Martin Laursen (born 26 July 1977 in Fårvang, Denmark) is a retired Danish professional football player who played as a centre back. He had most recently been the captain of Aston Villa. Laursen was capped 53 times and scored two goals for the Denmark national football team, whom he represented in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two European Championship tournaments. On 15 May 2009, he announced his decision to retire from football rather than underg...
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Martin Laursen (born 26 July 1977 in Fårvang, Denmark) is a retired Danish professional football player who played as a centre back. He had most recently been the captain of Aston Villa. Laursen was capped 53 times and scored two goals for the Denmark national football team, whom he represented in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two European Championship tournaments. On 15 May 2009, he announced his decision to retire from football rather than undergo major surgery.
Laursen started his senior career with Danish club Silkeborg, whom he helped steer to second place in the 1997–98 season.
After three seasons at Silkeborg, he moved to Italy to play for then Serie B outfit Hellas Verona in August 1998. The contact with Verona was mediated by former Verona player and Silkeborg manager Preben Elkjær. Laursen was plagued by a knee injury for the majority of his first season at Verona, where the club won promotion to the top-flight Serie A. Laursen conquered a place in the starting line-up during...
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