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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mariann Gajhede Knudsen | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-11-16)16 November 1984 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Skagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Skagen IK | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001 | B52/Aalborg | ||
| 2002–2010 | Fortuna Hjørring | ||
| 2011–2016 | Linköpings FC | 117 | (10) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2001–2003 | Denmark U-19 | 24 | (2) |
| 2003–2015 | Denmark | 107 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:16, 29 December 2016 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14:16, 29 December 2016 (UTC) | |||
Mariann Gajhede Knudsen (born 16 November 1984) is a retiredDanishfootballer who last played as acentral midfielder forLinköpings FC ofSweden'sDamallsvenskan. She won over 100caps for theDanish national team, before announcing her retirement from international football in November 2014 and making a brief comeback the following year. She was named Danish Player of the Year in 2008. In 2017, she joined theNorwegian national team as fitness coach and physiotherapist to the team.
Gajhede Knudsen represented Fortuna Hjørring in both legs of the2003 UEFA Women's Cup Final, a 1–7 aggregate defeat byUmeå IK of Sweden. After being named 2008 Danish Player of the Year, she was nearly forced into retirement in 2009, when a blood clot on her leg kept her out for approximately twelve months.[1]
In November 2010 Gajhede Knudsen brought eight years and 215 matches with Fortuna Hjørring to an end and signed for Linköpings. She wascup-tied for the remainder of LFC's2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League campaign.[2] She won the2016 Damallsvenskan league championship with Linköpings, then retired as the successful squad broke up at the end of the season.[3]
Gajhede Knudsen made her senior international debut in October 2003, in a 6–1 win overBelgium. She went on to play atUEFA Women's Euro 2005 inNorth West England[4] and the2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. Ananterior cruciate ligament injury kept Gajhede Knudsen out ofUEFA Women's Euro 2009.[5]
She was named in nationalcoachKenneth Heiner-Møller'sDenmark squad forUEFA Women's Euro 2013.[6] In Denmark's opening group match against hostsSweden Gajhede Knudsen gave her team the lead in an eventful 1–1 draw.[7]
In November 2014, exhaustion and niggling injuries caused Gajhede Knudsen to reluctantly withdraw from national team selection, allowing her to focus on club football.[1]
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