 Agger withDenmark atUEFA Euro 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Munthe Agger[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-12-12)12 December 1984 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Hvidovre, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Denmark (assistant) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | Rosenhøj BK | ||
| 1996–2004 | Brøndby | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2006 | Brøndby | 34 | (5) |
| 2006–2014 | Liverpool | 175 | (9) |
| 2014–2016 | Brøndby | 43 | (2) |
| Total | 252 | (16) | |
| International career | |||
| 2005–2016 | Denmark | 75 | (12) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2021–2023 | HB Køge | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Daniel Munthe Agger (Danish:[ˈtɛˀniəlˈɑkɐ]; born 12 December 1984) is a Danish professionalfootball coach and former player who is the assistant manager of theDanish national football team. As a player, he played as acentre-back forBrøndby andLiverpool and captained theDenmark national team. Agger was described as "a fine reader of the game, comfortable on the ball and blessed with a ferocious shot".[4] He was the 2007 and 2012Danish Football Player of the Year.
He started his senior career with Brøndby in July 2004, winning theDanish Superliga and theDanish Cup, before moving to Liverpool in January 2006. He made 175Premier League appearances for the club (232 total) and won theLeague Cup andCommunity Shield. Agger returned to Brøndby for personal reasons in August 2014, and retired two years later at the age of 31.
A full international since 2005, Agger earned 75 caps and scored 11 goals for Denmark. He represented the nation at the2010 FIFA World Cup andUEFA Euro 2012, captaining his country at the latter.
In July 2004, he was moved from the youth squad to the first team, following the departure ofSwedish international defenderAndreas Jakobsson. Agger quickly established himself not only as a first team regular, but as one of the key components in the team that won the2004–05 Danish Superliga championship. After the first half of the season Agger was named 2004 "talent of the year" by Spillerforeningen (the Danish equivalent of theEnglish PFA).[5]
An injury sustained in the2005–06 Danish Superliga season in September forced him out for the remainder of 2005.[citation needed] On 6 December 2005 and at only 20 years of age, Agger was awarded the Danish "talent of the year" for all sports.[5]
Agger was long linked to a transfer to a big club, and in the January 2006transfer window, he got his wish and was looking to joinPremier League teamLiverpool, then holders of theUEFA Champions League.[6] Agger did not travel with his Brøndby teammates for their winter training camp in January and on 12 January 2006, he signed a4+1⁄2-year contract with Liverpool. The£6 million fee made him the most expensive footballer sold by a Danish club to a foreign club.[7] During his first half-season at Liverpool, injuries limited Agger to four first-team appearances, and he missed the club's victory in the2006 FA Cup Final.
Agger played the full game as Liverpool won the2006 FA Community Shield againstChelsea.[8] Still adapting to the English game, he established himself in Liverpool's first team squad, competing with Liverpool vice-captainJamie Carragher and formerFinnish team captainSami Hyypiä for the two starting places in the central defence. Agger scored his first goal for Liverpool on 26 August 2006 in a 2–1 win againstWest Ham United. Agger was allowed to run unchallenged toward theKop-end goal and scored from 35 yards (32 m) out. Liverpool managerRafael Benítez commented he was not surprised and that Agger has frequently scored such goals in training.[9] The goal was namedGoal of the Month for August by theBBC'sMatch of the Day,[10] and later Liverpool's Premiership Goal of the Season.[11] On 4 October 2006, he was given thePFA's fan award for impressive and solid displays in September.[3]
Agger scored his second goal for the club in aFootball League Cup away game againstBirmingham City with a volley from close range during the seven minutes of first-half stoppage time.[12] His third was against Arsenal, scoring a header in a 4–1 victory played on 31 March 2007.[13] In the first semi-final of the2006–07 Champions League, Agger received some criticism as Liverpool lost toChelsea 1–0, after Chelsea strikerDidier Drogba managed to dribble past him before making the assist to win the game.[14] In the second leg of the semi-finals, Agger answered his critics by scoring another curler from a smartly-takenSteven Gerrard free-kick from just outside the penalty area, and helping Liverpool keep aclean sheet as the team beat Chelsea 1–0 on 1 May 2007.[14] He went on to play in the2007 UEFA Champions League Final which Liverpool lost 2–1 toMilan.[15]
Agger started the 2007 pre-season scoring two goals in four games, including a left footed-finish against Hong Kong outfitSouth China. However, he suffered ametatarsal injury in September, again losing his place to Hyypiä.[16] In January 2008, Agger began training and was attempting to regain match fitness, but a recurrence of the injury in his second metatarsal again ruled him out of action.[17] After being examined by several specialists, it was reported that Agger would miss the remainder of the season to undergo surgery on his foot.[18]
