Michael Julius Gravgaard (born 3 April 1978) is a Danish former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. He began his career at
Randers Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja (often abbreviated Randers Freja) is a Danish sport club with teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football.
History
Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted into the JBU in 1907.
The football d ...
. During his stay at
Viborg FF
Viborg Fodsports Forening ("Viborg Footsport Association"), or Viborg F.F. and VFF for short, is a Danish professional football club based in Viborg. The club was founded in 1896 and waited more than a century before winning its only national ...
he occasionally played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
. With
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
he won the league title twice. His international career took place from August 2005 until September 2007, during which he played 18 matches and scored five goals for the
Denmark national team. He effectively ended his playing career at
FC Nantes
Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, a ...
in May 2010. Despite the fact of having a contract with Nantes until July 2011, his club was not interested to honour the contract, and opted instead in May 2010, to try to file him as "lifetime injured" towards their insurance company. When this attempt ultimately got unapproved by the French authorities, and Gravgaard had passed all additional health checks, the club then opted in January 2011, to dismiss him permanently from the club – a half year prematurely. Forced by that, Gravgaard announced in January 2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel
Canal 9.
Club career
Early career
Born in
Spentrup
Spentrup is a town in East Jutland, with a population of 2,351 (1 January 2022),[Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).](_blank)[Randers Freja
Randers Sportsklub Freja (often abbreviated Randers Freja) is a Danish sport club with teams in athletics, handball, table tennis and football.
History
Randers Freja was founded in 1898, and was accepted into the JBU in 1907.
The football d ...]
in 1996. Initially playing in the lower-league
Danish 2nd Division
The 2nd Division ( da, Danmarksturneringens 2. division or Herre-DM 2. division) is a semi-professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Foo ...
, Gravgaard helped the club win
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
to the
1st Division in 1999. He entered the Danish top-flight football relatively late in his career, as he foremost wished to pursue an academic career. Only after graduating as an
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...
, Gravgaard signed a contract in the top-flight
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...
championship, when he moved to
Viborg FF
Viborg Fodsports Forening ("Viborg Footsport Association"), or Viborg F.F. and VFF for short, is a Danish professional football club based in Viborg. The club was founded in 1896 and waited more than a century before winning its only national ...
in July 2002.
Viborg
At Viborg, he established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Superliga, and he was at times used, with relative success, as a striker. In his three seasons at Viborg, he appeared in 94 league games for the club and he scored 18 goals. In the summer break 2005, Gravgaard moved on to league rivals F.C. Copenhagen (FCK), alongside Viborg's goalkeeper
Jesper Christiansen.
FC Copenhagen (FCK)
He quickly established himself among the key players of FCK, and due to his heading ability, he soon earned the nickname of "Copenhagen Air Force" among the FCK fans. In the January 2007
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...
, he was linked with a move to the English
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
, where both
Newcastle United and
West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...
were rumoured to offer him a contract. None of the rumours were however converted to a transfer, and so he continued to play for FCK until July 2008.
Nantes
On 6 July 2008, he signed a contract for three years with
FC Nantes
Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, a ...
in the French
Ligue 1
Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
. In the first half of the 2008–09 season, he played for FC Nantes in 14 games of Ligue 1. Performance wise, the first 14 games of the season was unfortunately very bad for the club with: eight defeats, three draws and three wins. For the next eight games, the coach decided not to offer anymore playing time for Gravgaard. In January 2009, he then agreed with the club, that he was free to sign a loan contract with another club, in case any offers would arrive.
Loan to Hamburger SV
In response to the long-term injury of
Bastian Reinhardt, the
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
decided to sign a half year loan contract from 1 February to 30 June, with Michael Gravgaard. During spring 2009, he played for the club in 12
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
games, seven
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
games, and one
German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
game. He managed together with Hamburger SV to reach the semifinal in both the Europa League and German Cup; but in both cases the club was unfortunate to be kicked out of the tournament by the Bundesliga rivals from
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...
.
Return to Nantes
When he returned from his loan contract to FC Nantes in July 2009, he agreed to have an operation of his toe done. In the past year he had been playing with a lot of pain from his toe, due to chronic tendonitis, and the operation was believed to cure the problem. Unfortunately the operation failed, and he therefore agreed to have a second operation in December 2009. The second operation left him with a "stiff toe", but succeeded to remove the pain. By the end of March 2010 he was ready to play football games again, but for the remaining part of the season he was never given a chance for a comeback. Instead the club decided in May 2010, to try to file him as having a lifetime injury, to their insurance company.
