Joachim Andersen (footballer)

1.1. Childhood and early development

Joachim Andersen started playing football at the age of four, joining the local club Greve Fodbold in Greve Strand in 2000. He remained with Greve Fodbold until 2009, marking his initial stages of development in the sport.

1.2. Youth academy career

After his time at Greve Fodbold, Andersen joined FC Copenhagen's School of Excellence academy. He later moved to Midtjylland when he was 15 years old. At Midtjylland, he trained at the talent academy in Ikast, a facility known for nurturing talents such as Simon Kjær, Winston Reid, Erik Sviatchenko, Viktor Fischer, and Pione Sisto. In April 2013, before making his first team debut with Midtjylland, scouts from FC Twente observed Andersen and offered him a one-week trial, which he accepted. Four months later, in August 2013, he signed a youth contract with FC Twente for a fee rumored to be around 5.00 M DKK (approximately 650.00 K EUR). The initial plan for Andersen at Twente was to start within the youth team to acclimatize to the environment before progressing to the senior squads after approximately six months.

2.1. FC Twente

Despite still being an under-19 player, Andersen was promoted to the senior team at FC Twente. His professional debut came on November 8, 2013, when he played the entire match for Jong FC Twente. He did not feature for the first team in his inaugural season but was promoted to train with the senior squad in his second year. On March 7, 2015, Andersen made his first team debut, coming on for the last 20 minutes in a match against Willem II. A week later, he signed a new contract with Twente, extending his stay until 2018. In 2015, the Danish Football Association recognized his talent by awarding him the U19 Talent of the Year prize. On March 22, he started his first game against Groningen and scored his first goal for the senior team. He steadily gained more playing time, becoming an almost regular fixture in the first team squad during the 2015-16 season. In total, he made 50 appearances for Twente, scoring four goals.

2.2. UC Sampdoria

On August 26, 2017, Andersen signed a contract with Serie A club Sampdoria. He had received offers from other clubs in various leagues but opted for Sampdoria, aiming to develop his skills in the highly tactical Serie A. Andersen made his debut for Sampdoria on February 25, 2018, in a match against Udinese. He played seven more matches that season. From the beginning of the 2018-19 season, he became a regular starter in the defense, attracting significant attention from larger clubs. In his second season, he missed only one game due to a ban. Recognizing his importance, Sampdoria offered him a new contract until the summer of 2022, which he signed on November 8, 2018. He concluded his spell at Sampdoria with 42 appearances across all competitions.

2.3. Olympique Lyonnais

On July 12, 2019, Andersen signed a five-year contract with French club Olympique Lyonnais. The transfer fee for his move amounted to 30.00 M EUR, which included 24.00 M EUR plus 6.00 M EUR in bonuses. This fee made Andersen Lyon's record transfer signing at the time, and it was also a record high transfer fee for a Danish football player. On October 2, he made his debut in the UEFA Champions League against RB Leipzig. He subsequently scored his first Champions League goal on November 11, contributing to Lyon's 3-1 victory against Benfica. He made 35 appearances and scored two goals during his tenure with Lyon.

2.4. Crystal Palace

On July 28, 2021, Crystal Palace announced the signing of Andersen on a five-year deal. The transfer fee was 17.50 M EUR, with an additional 2.50 M EUR in add-on bonuses and a 12.5% sell-on fee. In his first season, the 2021-22 season, he made 39 appearances and formed a strong centre-back partnership with Marc Guéhi, contributing to Palace's run to the FA Cup semi-final.

In the 2022-23 season, a notable incident occurred on August 15, 2022, when he was headbutted by Darwin Núñez, leading to Núñez's sending off on his home debut for Liverpool in a 1-1 draw with Palace. On August 27, Andersen scored his first goal for Crystal Palace, putting them 2-0 ahead away at champions Manchester City, though City ultimately won 4-2.

Andersen's second goal for Palace was a late equalizer at Brentford on August 26, 2023. He later scored the only goal, described as a "superb strike," in a victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 30. He concluded the 2023-24 season as the player with the most clearances in the Premier League, recording 229 clearances. He made 112 appearances for Crystal Palace, scoring three goals.

2.5. Return to Fulham

On August 23, 2024, Andersen made a permanent return to Fulham, signing a five-year deal with the club. The reported transfer fee for his return was 30.00 M GBP. As of February 25, 2025, he has made 20 appearances for Fulham in his second permanent spell, scoring one goal in the national cup.

3.1. Youth national teams

Andersen represented Denmark at various youth national team levels, including the U16, U17, U19, U20, and U21 teams.

3.2. Senior national team

In March 2019, Andersen received his first call-up to the senior national team for matches against Kosovo and Switzerland. He earned his first national team cap on October 15, 2019, when Denmark defeated Luxembourg by a score of 4-0 in a friendly match.

On May 25, 2021, Andersen was included in the squad for UEFA Euro 2020. Although he did not play in the group stage matches, he made substitute appearances in all three knockout stage games as Denmark advanced. His tournament run ended when Denmark was defeated by England in the semi-finals.

On November 7, 2022, he was named in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Andersen started all three group stage matches for Denmark, but the team was eliminated from the tournament without securing a single victory, described by some as a "disaster."

On May 30, 2024, he was selected as part of the 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024. In the round of 16 match against Germany, Andersen had a goal disallowed for offside. Later in the game, he conceded a penalty for handling a cross within the box. Denmark ultimately lost the match 0-2. As of November 15, 2024, Andersen has accumulated 39 caps for the national team without scoring a goal.

5.1. Club

5.2. International