 Lauridsen lining-up forEspañol | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Mikkelsen Lauridsen | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-04-02)2 April 1959 (age 65) | ||
| Place of birth | Ribe, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gredstedbro | |||
| Vejle | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1982 | Esbjerg | 76 | (11) |
| 1982–1988 | Español | 214 | (26) |
| 1988–1990 | Málaga | 58 | (3) |
| 1990–1992 | Esbjerg | 70 | (16) |
| Total | 418 | (56) | |
| International career | |||
| 1981–1988 | Denmark | 27 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John Mikkelsen Lauridsen (born 2 April 1959) is a retired Danish professionalfootballer who played as anattacking midfielder, gifted with field vision and able to shoot with both feet.[1]
He won theDanish championship withEsbjerg, before playing eight years uninterrupted inLa Liga, withEspañol andMálaga. He appeared in more than 250 official games for the former club, helping it reach the1988 UEFA Cup final.
Lauridsen played 27 times forDenmark after making his debut in 1981, representing the nation at theEuro 1984.
Born inRibe,Jutland, Lauridsen played his youth football in Gredstedbro andVejle Boldklub, before he made his senior debut in theDanish 1st Division withEsbjerg fB in 1978.[1] He played 16 matchesthe following season, as the club won the league.
Lauridsen made hisDanish national team debut on 12 August 1981, in a 2–1friendly win inFinland in which he scored the equalizer at the 27th minute (the first of his three international goals). Also that summer, he was supposed to travel to England to sign forIpswich Town, but the ferry did not make the journey due to bad weather conditions, and the deal fell through. Shortly after, football agentFernand Goyvaerts phoned the player with an offer from Spain'sRCD Español, which he accepted,[1] joining theCatalans in early 1982 and becoming a full-time professional.
The first half-season notwithstanding, Lauridsen never featured in less than 30 matches for Español – known as Espanyol from 1995. He contributed with a career-high 41 appearances in the1986–87 campaign as his team finished in a best-ever third inLa Liga,[1] and also helped it reachthe final ofthe following year'sUEFA Cup – eight games, 304 minutes, two goals – which ended in apenalty shootout defeat againstBayer 04 Leverkusen; he played in more than 250 competitive matches for the club during his seven-year spell, as one of only two foreign players – the other beingCameroon'sThomas N'Kono.[2]
While at Espanyol, Lauridsen was included in the Danish squad for theUEFA Euro 1984, where he took part in two games, scoring a goal in the 5–0 group stage win againstYugoslavia. His international career brought him only 27caps in seven years, as he was often overlooked behind the likes ofFrank Arnesen,Søren Lerby,Jan Mølby andJesper Olsen. He played his last international on 27 April 1988, in a friendly withAustria.
Lauridsen stayed in Spain after his 1988 exit from Espanyol, playing two years withCD Málaga also in the top flight. He ended his career as an amateur player with Esbjerg, helping it promote into the second tier.[3] His last match took place on 19 November 1992 at the age of 33, a 4–1 win againstVejle Boldklub where he had played as a youth.
After his footballing career ended, Lauridsen settled inBramming. In the following years, he occasionally appeared in games for Espanyol's veterans.[2]
