Friday, August 1, 2008

Daniel Agger

Daniel Agger ( 5 )

Full Name: Daniel Munthe Agger
Position: Defender
Squad number: 5
Date of birth: 12/12/1984
Birth place: Hvidovre, Denmark
Former clubs: Rosenhoj, Brondby
LFC 1st team games: 63
LFC 1st team goals: 5
Denmark International caps: 22
DenmarkInternational goals: 3
Career Appearances: 100
Career Goals: 9
Transfer fee: £5.5 million

Daniel Agger Profile

Daniel Agger is a cultured centre-back who arrived from Brondby IF for a fee of approximately £5million in January 2006.

The Denmark international is now firmly established in Rafa Benitez's first team, with his ability on the ball allowing Liverpool to build from the back.

Agger made his professional breakthrough for Brondby in 2004 and, under the guidance of club captain Per Nielsen, quickly developed into a classy defender with a maturity beyond his years.

In December 2004 he won the Spillerforeningen Talent of the Year award (the Danish equivalent of PFA Young Player of the Year), which he retained in 2005.

By the end of his debut season he was clutching Danish Cup and Superliga medals, and it was no surprise when, in June 2005, Agger won his first cap in a friendly with Finland. A few months later he excelled against Wayne Rooney and England before scoring his first international goal in a World Cup qualifier against Georgia.

A move abroad seemed inevitable, with the north-west of England his chosen destination in January 2006.

Denmark's most expensive export made his Reds debut against Birmingham on February 1, though injury meant his first few months on Merseyside were spent largely on the sidelines.

The 2006-07 campaign saw Agger force his way into the starting XI, and he even won PFA Player of the Month for September.

A 35-yard belter against West Ham did his kudos no harm, with the strike winning Liverpoolfc.tv's Goal of the Season.

The highlight of his first full campaign came in the Champions League semi-final second leg versus Chelsea, when his left-foot strike took the game to penalties. Agger went on to play 90 minutes in the final against AC Milan.

A metatarsal break left the popular defender on the sidelines for a large chunk of 2007-08 but there was some joy when Denmark's top players and managers voted him Player of the Year for the first time.

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