Kris Stadsgaard

Kris Stadsgaard - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of Kris Stadsgaard

Kris Stadsgaard (born 1 August 1985) is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He made one senior appearance in 2003 for Farum before the club changed its name to Nordsjælland. He signed with Italian club Reggina in August 2007 and left the club in March 2008 for Rosenborg in Norway, winning two Norwegian Premier League championships in three seasons there. After 1.5 years with Spanish club Málaga he returned to Denmark with Copenhagen in January 2012. He made three appearances for the Denmark national team.

This profile of Kris Stadsgaard covers Farum and Nordsjælland, Reggina, Rosenborg, Málaga and Copenhagen.

Farum and Nordsjælland of Kris Stadsgaard

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Stadsgaard began his career at Farum, where he started his career since joining them in 2001 and progressed through the ranks.

Stadsgaard made his Danish Superliga debut for Farum in the 2002–03 Danish Superliga season, playing alongside Rasmus Marvits in central–defence position, in a 5–1 loss against Silkeborg on 28 April 2003. At the end of the season, he signed a two–year contract extension, keeping him until 2005. He stayed with the team when Farum BK changed its name to Nordsjælland in summer 2003.

After making five appearances in the 2003–04 season, Stadsgaard had a first team chance following the injury of the club's captain Jacob Rasmussen and from that moment on, Stadsgaard managed to play his way into the Nordsjælland team in the 2004–05 season. As the 2004–05 season progressed, he went on to make twenty–one appearances in all competitions. As a result of his performance, Stadsgaard was rewarded with a contract extension, signing a four–year contract.

But Stadgaard's first team opportunities was limited for the next two seasons, as he suffered injuries and made eight appearances as a result.

In the 2007–08 season, Stadsgaard was given a handful of first appearances and since the start of the season, he went on to make six appearances.

Reggina of Kris Stadsgaard

In August 2012 Stadsgaard signed with Italian Serie A team Reggina who paid a transfer fee of 10 million DKK (€1.5 million) to Nordsjælland, including him in their squad for the 2007–08 season. After the move, he was joined by compatriot Mike Tullberg.

On 15 September 2007, Stadsgaard made his debut for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Roma. But Stadsgaard soon struggled in the first team, as he appeared mostly on the substitute and was told by the club's sporting director, Riccardo Bigon, to open up his personality, to integrate better into the squad. By January, both Stadsgaard and Tullberg were dropped from the squad and never played for the club again. He rejected an opportunity to leave the club in January when he refused to be loaned out, leading both the club and him fell out.

Following his move to Rosenberg, Stadsgaard expressed regret moving to Reggina and admitted money was a factor as the reason he joined them.

Rosenborg

After staying at Reggina for eight months, Stadsgaard ended his stay there when he signed for Norwegian club Rosenborg on 29 March 2008 for approximately 4 million NOK, signing a four–year contract. It came after when his father, Knud, confirmed that Rosenborg expressed interest signing him.

On 7 April 2008, Stadsgaard made his Rosenborg debut, where he came on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–2 kiss against Strømsgodset. From that moment, Stadsgaard became a first team regular since his debut until he suffered an injury in early–June. Unfortunately, while rehabilitating his injury, it was delayed for another month. After returning to the first team in late–August, Stadsgaard then suffered another injury that kept him out for the rest of the season during a UEFA match against Club Brugge. At the end of the 2008 season, Stadsgaard finished his first season, making sixteen appearances in all competitions.

In the 2009 season, Stadsgaard missed the start of the season, due to rehabilitating his knee injury and it was not until on 3 May 2009 when he made his return to the first team from injury, in a 1–0 win against Fredrikstad. From that moment on, Stadsgaard regained his first team place since returning from injury and his performance earned him a national called up. In 2009, Stadsgaard was featured for most of the season, although he appeared on the substitute bench on three occasion and sidelined with suspension. Despite this, Stadsgaard helped Rosenberg win the league and went on to make twenty–five appearances in all competitions.

In 2010 season, Stadsgaard started the season well when he scored his first Rosenborg goal, in a 3–1 win over Aalesunds to win the Superfinalen trophy, which turned out to be the last edition. Since the start of the 2010 season, Stadsgaard established himself in the first team and went on to make twenty–one appearances in all competitions. His performance in the summer attracted interests, including Copenhagen. Amid the transfer speculation, he made his last appearance for Rosenborg on 29 August 2010, in a 3–2 win over Start. Despite his departure, the club went on to win the league for the second time this season.

During his time with the club, Rosenborg won the 2009 and 2010 Norwegian Premier League championships, as well as the 2010 Superfinalen trophy.

Málaga

On 31 August 2010, Stadsgaard left Rosenborg to sign a three-year contract with Málaga of the Spanish La Liga for an undisclosed fee, although the move was reported to be 11 million NOK. Upon joining the club, Stadsgaard revealed that there were interests from other club but insisted Málaga was his first choice.

Stadsgaard made his La Liga debut for Málaga, playing the whole game on 12 September 2010 against Real Zaragoza, which saw them win 5–3. In the next game against Sevilla on 19 September 2010, Stadsgaard set up a goal for Salomón Rondón, which saw Málaga lose 2–1. He scored his first goal for Málaga on 16 October 2010, in a 1–4 home loss against Real Madrid. But as the 2010–11 season progressed, Stadsgaard spent the rest of the season on the substitute bench and his own injury concerns following the arrival of Martín Demichelis, as well as, his own injury concern. Despite this, Stadsgaard finished the season, making twenty–five appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Stadsgaard was linked a return move to his homeland, with Copenhagen keen on signing him, which was denied Stadsgaard, himself. In the 2011–12 season, Stadsgaard suffered a setback when he had a venous occlusion on his left leg and was sidelined for two months. Although he appeared on as an unused substitute, Stadsgaard was expected to leave the club in the January transfer window, with Copenhagen confirmed their interests once again. In January 2012, they made an approach from Malaga of signing him, leading to negotiations soon after.

Copenhagen

On 23 January 2012, Málaga broke the news that they were parting with Stadsgaard in their website. After his release from Spain, Stadsgaard signed for Danish side Copenhagen, returning to his homeland and played his first Danish club for the first time since 2007.

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Stadsgaard), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.