International career

Gajhede Knudsen made her senior international debut in October 2003, in a 6–1 win over Belgium. She went on to play at UEFA Women's Euro 2005 in North West England[4] and the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. An anterior cruciate ligament injury kept Gajhede Knudsen out of UEFA Women's Euro 2009.[5]

She was named in national coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller's Denmark squad for UEFA Women's Euro 2013.[6] In Denmark's opening group match against hosts Sweden Gajhede Knudsen gave her team the lead in an eventful 1–1 draw.[7]

In November 2014, exhaustion and niggling injuries caused Gajhede Knudsen to reluctantly withdraw from national team selection, allowing her to focus on club football.[1]

References
  1. "En fighter siger stop" (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  2. "Dansk landslagsspelare till LFC" (in Swedish). Linköpings FC. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  3. Hardenberger, Martin; Nilsson, Nicolinn. "SM-guld – men nu kan stjärnorna lämna LFC" (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  4. Ove Hansen, Jörn (9 June 2005). "Wir haben das Niveau, um ganz nach oben zu kommen" (in German). FanSoccer.de. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  5. Saffer, Paul (20 July 2009). "Pape up for more after Denmark win". uefa.com. UEFA. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  6. Bruun, Peter (21 June 2013). "Upbeat Heiner-Møller confirms Denmark squad". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  7. Dutt, Sujay (11 July 2013). "Petersen's 'crazy' day for Denmark". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 13 July 2013.


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