Andreas Beyer Maxsø (Danish pronunciation: [ˈmɑksø]; born 18 March 1994) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids and the Denmark national team. He is known for his strength, leadership and aerial ability.[4]

Andreas Maxsø
Maxsø in 2019
Personal information
Full name Andreas Beyer Maxsø[1]
Date of birth (1994-03-18) 18 March 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Hvidovre, Denmark
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Colorado Rapids
Number 5
Youth career
2000–2010[3] Brøndby
2010–2012 Nordsjælland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Nordsjælland 108 (3)
2017–2018 Osmanlıspor 20 (1)
2018–2019 FC Zürich 28 (0)
2019 KFC Uerdingen 05 5 (0)
2019–2022 Brøndby 96 (5)
2023– Colorado Rapids 69 (2)
International career
2013 Denmark U19 1 (0)
2015–2017 Denmark U21 24 (0)
2020–2022 Denmark 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:56, 17 November 2024 (UTC)

After moving to the academy of FC Nordsjælland in 2010 from childhood club Brøndby IF, Maxsø made his professional debut in 2012 against Copenhagen. In 2017, he joined Turkish club Osmanlıspor before signing for Swiss side FC Zürich the following season, where he had a successful Europa League campaign, making the round of 32 in his season there. In 2019, he signed for KFC Uerdingen 05 before leaving the club by mutual agreement two months later and returning to his first club, Brøndby. There, he became team captain after six months.

Maxsø has played for various Danish national youth teams. Notably, he gained 24 caps for the Denmark national under-21 team. He made his debut for the Denmark national team on 11 November 2020 in an friendly against Sweden.

Club career

edit

Early career

edit

Originally a midfielder,[5] Maxsø went through the youth ranks of Brøndby IF whom he joined when he was six years old.[6] In 2009, he was promoted to the under-17 team and competed for a starting position on midfield against the likes of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Andrew Hjulsager and Frederik Holst,[5] who were all regulars on the Danish national under-17 team.[7] In his early days at Brøndby, Maxsø did not stand out as a player as he was neither big nor particularly quick, but those who worked with him noted his constant desire to improve various aspects of his game.[7]

Nordsjælland

edit

In 2010, he joined the FC Nordsjælland youth academy and had a large growth spurt that made him taller and physically stronger, which meant that he could transition to defense more easily.[6]

On 9 December 2012, Maxsø made his professional debut for FC Nordsjælland, in a Superliga match against FC Copenhagen, where he was assigned to cover their striker, Andreas Cornelius.[8] Despite losing 4–1, Maxsø stated after the match that he felt his debut went "alright."[8] Two months later, he was one out of six under-19 players, who were invited to participate in the first-team training camp in La Manga.[9]

Maxsø signed a contract extension with Nordsjælland in the summer of 2016 and turned down a transfer offer from Danish top side FC Copenhagen, citing a desire to play abroad.[10] While at the club, Maxsø grew out to become one of the most important players in Nordsjælland and a key player in defense. After having the role of vice-captain in the 2015–16 season, he became club captain in the 2016–17 season. On 11 January 2017, Maxsø revealed his intentions of leaving Nordsjælland in the summer of 2017 with the goal of being sold after the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[11]

Osmanlıspor

edit

On 4 August 2017, it was announced that Maxsø was sold to Turkish club Osmanlıspor.[12] In his Süper Lig debut against Yeni Malatyaspor he scored his first goal for the club but could not prevent his side losing 3–1.[13] He would struggle to find his footing in Osmanlıspor, and was taken out at halftime in the 4–2 loss to Sivasspor on 17 September after being a part of a defense conceding four goals before half.[14] Maxsø had strong performances during the rest of the fall season, however, as he started in the first 15 matches.[15] Despite this, Osmanlıspor finished the first half of the season 16th out of 18 in the table.[16]

Maxsø was benched during almost the entire second half of the season. He played his first minutes of the second half of the season on 3 March 2018, coming on in the 84th minute for Tortol Lumanza in a match against Kasımpaşa.[17][18] He left the club after its relegation from the Turkish Süperlig at the end of the season.

