Danish professional football player, Martin Laursen was born on July 26, 1977 in Farvoug. His proven skills, sheer determination to recover from knee injury and impeccable timing to head goals has earned him the nickname “Lionheart Laursen” from his fans.
As a senior player for Denmark national team, his debut match was played against Portugal in March 2000. Though he represented Denmark in the UEFA Euro 2000, it was only in the 2002 FIFA World Cup that he actually got the chance to play in all the four games his country participated. At the UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match, his goal helped Denmark to draw the match against Romania, on September 10, 2003. By scoring that equalizing goal for Denmark, Martin Laursen became an indispensable member of the Denmark squad as it reached the eight teams of the final. His contribution helped Denmark win (4-0) against Liechtenstein in the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match at Aarhus, Denmark, on September 12, 2007.
In the 1997-1998 Superliga season, Martin Laursen who just started his senior club career became the key player in fetching the second position for his team, Silkeborg IF. In August 1998, having played for three seasons at Silkeborg, he moved to Hellas-Verona, Italy. Though he sustained a knee injury, which disrupted his participation in the first season at Verona, Martin Laursen recovered and came back to qualify himself in the starting line-up of the second season in Italy. As the regular defenders of AC Milan suffered injury, Martin Laursen was loaned to AC Milan, after spending just three weeks in training for Parma. His two goals for the team in the first four league matches of the game did not help him a permanent position with the AC Milans.
Martin Laursen signed a four-year contract with English Premiership side Aston Villa FC, on May 21, 2004. In the same year, on August 14, he played the debut match for Aston Villa, which won (2-0) against Southampton FC. His performances were frequently disturbed by his recurring knee injury, forcing him to a full rehabilitation in Bologna for most of the 2005-2006 season.
On returning from his knee-injury setbacks, Martin Laursen scored 6 goals, for Aston Villa in the 2007-2008 season. Playing at the centre-back position, this powerful player has improved with every match and is the captain for the Aston Villa FC (2007-2008). Having been the catalyst in bringing the best performances from his team, Martin Laursen took Aston Villa to a winning spree in 27 games of the season. Despite of his goal against Liverpool FC, Aston Villa lost the match (2-1) on the opening day of the 2007-2008 season.
For his outstanding performances and brilliant captainship, Martin Laursen has been voted the ‘Supporters Player of the Year’ (2008).
