England take on Denmark in the European Championship this evening and there will be a whole host of familiar faces lining up for the opposition.
Incredibly, 16 members of Kasper Hjulmand’s squad for Euro 2024 are currently, or were formerly, on the books of English clubs, with the Scandinavian nation having produced no shortage of Premier League talent.
Ahead of the clash between the teams tonight, we’ve celebrated five of the best Danish players in Premier League history.
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel is a giant figure in both person and Danish football, having cemented a reputation as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. ‘The Great Dane’ signed for Manchester United from Brondby in 1991 and became a trailblazer for imports during the early seasons of an increasingly cosmopolitan Premier League.
Schmeichel was a formidable last line of defence as Manchester United dominated the first decade of the Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning five league titles, two domestic doubles, and a historic treble in 1998/99.
I’m very honoured to be inducted into the @premierleague Hall of Fame alongside so many incredible players. Thank you to everyone who voted for me ???? pic.twitter.com/jxljR88J05
— Peter Schmeichel (@Pschmeichel1) April 21, 2022
The Scandinavian shot-stopper was named Premier League Player of the Season in 1995/96 and is the only goalkeeper to have won the award to date. After leaving Old Trafford for Sporting Lisbon, he later returned to English football with Aston Villa and Manchester City, becoming the first goalkeeper to score a Premier League goal during his time at Villa Park.
At international level, Schmeichel won 129 caps for Denmark and formed part of the team that upset the odds to win the European Championship in 1992.
Remembering Peter Schmeichel’s greatest ever performance in a Manchester United shirt
Thomas Gravesen
Thomas Gravesen was an unmissable presence in the Everton midfield after arriving from Hamburg, having impressed for Denmark at Euro 2000.
The combative central midfielder soon became a fans’ favourite at Goodison Park, where he formed part of a tough-tackling, hair-lacking, partnership with Lee Carsley in the engine room.
Tommy Gravesen DIY. ????#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/eUTn6GFnQ8
— Everton (@Everton) September 14, 2021
Nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’, he spent four-and-a-half seasons with the Blues and made 155 appearances, scoring 11 times, before departing to sign for Real Madrid in a £2.5m cut-price deal. At the Bernabeu, he memorably had a training ground scuffle with Robinho after an overzealous challenge on his Brazilian teammate.
Daniel Agger
Liverpool broke their transfer record for a defender to sign Daniel Agger from Brondby for a fee of £6m in January 2006.
The Danish defender had caught the eye in his homeland and soon settled in the Premier League, impressing with his defensive anticipation and cultured left foot.
In his opening months Agger won the FA Cup and Community Shield with Rafael Benitez’s side before his first full campaign saw Liverpool reach the Champions League final.
#OnThisDay in 2006, Daniel Agger joined the Reds ????????????
A great excuse to rewatch his screamer vs West Ham ???????? pic.twitter.com/QLHu3oXHC1
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 12, 2024
Agger scored a crucial goal in the semi-final win over Chelsea and the centre-back forged a reputation for sweetly struck efforts on Merseyside. Though his time in the Premier League was injury-hit, restricting him to 232 appearances across eight-and-a-half seasons, he was a much-appreciated figure at Anfield.
Christian Eriksen
Tottenham’s reinvestment of a record-breaking windfall from Gareth Bale’s sale was questionably spent, though the £11m deal for Christian Eriksen proved to be brilliant business. The 21-year-old arrived after impressing at Ajax and quickly became a favourite in North London, where his creativity and technical talent shone.
In six-and-a-half seasons with Spurs, he recorded 62 league assists, with Eriksen the orchestrator of attacks behind Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-min during the best seasons of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign.
He signed for Inter Milan in January 2020 in search of a new challenge and won the Serie A title with the club before a cardiac arrest suffered while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 saw Eriksen receive life-saving treatment and his career halt.
Incredibly, he returned to football at Brentford months later before earning a move to Manchester United.
Thank you for the memories, @ChrisEriksen8. ????
All the best at Inter. #THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/QbUHSredjL
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 28, 2020
He has made 287 appearances in the Premier League in total, scoring 54 times and providing 76 assists. Just four foreign players – Kevin De Bruyne, Cesc Fabregas, Dennis Bergkamp and David Silva – have provided more Premier League assists.
A record five-time winner of the Danish Footballer of the Year award, Eriksen is Denmark’s second-highest capped player (131) and joint-fourth-highest goalscorer (42).
Kasper Schmeichel
Kasper Schmeichel has followed in the footsteps of his father to become a Premier League and Denmark icon.
Schmeichel’s career did not always appear destined to reach the heights of his father, but a transfer to Leicester City from Leeds kickstarted a rise to the top. The goalkeeper was with the Foxes on every step of a remarkable rise that saw Leicester win promotion, miraculously escape relegation, and astonishingly win the Premier League title against all odds in 2015/16.
This Schmeichel save, by the way… pic.twitter.com/bdbTQdQNeK
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 9, 2020
The three-time Danish Footballer of the Year also won the FA Cup and Community Shield, during a career at Leicester that saw Schmeichel represent the club on 479 occasions – only Graham Cross and Adam Black have done so more.
Schmeichel has also won 102 caps and counting for Denmark at international level.
Read – Denmark vs England – Euro 2024 Match Preview
See more – Five problems Southgate needs to solve ahead of England vs Denmark
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