FC Zürich

edit

On 29 June 2018, Maxsø signed a three-year contract with Swiss Super League side FC Zürich.[19] He made his league debut for the club on 23 September 2018 in a 1–0 home victory over FC Luzern. He played all ninety minutes of the match.[20] On 25 October, he was part of the starting lineup as Zürich won 3–2 over Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Europa League group stage.[21] He would later also appear in the round of 32 matchups against Napoli, where Zürich lost 5–1 on aggregate.[22] Maxsø scored his first goal for the club on 9 February 2019 in a local derby against Grasshoppers, which was won 3–1.[23] He finished the season with 36 appearances for the club in which he scored one goal,[15] as Zürich ended seventh in the league missing out on European qualification by two points.[24]

KFC Uerdingen 05

edit

On 3 July 2019, German 3. Liga club KFC Uerdingen 05 announced that they had signed Maxsø.[25] On 2 September, he left the club by mutual agreement only two months and six appearances after his arrival, for personal reasons.[26] He later explained to Danish newspaper B.T. that his move to Uerdingen happened as part of a deal with Zürich, who had a cooperation agreement with the former.[27] He had initially expected to be sent on to Bournemouth of the Premier League, with whom the two clubs also had an agreement. Bournemouth had scouted him in Osmanlıspor, and encouraged Maxsø to sign with their cooperation club, Zürich, with the goal to sign him later on, in case his performances kept improving.[27][28] However, as the transfer window closed, Maxsø explained that he was 'stuck' in Uerdingen 05 and had decided to buy himself out of his contract; something which according to him cost him millions of Danish kroner, but was a necessary career move.[29]

Brøndby

edit

Maxsø joined Brøndby IF on a four-year contract on 9 September 2019.[3][30] On 15 September, he made his Superliga-debut for Brøndby in a 4–2 home win over his former team, Nordsjælland.[31] On 25 September, Maxsø scored his first goal for Brøndby, a vital equalizer in extra time in the Danish Cup against Skive IK. The match ended in a 3–2 win for Brøndby.[32] Throughout the fall, he established himself as a leading figure in the central defense of manager Niels Frederiksen's 3-5-2 formation and stabilising a formerly struggling defense together with fellow defenders Sigurd Rosted and Hjörtur Hermannsson.[33][34] In late January 2020, after the departure of Kamil Wilczek, Maxsø was named club captain after having only been at the club for six months.[35][4] He scored his first Superliga-goal for Brøndby on 28 June against his former club Nordsjælland, a penalty, as they won 2–0.[36] His performances led to him being named as the Danish Superliga Player of the Month for June 2020.[37]

On 11 December 2020, Maxsø received the award of Brøndby Player of the Year 2020, beating out fellow nominees Anthony Jung and Morten Frendrup.[38] He scored his third goal – another penalty – for the club on 7 March 2021 in a 2–1 win in the New Firm over Copenhagen.[39][40] On 24 May 2021, Maxsø lifted Brøndby's first league title in 16 years after a 2–0 win over Nordsjælland.[41]

In July 2021, Maxsø agreed to personal terms and was a medical away from signing with Russian Premier League club Rostov,[42] but the move fell through after the club had hired new manager Yury Syomin who preferred a four-man defense and had, as a consequence, opted to sign Bastos on loan instead.[43][44] Maxsø would instead stay at Brøndby, and made his European debut for the club on 17 August in a 2–1 away loss to Red Bull Salzburg in the first leg of the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League.[45] In the return leg, he scored his first goal of the season in another 2–1 loss.[46]

Colorado Rapids

edit

On 27 January 2023, Maxsø signed with Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids on a three-year deal with a club-held option for the 2026 season. Maxsø became the first defender to sign a designated player contract with the Rapids and is also classified as an international player for MLS roster purposes.[47] Maxsø made his debut for the Rapids starting in a 4–0 defeat to Seattle Sounders FC on 26 February 2023.[48]

International career

edit

Maxsø represented Denmark U19s in 2013 and made his debut for Denmark U21s in 2015.

He made his debut for the Denmark national team on 11 November 2020 in an friendly against Sweden.