In August 2010, the filing of Gravgaard as "lifetime injured" was approved by
La Médecine du Travail (the department for Occupational Health, under the French ministry for Labour). This decision was however appealed by Gravgaard, as he was convinced not to have any physical problems, that could force him to stop his football career. on 16 September, he won the appeal, and regained the legal right to continue his football career. When he asked FC Nantes to accept his return on the training field, the club however also required him to first pass a series of additional medical tests. Gravgaard at the same time announced, that he most likely would pass all the tests, but that he felt his future prospects anyway were rather bad. Because earlier in 2010, FC Nantes had told him not to count on anymore playing time for the first team of the club. And when he then asked them, for an agreement where he instead could be released from his ongoing contract, with the purpose of becoming entirely free to seek a new contract with another club, they had also refused. By the time of September 2010, the only hope Gravgaard therefore had, was that FC Nantes would change their mind, and accept him to leave the club for free, which would make it possible for him to sign a contract with a new club, where he could play for the remaining part of his career.
Four months later, when he had passed all additional medical tests, he once again tried to show up at the training field. This time however, he now got the message, that he had been permanently dismissed from the club. As Gravgaard had an ongoing contract with FC Nantes until July 2011, and did not receive any salary since May 2010, he consequently opted to launch a court case against his club, where a final ruling will arrive in June 2011. After being dismissed by FC Nantes, Gravgaard announced in Jan.2011, that he would now end his active playing career for good, and that he would continue – at least for the next half year – to work as a football commentator, pundit and analyst, at the Danish TV channel
Canal 9.
International career
Gravgaard was selected for the
Denmark national team in August 2005. He played the second half, coming on as a substitute for
Per Nielsen
Per Lundgren Nielsen (; born 15 October 1973) is a Danish former professional footballer who played in the central defense of Brøndby IF in the Danish Superliga for his entire club career. With Brøndby, Nielsen won five Danish championships ...
, and scored the goal to 3–0, in a 4–1
friendly match
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
win against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. Gravgaard played his first full international match on 7 September 2005, against
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. In the following two games against
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, he scored a goal in each match. The start of his national team career thus featured three goals in five games, an impressive tally for a central defender.
On 2 June 2007, Gravgaard stopped the attacking fan from reaching referee
Herbert Fandel
Herbert Fandel (born 9 March 1964 in Kyllburg, Rhineland-Palatinate) is a former German football referee who was in charge of the 2007 UEFA Champions League final. Fandel refereed the UEFA Cup final in 2006 between the English side Middlesbrough ...
in the
2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack in an international match against
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
which was subsequently abandoned. He played his latest and 18th game for the national team in September 2007.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gravgaard goal.''
Honours
Randers Freja
*
Danish 2nd Division
The 2nd Division ( da, Danmarksturneringens 2. division or Herre-DM 2. division) is a semi-professional association football league for men and the third division in Denmark. It is organised by the Divisionsforeningen on behalf of the Danish Foo ...
: 1998–99
F.C. Copenhagen
*
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...
: 2005–06 and 2006–07
*
Royal League
The Royal League was an annual Scandinavian football tournament held three times between teams from the three Scandinavian monarchies (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), starting after the end of the regular domestic seasons of Norway and Sweden. De ...
: 2005–06
Individual
*2005
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...
profile (''by the Superliga managers'')
*2005 Danish profile of the year (''by the player association'')
*2005 Danish team of the year (''by the player association'')
*2006
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each ye ...
autumn profile (''by Tipsbladet'')
*2006 Danish profile of the year (''by the player association'')
*2006 Danish team of the year (''by the player association'')
References
External links
Danish national team profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravgaard, Michael
1978 births
Living people
Danish footballers
Denmark international footballers
Danish expatriate footballers
Danish Superliga players
Randers FC players
Viborg FF players
F.C. Copenhagen players
FC Nantes players
Hamburger SV players
Ligue 1 players
Bundesliga players
Danish people of Scottish descent
Danish people of British descent
Expatriate footballers in France
Expatriate footballers in Germany
Association football central defenders
People from Randers Municipality
Danish expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Danish expatriate sportspeople in France
Sportspeople from the Central Denmark Region