Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup
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During his active career, Laudrup represented a number of European clubs. He started his active career with Danish club Brøndby, winning two Danish championships in the late 1980s. He then played for German and Italian clubs, winning the 1994 Serie A title with AC Milan. He was a vital part of the Rangers team which dominated the Scottish Premier League in the 1990s, winning three championships among others. He won the 1998 UEFA Super Cup with English club Chelsea, had a brief stint with FC Copenhagen in Denmark, before ending his career with Dutch club Ajax in 2000. He played 82 games and scored 21 goals for the Danish national team, and was a vital part of the Danish teams who won the Euro 1992 and 1995 Intercontinental Cup tournaments.
He won the Danish Footballer of the Year award a record four times. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers at the FIFA 100 ceremony in March 2004, alongside his older brother Michael Laudrup.
Brian Laudrup was born into a football family, as his father Finn Laudrup was a former Danish international, and his brother Michael Laudrup would also become a Danish international. He was born in Vienna, where Finn was playing for Wiener Sport-Club.
Brian started his senior career with Brøndby IF in Denmark. At Brøndby he competed with later Danish internationals Claus Nielsen and Bent Christensen for a place in the starting line-up, and formed a great partnership with Claus Nielsen. He won the 1987 and 1988 Danish 1st Division championships with the club. Halfway through the 1989 season, Laudrup's contract with Brøndby expired, and he agreed to join German club Bayer Uerdingen. The transfer fee was thought to be around DKK 8 million, the partition of which Brøndby and Brian's father and agent Finn Laudrup disagreed about. The Danish Football Association ruled in favor of Brøndby's claims of around DKK 3.9 million, but the Laudrups paid around DKK 3.3 million, and insisted on not paying the remainder. The case was eventually settled in March 1990.
Brian joined Uerdingen, in order to play in a club with relative little pressure, and also looked to lean on fellow Dane Jan Bartram who was already at the club. He scored six goals in 34 games during the 1989–90 Fußball-Bundesliga season, and impressed so much for both club and country, that he was named Danish Player of the Year in 1989. As he felt the Uerdingen executives would not strengthen the Uerdingen team, Laudrup wanted to leave the club in the summer 1990.
He signed a two-year contract with Bayern Munich who bought him for a DM6 million transfer fee in May 1990, making him the most expensive Bundesliga player at the time. In his first season with Bayern, Laudrup scored nine goals in 33 games, as the club finished in second place. He was named by Kicker magazine the 1990 striker of the year, and was included in Kicker's team of the 1990–91 Fußball-Bundesliga. After playing the first five games of the following season, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in August 1991. In December 1991, Laudrup said new Bayern executives Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were creating chaos in the team, through their public criticism of the younger Bayern players. He returned to the team in February 1992, and played the last 15 games of the season, as Bayern finished 10th. He left the club when his contract expired in the summer 1992.
His reputation began to grow and Laudrup fulfilled his lifelong ambition when he moved to Serie A team Fiorentina. However, his time in Italy was both unhappy and unsuccessful and after Fiorentina were relegated he felt the fury of the tifosi so he was smuggled out from the stadium in the trunk of a car.
He was loaned to Milan for the 1993–94 season, which only saw him play a handful of matches throughout the season. Despite being on contract with Fiorentina until the summer 1996, Laudrup stated in December 1993 that he did not want to return to the club.
In July 1994, Laudrup was offered an escape route from Italy when he was approached by Walter Smith of Rangers, and he signed in a £2.3 million deal. His time in Scotland was filled with success as he helped Rangers complete their nine-in-a-row sweep of the Scottish Premier League and was awarded Danish Player of the Year twice, giving him a record four wins of the award. Laudrup's time with Rangers was a massive success where many fans still consider him to be the greatest ever foreign player to have played in the SPL.
He joined Chelsea in 1998, and ravaged by injury, he did not play many games. Laudrup's only Chelsea goal came against Copenhagen in the Cup Winners' Cup, in his final game for the London club.
He won the Danish Footballer of the Year award a record four times. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers at the FIFA 100 ceremony in March 2004, alongside his older brother Michael Laudrup.
Brian Laudrup was born into a football family, as his father Finn Laudrup was a former Danish international, and his brother Michael Laudrup would also become a Danish international. He was born in Vienna, where Finn was playing for Wiener Sport-Club.
Brian started his senior career with Brøndby IF in Denmark. At Brøndby he competed with later Danish internationals Claus Nielsen and Bent Christensen for a place in the starting line-up, and formed a great partnership with Claus Nielsen. He won the 1987 and 1988 Danish 1st Division championships with the club. Halfway through the 1989 season, Laudrup's contract with Brøndby expired, and he agreed to join German club Bayer Uerdingen. The transfer fee was thought to be around DKK 8 million, the partition of which Brøndby and Brian's father and agent Finn Laudrup disagreed about. The Danish Football Association ruled in favor of Brøndby's claims of around DKK 3.9 million, but the Laudrups paid around DKK 3.3 million, and insisted on not paying the remainder. The case was eventually settled in March 1990.
Brian joined Uerdingen, in order to play in a club with relative little pressure, and also looked to lean on fellow Dane Jan Bartram who was already at the club. He scored six goals in 34 games during the 1989–90 Fußball-Bundesliga season, and impressed so much for both club and country, that he was named Danish Player of the Year in 1989. As he felt the Uerdingen executives would not strengthen the Uerdingen team, Laudrup wanted to leave the club in the summer 1990.
He signed a two-year contract with Bayern Munich who bought him for a DM6 million transfer fee in May 1990, making him the most expensive Bundesliga player at the time. In his first season with Bayern, Laudrup scored nine goals in 33 games, as the club finished in second place. He was named by Kicker magazine the 1990 striker of the year, and was included in Kicker's team of the 1990–91 Fußball-Bundesliga. After playing the first five games of the following season, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in August 1991. In December 1991, Laudrup said new Bayern executives Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were creating chaos in the team, through their public criticism of the younger Bayern players. He returned to the team in February 1992, and played the last 15 games of the season, as Bayern finished 10th. He left the club when his contract expired in the summer 1992.
His reputation began to grow and Laudrup fulfilled his lifelong ambition when he moved to Serie A team Fiorentina. However, his time in Italy was both unhappy and unsuccessful and after Fiorentina were relegated he felt the fury of the tifosi so he was smuggled out from the stadium in the trunk of a car.
He was loaned to Milan for the 1993–94 season, which only saw him play a handful of matches throughout the season. Despite being on contract with Fiorentina until the summer 1996, Laudrup stated in December 1993 that he did not want to return to the club.
In July 1994, Laudrup was offered an escape route from Italy when he was approached by Walter Smith of Rangers, and he signed in a £2.3 million deal. His time in Scotland was filled with success as he helped Rangers complete their nine-in-a-row sweep of the Scottish Premier League and was awarded Danish Player of the Year twice, giving him a record four wins of the award. Laudrup's time with Rangers was a massive success where many fans still consider him to be the greatest ever foreign player to have played in the SPL.
He joined Chelsea in 1998, and ravaged by injury, he did not play many games. Laudrup's only Chelsea goal came against Copenhagen in the Cup Winners' Cup, in his final game for the London club.
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