Style of play

edit

Maxsø has been described as a strong defender, who is formidable in creating chances from the back. Not afraid of playing with risk, he nonetheless had one of the best passing percentages in his first season with Brøndby, recording an 88.9% passing precision.[49] He has also been described by teammates as a "leading presence on and off the field".[50]

Career statistics

edit
As of match played 26 October 2024[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Nordsjælland 2012–13 Superliga 2 0 0 0 2 0
2013–14 Superliga 12 0 1 0 0 0 13 0
2014–15 Superliga 27 0 0 0 27 0
2015–16 Superliga 32 2 1 0 33 2
2016–17 Superliga 33 1 1 0 34 1
2017–18 Superliga 2 0 2 0
Total 108 3 3 0 111 3
Osmanlıspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 20 1 2 0 22 1
FC Zürich 2018–19 Swiss Super League 28 1 4 0 5[a] 0 37 1
KFC Uerdingen 05 2019–20 3. Liga 5 0 1 0 6 0
Brøndby 2019–20 Superliga 28 1 2 1 30 2
2020–21 Superliga 30 2 2 0 32 2
2021–22 Superliga 27 1 3 0 8[b] 1 38 2
2022–23 Superliga 11 1 1 0 0 0 12 1
Total 96 5 8 1 8 1 0 0 112 7
Colorado Rapids 2023 Major League Soccer 33 2 3 0 2[c] 0 38 2
2024 Major League Soccer 34 0 0 0 34 0
Total 67 2 3 0 2 0 72 2
Career total 324 12 21 1 15 1 0 0 360 14
  1. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup

