 Mæhle withGenk in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joakim Mæhle Pedersen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1997-05-20)20 May 1997 (age 28)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Østervrå, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | VfL Wolfsburg | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2009 | Østervrå IF | ||
| 2009–2016 | AaB | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | AaB | 24 | (1) |
| 2017–2021 | Genk | 105 | (4) |
| 2021–2023 | Atalanta | 80 | (4) |
| 2023– | VfL Wolfsburg | 62 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Denmark U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Denmark U21 | 7 | (2) |
| 2020– | Denmark | 55 | (11) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:30, 25 October 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 October 2025 | |||
Joakim Mæhle Pedersen (born 20 May 1997) is a Danish professionalfootballer who plays as afull-back forBundesliga clubVfL Wolfsburg and theDenmark national team.
Born inØstervrå,Vendsyssel, Mæhle started playing football with local club Østervrå IF and moved to theAaB youth academy as a 12-year-old.[3] At the age of 19, Mæhle was promoted into the first team squad on 10 June 2016 and also signed a full-time senior contract with AaB.[4] He made his debut for AaB on 7 August 2016.[5] He started on the bench, but replacedThomas Enevoldsen in the 89th minute in a 2–1 victory againstFC Nordsjælland in theDanish Superliga.
On 11 November 2016, Mæhle earned a new contract until 2020.[6] In April 2017, AaB confirmed that they were in negotiations with a foreign club about Mæhle.
On 9 May 2017, AaB confirmed that they had sold Mæhle to Belgian clubRacing Genk for an undisclosed fee, starting from 1 July 2017.[3] He was signed to succeed right-backTimothy Castagne, who had moved toAtalanta. Mæhle made his debut for Genk on 29 July 2017 in the first league match of the season againstWaasland-Beveren as a substitute forAmine Khammas. In his first season with the club, he was not a fixed starter, competing withClinton Mata for his position. In his second season, after Mata's departure toClub Brugge, he won a permanent starting position. That season, Mæhle grew into a key player in the Genk starting eleven. At the end of the season, Genk won theBelgian championship.
On 11 September 2019, Mæhle extended his contract until June 2023.[7]
Genk announced on 22 December 2020 that Mæhle had signed forAtalanta on a five-year contract for a fee of €10 million. His transfer was made official on 4 January 2021.[8] He made hisSerie A debut for Atalanta on 6 January in the club's 3–0 win overParma.[9] On 28 February, Mæhle provided an assist in Atalanta's 2–0 win overSampdoria.[10] Mæhle scored his first goal for Atalanta in a 6–2 Serie A victory overUdinese on 9 January 2022.[11]
In August of 2023, Mæhle joined VfL Wolfsburg for a fee of reportedly around €12 million.[12] On 6 September 2023 he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win against1. FC Union Berlin.[13]
Mæhle made hisDenmark national team debut on 5 September 2020 in aNations League game againstBelgium; he substitutedMartin Braithwaite in the 72nd minute of a 2–0 home loss.[14] He scored his first international goal in afriendly against theFaroe Islands on 7 October 2020.
In June 2021, he was included in the national team's bid for2020 UEFA Euro, where the team reached the semi-finals.[15]
On 12 October 2021, Maehle scored the only goal as Denmark defeatedAustria to secure a place at theWorld Cup in Qatar.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AaB | 2016–17 | Danish Superliga | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 25 | 1 | |
| Genk | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 27 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13[b] | 0 | 54 | 4 | |
| 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6[c] | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 1 | ||
| Total | 105 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 128 | 6 | ||
| Atalanta | 2020–21 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8[d] | 1 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 3 | ||
| Total | 80 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 96 | 6 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 2 | |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 62 | 4 | 7 | 0 | – | 69 | 5 | |||
| Career total | 271 | 13 | 18 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 318 | 18 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2020 | 6 | 1 |
| 2021 | 17 | 7 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 11 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2020 | MCH Arena,Herning, Denmark | 2 |  Faroe Islands | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 31 March 2021 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion,Vienna, Austria | 8 |  Austria | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 21 June 2021 | Parken Stadium,Copenhagen, Denmark | 13 |  Russia | 4–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 4 | 26 June 2021 | Johan Cruyff Arena,Amsterdam, Netherlands | 14 |  Wales | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 5 | 1 September 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 17 |  Scotland | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 9 October 2021 | Zimbru Stadium,Chișinău, Moldova | 20 |  Moldova | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 12 October 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 21 | Austria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 12 November 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 22 | Faroe Islands | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 29 March 2022 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 25 |  Serbia | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 7 September 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 38 |  San Marino | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 11 | 17 November 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 42 |  Slovenia | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
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