Agger returned to full training in the pre-season at Melwood and on 12 July 2008, Agger made his playing return as a substitute in Liverpool's friendly win over neighboursTranmere Rovers.[19] Agger stated after the match: "I am almost starting my career at Liverpool all over again".[20] Agger was in the starting line up in Liverpool's first game of the season against Standard Liège in the Champions League qualifiers. The game ended 0–0. Agger then found himself sidelined the rest of August and much of September, and was not even included in the squad to face Manchester United. This was followed by rumours of a verbal exchange between Agger and Liverpool manager Benítez. However, Benítez insisted that there was no rift between Agger and himself.[21]
After a month without playing, Agger returned to the starting line up againstCrewe Alexandra in the League Cup. Agger played the full 90 minutes and marked his return by scoring the first goal from a free kick outside the box. Liverpool won the game 2–1.[22]
Profiting in part from Škrtel's injury, Agger returned to the starting line up against Wigan for his first Premier League match of the season. Agger was, however, at least partly to blame for Wigan taking the lead when he lost the ball to Zaki after a pass from goalkeeper Reina.[23] Agger redeemed himself by setting up Dirk Kuyt for the equaliser.[23] Liverpool eventually won the match 3–2.[23] On 11 April 2009, Agger scored the third goal for Liverpool from 30 yards against Blackburn Rovers. Liverpool went on to win 3–0. Agger celebrated, like the others who had scored in the match, by pointing to the sky in memory of victims in theHillsborough disaster.[24]
In May 2009, Agger signed a new five-year deal with Liverpool.[25]
Agger underwent surgery for a recurring back injury in August 2009 and made his return on 25 October 2009 for the 2–0 win over rivalsManchester United atAnfield.[26]
On 28 February 2010, Agger played his 100th competitive game for Liverpool, playing in the 2–1 home win againstBlackburn Rovers.[27] Agger played another 14 times in 2009–10, including scoring his seventh goal for the club, an outstanding backheel, againstBenfica in theUEFA Europa League,[28] and also helped Liverpool reach the semi-finals of the same competition.
Agger appeared againstArsenal on 15 August 2010, but got concussed in the second half of the game.[29] As a result of the concussion, he missed the next few games. He also had other injury problems which kept him out until December.[30]Martin Škrtel was preferred rather than Agger underRoy Hodgson and he threatened to quit the club withJuventus reportedly interested in him.[31] After the departure of Hodgson, he featured in most of the games underKenny Dalglish.[32] However, Agger was ruled out for the remainder of the season, following a knee injury sustained in the match againstWest Bromwich Albion on 2 March 2011.[33] At the end of the season, he had only managed 21 appearances for theReds in all competitions.
On 1 August 2011, he scored two goals in a pre-season friendly againstVålerenga Fotball, the first a powerful header from a corner, the second a half-volley, also from a corner.Agger returned from injury againstRangers in a friendly match in which Liverpool lost 1–0. On 29 October 2011, Daniel Agger played his 100th Premier League game forLiverpool in a 0–2 win againstWest Bromwich Albion.[34]
On 28 January 2012, Agger opened the scoring against Manchester United in the fourth round FA Cup tie, defeating them 2–1. It was his first Liverpool goal since 2010, when he scored in the Europa League tie againstBenfica. On 26 February 2012, he helped Liverpool to win their first trophy since 2006 as they won the2012 Football League Cup Final but injured his ribs during the match.[35] On 7 April 2012, Agger made his return from injury as a second-half substitute againstAston Villa atAnfield, replacingJosé Enrique and hitting the crossbar with a header late on which led to the equalizer in a 1–1 draw. On 8 May 2012, Agger scored his first Premier League goal of the season in a 4–1 win againstChelsea which was also the last home game of the season for Liverpool.[36]
Agger made his first start of the league campaign in a 3–0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion on 18 August, in which he conceded a penalty and was sent off for a foul onShane Long. Although the penalty was saved, Liverpool were unable to hold on and slipped to a disappointing defeat.[37]On 5 October, Agger signed a new long term contract with Liverpool.[38][39] On 12 November 2012, Agger was named Danish Player of the Year for the second time.[40] On 1 December 2012, Agger scored againstSouthampton at Anfield, with a 43rd-minute header giving Liverpool a 1–0 win.[41] On 30 December, Agger scored a beautiful header against QPR, assisted by a cross from captain Steven Gerrard.[42] Agger made it 3–0 which also was the final score. Agger reached his 200th appearance for Liverpool on 21 February 2013 in a home Europe League tie againstZenit St. Petersburg.[43] With Liverpool trailing 2–0 from the first leg, theReds recorded a 3–1 win at Anfield, but were eliminated on away goals.
