Joakim Mæhle: Who is Wolfsburg and Denmark's barnstorming fullback?
Mæhle burst onto the scene at Euro 2020, and looks set to star again with Denmark this time around. bundesliga.com profiles the defender who's already made a name for himself in Germany...
Stats correct as of 9 June 2024
Age: 27 (born 20 May 1997)
Club: VfL Wolfsburg
Position: Fullback
Country: Denmark (45 caps / 11 goals)
Key stats
Born in almost as northern Denmark as you can get in Østervrå, Mæhle joined the academy of local top flight side AaB Aalborg aged just 12. In 2016 he made his professional debut aged 19 and it took only nine first-team appearances before he was handed a new long-term contract until 2020. That proved to be a smart move, as just 16 appearances later, the club agreed to sell him to Belgian side Genk.
In his three-and-a-half years in eastern Belgium, Mæhle would become a star in a team full of them. He helped Genk qualify for the Europa League in his first season, and in his second they booked a spot in the Champions League. In their group were European giants Liverpool and Napoli and also a Red Bull Salzburg team containing future Bundesliga superstars Erling Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai. Mæhle had to watch teammates Sander Berge (Sheffield United) Mbwana Samatta (Aston Villa) and (Rangers) seal big money moves, but he’d eventually get his chance when he left for Atalanta in January 2021.
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