 Falkesgaard playing forPhilippines at the2019 AFC Asian Cup | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Aksel Bataican Falkesgaard | ||
| Date of birth | (1991-04-09)9 April 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Kastrup, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Port | ||
| Number | 93 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Kastrup | |||
| –2010 | Brøndby | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2015 | Brøndby | 8 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | OB | 11 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Midtjylland | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2023 | Bangkok United | 139 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | B.93 | 42 | (0) |
| 2025– | Port | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2009 | Denmark U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2009 | Denmark U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Denmark U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Philippines | 12 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 December 2024 | |||
Michael Aksel Bataican Falkesgaard (born 9 April 1991) is a professionalfootballer who plays as agoalkeeper forThai League 1 clubPort. Born in Denmark, he represented thePhilippines national team.
Falkesgaard was born inDenmark to a Danish father and a Filipino mother.[1][2] He was influenced by his father and elder brother to take up football. When he was five years old, he asked his father to take him to the youth academy of the local clubKastrup BK. He stated that his football role model was fellow Danish goalkeeperPeter Schmeichel.[1]
Falkesgaard started his senior club career withBrøndby IF in 2010. In 2015, he moved toOdense Boldklub where he was the first-choice goalkeeper. However, a few matches into the season, he suffered a seriousACL injury that required surgery. He returned from injury and later joined rival clubFC Midtjylland, but he was not able to play a single match for them.[1][3]
In January 2018, Falkesgaard was sold by Midtjylland toThai League 1 clubBangkok United, where he is counted as anASEAN player.[1][3] Falkesgaard kept eleven clean sheets in his first season with Bangkok United, helping his club finish as runners-up in2018.[4]
On 30 June 2023 it was confirmed, that Falkesgaard had returned to Denmark, signing with newly promotedDanish 1st Division clubB.93.[5]
Falkesgaard has represented Denmark at under-18 to under-20 levels.
Born to a Filipina mother, Falkesgaard was eligible to represent thePhilippines. ThePhilippine Football Federation learned of his eligibility throughDennis Cagara andJerry Lucena, both of whom are also Danish-Filipino footballers capped for the Philippines.[6]
In March 2018, Falkesgaard received his first call up for the Philippines.[7] He earned his first cap on 22 March in a 3–2 friendly win overFiji. He did not concede any goal in the first half; however,Nick O'Donnell was subbed in for him at the start of the second half.[8] On 13 October, he came on as a second half substitute forNeil Etheridge in a 1–1 friendly draw againstOman.[9]
Falkesgaard was named in the Philippines' 23-man squad for the2018 AFF Championship.[10] He started in the group matches againstTimor-Leste,Thailand, andIndonesia.[2][11][12] He then played in the first leg of the semi-finals againstVietnam, but missed the second leg due to a groin injury.[13] Philippines lost to Vietnam on 4–2aggregate.[14][15]
Since Neil Etheridge was unavailable due to club commitments, Falkesgaard was named Philippines' first-choice goalkeeper for the2019 AFC Asian Cup—the first time the national team has qualified for the international tournament.[16][17] Philippines exited the tournament at the group stage after a winless campaign.[18]
| Club | Season | League[a] | Cup[b] | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby IF | 2011–12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012–13 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Odense Boldklub | 2015–16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Midtjylland | 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangkok United | 2018 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| 2019 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Total | 139 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 150 | 0 | |
| Career total | 157 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 171 | 0 | |
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | 2018 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | |
Bangkok United
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