Honours

edit

Brøndby

Individual

References

edit
  1. ^ "Olympic Football Tournaments Rio 2016 – Men: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  2. ^ "Andreas Maxsø | Colorado Rapids". Colorado Rapids. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Andreas Maxsø er Brøndby-spiller". Brøndby IF. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Tæt på beslutning: Maxsø klar på anførertjans". bt.dk. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b Dehn, Anders (1 November 2019). "Maxsø om sin første tid i Brøndby: Det var nødvendigt at komme videre". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b Abolhosseini, Farzam (24 July 2016). "Superliga-kometen: Derfor sagde jeg nej til FCK, Brøndby - og udlandet". bt.dk. B.T. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b "John Ranum om Andreas Maxsø". brondby.com. Brøndby IF. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b "FCN-debutant: Synes det gik ok". bold.dk. 9 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Hjulmand: Træningslejr hærder de unge". bold.dk. 13 February 2013.
  10. ^ Tornby, Gustav (15 July 2016). "Maxsø forklarer: Derfor afviste jeg FC København". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  11. ^ Hoffskov, Ole (11 January 2017). "Andreas Maxsø forlader FCN til sommer". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. ^ "ANDREAS MAXSØ SOLGT TIL OSMANLISPOR". fcn.dk. 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  13. ^ Hansen, Kenneth (13 August 2017). "Maxsø-mål i tyrkisk debutnederlag". bold.dk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  14. ^ Hansen, Kenneth (17 September 2017). "Maxsø taget ud i Osmanlispor-nederlag". bold.dk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  15. ^ a b c "A. Maxsø - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  16. ^ Blond, Mikael (17 December 2017). "Maxsø om Osmanlispor: Der er styr på alt". bold.dk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Kasımpaşa vs. Osmanlispor 1-1". int.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  18. ^ Blond, Mikael (3 March 2018). "Maxsø fik sine første minutter i 2018". bold.dk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  19. ^ "FC Zürich verpflichtet Innenverteidiger Andreas Maxsø". fcz.ch. 29 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Zurich vs. Luzern – 23 September 2018 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  21. ^ Schmidt, Martin (25 October 2018). "Maxsø og Zürich i stor skalp mod Leverkusen". bold.dk. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  22. ^ "Napoli-Zürich 2019 History". uefa.com. UEFA. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Der FCZ belohnt sich spät für einen engagierten Auftritt!". sport.ch. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Switzerland Super League 2018/19". footballdatabase.com. FootballDatabase. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  25. ^ Top-Transfer: Andreas Maxsö kommt zum KFC Archived 3 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, kfc-uerdingen.de, 3 July 2019
  26. ^ Maxsö verlässt den KFC aus persönlichen Gründen Archived 2 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine, kfc-uerdingen.de, 2 September 2019
  27. ^ a b Abolhosseini, Farzam (13 September 2020). "Maxsø taler ud om frygt for at skade karrieren: Betalte selv millioner for at slippe væk". bt.dk. B.T. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  28. ^ Wehlast, Mads Glenn (11 September 2019). "Brøndby-profil købte sig ud: Smed stort million-beløb". ekstrabladet.dk. Ekstra Bladet. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  29. ^ Hoffskov, Ole (3 September 2019). "Brøndby-direktør: Jeg tror, Maxsø er tæt på en ny klub". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  30. ^ "Brøndby styrker forsvaret med kontraktløs dansker". DR. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  31. ^ "Brøndby-træner ser lys fremtid for nyt forsvar". JydskeVestkysten. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Vanvittige minutter: Skive chokerer - men Maxsø svarer hurtigt igen". tv3sport.dk. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  33. ^ "Langt interview med Maxsø: Der er intet der skræmmer mig længere". 3point.dk. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  34. ^ "Ny Brøndby-forsvarer: Den danske mentalitet er lidt mere venlig". tipsbladet.dk. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  35. ^ Sloth, Mikkel (18 February 2020). "Niels Frederiksen enig med 'CV': Maxsø kan konkurrere om EM-plads". tipsbladet.dk. Tipsbladet. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  36. ^ Ritzau (28 June 2020). "Kyniske Brøndby slår FCN og åbner bronzekampen på ny". sn.dk. Sjællandske Nyheder. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  37. ^ a b Nielsen, Jonas (5 July 2020). "Maxsø er månedens spiller i Superligaen". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Årets Spiller i Brøndby IF er kåret". brondby.com (in Danish). Brøndby IF. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  39. ^ "Vigen og Maxsø sænkede FCK efter VAR-drama | 3point.dk". 3point.dk (in Danish). 7 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Maxsø efter derbysejr: Vores koncept fortjener anerkendelse". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). 7 March 2021.
  41. ^ Messer, Anders Keld; Christensen, Sofia Morre (25 May 2021). "Fra Vestegnen til Festegnen: Genoplev Brøndbys guldfest". DR (in Danish).
  42. ^ Abolhosseini, Farzam; Davidsen, Michel Wikkelsø (29 July 2021). "B.T. afslører: Brøndby og Rostov enige om transfer - Maxsø til lægetjek" (in Danish).
  43. ^ Risager, Victor (6 August 2021). "Medie: Dropper at hente Andreas Maxsø". Tipsbladet.dk (in Danish).
  44. ^ "Капитан "Брондбю" Максё не перейдет в "Ростов" | Евроставка РУ". Eurostavka (in Russian). 5 August 2021.
  45. ^ "Salzburg vs. Brøndby - 17 August 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  46. ^ "Et glimt af håb for Brøndby? - se Maxsøs reducering her". TV3 SPORT (in Danish). 25 August 2021.
  47. ^ Rapids, Colorado. "Colorado Rapids acquire Danish international defender Andreas Maxsø". Colorado Rapids.
  48. ^ "Three Rapids make MLS, club debuts in season-opening loss against Seattle". Colorado Rapids. 27 February 2023. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  49. ^ "4 dage til 3F Superliga". 3F Superliga (in Danish). 20 May 2020. Maxsø er stærk i det defensive, men det er især i det opbyggende spil, at han har givet Brøndby en ekstra dimension. Han er formidabel til at føre bolden frem og finde sine medspillere fremme i banen. På trods af at Maxsø spiller med større risiko end det fleste centrale forsvarere i 3F Superliga, ligger han på en afleveringsprocent på imponerende 88.9%.
  50. ^ Hammeken, Jesper (9 March 2021). "Vigen om Maxsø: En vigtig spiller på og uden for banen | 3point.dk". 3point.dk (in Danish).
  51. ^ "Soccer-Brondby beat Nordsjaelland to clinch Danish league title". Reuters. 24 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
edit