On 9 August 2013, it was confirmed that Agger was to become Liverpool's vice-captain,[44] replacing the retiredJamie Carragher. This came shortly after reports had surfaced thatBarcelona had made a bid to sign the Dane.[45] Agger assisted Daniel Sturridge's goal with a flick-on header in the 1–0 victory against Manchester United.[46] Agger did however, see his game time cut short due toMamadou Sakho being preferred in the same role.[47] On 1 January 2014, Agger scored his first goal of the season, meeting a Philippe Coutinho corner with his head in a 2–0 win over Hull. During much of 2014, Agger was left out of the team, with Sakho partnering Skrtel in defence. Agger was restored to the starting line up on 11 May 2014 in Liverpool's end-of-season match at home to Newcastle. With Liverpool trailing 1–0, Agger scored the equaliser by meeting a Steven Gerrard free kick at the back post.
On 30 August 2014, Liverpool confirmed that Agger had rejoined his previous club Brøndby IF on a two-year deal, which involved a considerable pay cut, for a fee of £3 million.[48] Despite offers in England and other European countries, he wanted to play in a country with a less physically demanding league.[49] He told Denmark'sTV3 that Liverpool managerBrendan Rodgers was unappreciative of his efforts.[49]
On 9 June 2016, at the age of 31, Agger announced his retirement at Brøndby at the expiration of his contract.[49]
Agger made his debut for Denmark on 2 June 2005, playing the full 90 minutes of a 1–0 friendly win overFinland inTampere. Agger spent the next national team match on the bench before playing the full 4–1 friendly win on 17 August againstEngland, alongside Per Nielsen. On 7 September, he scored his first international goal in a 6–1 home win overGeorgia in the nation's unsuccessful campaign to qualify for the2006 FIFA World Cup. In May 2006, he played 10 games and scored 3 goals for theDanish under-21 national team, for which he was selected to play in the2006 European Under-21 Championship tournament.
Agger scored on 2 June 2007 in a 3–3 home draw against rivals Sweden forUEFA Euro 2008 qualification; the game was abandoned in the last minute for crowd misbehaviour and awarded to the Swedes.[50]
He made eight appearances in qualification for the2010 FIFA World Cup, scoring once in a 3–0 home win overMalta. In the finals in South Africa, Agger scored anown goal to open a 2–0 loss to theNetherlands in the first game;Simon Poulsen had headed the ball into him while trying to clearRobin van Persie's cross.[51] He played the other two fixtures in a group stage exit.
Agger first captained Denmark on 11 August 2010 in a 2–2 home friendly draw with neighboursGermany. He was given the armband a year later as Poulsen suffered from stress.[52] Under Agger's captaincy, the Danes qualified forUEFA Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, and he was again a fixture in a group stage elimination.
On 15 October 2013, Agger scored two penalties in a 6–0 home win against the Maltese in2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, securing second place in their group.[53] The following 28 May, from the penalty spot in added time, he scored the only goal of a win over Sweden in a match celebrating the 125th anniversary of theDanish Football Association.[54] Denmark did not qualify forEuro 2016, and so Agger revealed his intention to end his active playing career in 2016, which would also see his international retirement.
