Michael Laudrup

Denmark's greatest footballer and one of the finest creative players European football produced in the 1980s and 1990s — Michael Laudrup's ability to see and execute passes that others simply could not conceive of made him the most technically sophisticated player in a generation of exceptional Danish talent. Six La Liga titles — five with Barcelona and one with Real Madrid, making him the only player to win it with both clubs consecutively — and a Champions League with Barcelona in 1992. His decision to withdraw from Denmark's 1992 European Championship squad, which they went on to win as shock winners, remains one of football's most poignant what-ifs

Michael Laudrup was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark in 1964 and joined Lyngby (1981–83) before Juventus (1983–89) — with a loan to Lazio (1985–87). Barcelona (1989–94) was his peak, winning 4 consecutive La Liga titles and the 1992 European Cup under Johan Cruyff as part of the Dream Team. Remarkably, he then joined Barcelona's greatest rivals Real Madrid (1994–97) and won 2 more La Liga titles — making him the only player to win the title with both clubs in consecutive seasons. He earned 104 Denmark caps scoring 37 goals. His top speed of 31.3 km/h and 10.1 km per game reflected a player whose creativity lay in vision rather than pace. He scored 161 career goals and provided 267 assists in 661 appearances — one of the highest assist totals for a player of his era. He was voted the best Danish player of the 20th century. He helped Denmark win his greatest triumph — the 1992 European Championship — as a squad member. Later career spells at Vissel Kobe, Ajax and Brøndby followed. He was named in FIFA's list of the 100 greatest living players. He later managed Brøndby, Getafe, Mallorca, Swansea City and Real Betis.

• La Liga 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 (Barcelona), 1995, 1997 (Real Madrid)
• European Cup 1992 (Barcelona)
• Coppa Italia 1983 (Juventus)
• Danish Championship 1983 (Lyngby)