Agger selectedVolbeat'sThe Garden's Tale as his choice for the "LFC Athens 2007 Playlist" in the buildup of Liverpool's2007 UEFA Champions League Final appearance.[55]
In May 2010, Agger married girlfriend Sofie Nielsen in Denmark. The couple wore matching white outfits for the wedding, which was followed by a reception at the Nimb Hotel in Copenhagen.[56] They have two sons.
In September 2014, Agger donated 20,000 kroner, about £2100, to the Denmark homeless national football side to help pay for travel expenses so the team could make it to theHomeless World Cup in Chile.[57]
Agger founded The Agger Foundation in 2012 aiming to help children in need.[58]
Outside of football, Agger is a qualifiedtattoo artist.[59] He has numerous tattoos including aViking on his upper right arm, a large drawing of Vikings and a graveyard that spans his whole back,[60] which includes his birth date and the Latin motto "Mors certa, hora incerta" ("death is certain, its hour is uncertain"),[61][62] forming amemento mori. He also features an intricate band around his left elbow which includes the phrase "Succes er at leve som man selv vil" ("Success is to live as you wish" in Danish). In August 2012, during a period of intense speculation regarding his future at the club, Agger had the letters "YNWA" tattooed on the fingers of his right hand, referencing the anthem of Liverpool F.C., "You'll Never Walk Alone".[63]
In addition to leaving football, Agger also left Denmark with his wife. They moved toMarbella in Spain. Agger runs a sewerage company named KloAgger together with his brother, uncle and childhood friend. He also invested in Tattoodo together with friends,Christian Stadil, the owner ofHummel International and a famous tattooist,Ami James.[64]
Agger played a charity match forLiverpool on 25 March 2017 againstReal Madrid.[65]
In April 2017, Agger revealed one of his new golf projects. The project raises money to donate to the Danish charity fund "Red Barnet".[66] Agger started a fund named The Agger Foundation, and held events called "Agger for Charity". Agger invited several big names as former Liverpool stars,Pepe Reina andSteven Gerrard, to his charity events inCopenhagen. Agger worked in cooperation with former Danish prime minister,Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Agger has always had a passion for golf and has donated a lot of money to charity through the years.
In March 2021 it was announced that Agger would become manager ofDanish 1st Division sideHB Køge in June 2021 with former Danish national team playerLars Jacobsen as his assistant.[67] In August 2021, Agger was registered as a player again, boding a comeback to playing football.[68] After two seasons in charge of the club, Agger left by mutual consent in June 2023.[69]
On 8 August 2024, Agger became assistant manager of theDenmark national football team.[70]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby | 2004–05[71] | Danish Superliga | 26 | 5 | 1[c] | 0 | 27 | 5 | ||||||
| 2005–06[71] | Danish Superliga | 8 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| Total | 34 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||||||||
| Liverpool | 2005–06[72] | Premier League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07[73] | Premier League | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 12[e] | 1 | 1[f] | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| 2007–08[74] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09[75] | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5[e] | 0 | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10[76] | Premier League | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12[g] | 1 | — | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11[77] | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[h] | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[78] | Premier League | 27 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13[79] | Premier League | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[h] | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14[80] | Premier League | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | |||
| Total | 175 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 232 | 14 | ||
| Brøndby | 2014–15[81] | Danish Superliga | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Danish Superliga | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[h] | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 252 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 305 | 21 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2005 | 4 | 1 |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 75 | 12 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 September 2005 | Parken Stadium,Copenhagen, Denmark | 4 |  Georgia | 3–1 | 6–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | [83] |
| 2 | 11 October 2008 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 22 |  Malta | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | [84] |
| 3 | 9 February 2011 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 39 |  England | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | [85] |
| 4 | 15 November 2011 | Blue Water Arena,Esbjerg, Denmark | 44 |  Finland | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | [86] |
| 5 | 2 June 2012 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 46 |  Australia | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | [87] |
| 6 | 26 March 2013 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 56 |  Bulgaria | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [88] |
| 7 | 10 September 2013 | Hrazdan Stadium,Yerevan, Armenia | 58 |  Armenia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [89] |
| 8 | 15 October 2013 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 60 | Malta | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | [90] |
| 9 | 4–0 | |||||||
| 10 | 28 May 2014 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 64 |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [91] |
| 11 | 3 September 2014 | TRE-FOR Park,Odense, Denmark | 65 |  Turkey | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | [92] |
Brøndby
Liverpool
Individual
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