“I quit Denmark to focus 100 per cent on Barcelona. People asked me if I wanted to come back for Euro 92, but it wouldn’t have been fair” Michael Laudrup opens up on missing out on Denmark’s finest hour
More than 30 years on, Denmark’s Euro 92 victory remains one of international football’s most remarkable stories.
A team that had failed to qualify for the tournament would eventually go on to lift the trophy, having taken full advantage of Yugoslavia’s ejection following the break-up of the country.
Goals from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort sealed a 2-0 win over Germany in the final, with the Danes claiming the stunning victory without one of their greatest-ever players, following Michael Laudrup’s decision to walk away from international football two years earlier to focus on his Barcelona career.
Laudrup on missing out on Euro 92
The mercurial midfielder had been central to the rise of Danish Dynamite, the thrilling side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 84 before winning over the hearts and minds of so many at the 1986 World Cup. But his decision to prioritise club football meant he would miss Denmark’s greatest triumph.
Speaking about the Danish side of the 1980s, Laudrup credited his manager and his team-mates’ decision to ply their trade in Europe’s best leagues.
“A lot of the players were playing for big clubs in Europe, at a time when not many foreign players were allowed in European leagues,” Laudrup tells FourFourTwo. “We had a lot of individual quality. The arrival of Sepp Piontek as manager in 1979 was also pivotal – he fulfilled our potential. We went to the European Championship and beat Yugoslavia 5-0. We had a fantastic game against Belgium too, which we won 3-2 from 2-0 down. In the end, we only lost on penalties in the semi-final against Spain.
“At the 1986 World Cup, we beat Uruguay 6-1 and West Germany 2-0, but then went out against Spain in the last 16. We were 1-0 up, but a poor second half cost us and we lost 5-1. The big countries had tournament experience. We learned from that and could apply it in 1992 and 1998, where we achieved good results in the latter stages.”
And what about his decision to quit the Denmark team in 1990?
“In the second game of qualifying, we drew in Northern Ireland, then we lost at home against Yugoslavia, who had a fantastic team,” Laudrup continues. “I realised they’d qualify, even if we beat them away. I was also in the early stages of my time at Barça, which was important to me, and the two teams played completely different football. I wasn’t really happy with the way we played in the national team, but it’s always the manager’s decision. Still, I thought, ‘With this style of play, I can never be the same as at Barcelona.’
“As we weren’t able to qualify, I decided to focus 100 per cent on Barça. Yugoslavia went on to win the group, but because of the war, Denmark were suddenly given their place. People asked me if I wanted to go, but I didn’t want to join at the last moment, even though I could have. I felt it wouldn’t have been fair.”
Laudrup would eventually return to the Danish national side in 1993.
“I’d won three league titles and the European Cup with Barça, and every time, they asked if I wanted to go back,” he explains. “I’d achieved all the things I wanted with Barcelona, so I agreed. Unfortunately we lost a World Cup qualifier to Spain – the third time they got in our way, after beating us in 1984 and 1986. Spain has given me so much at personal and club level, then it’s curious how much it has taken away from me with the national team! But then we went to Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup.”
His 100th international cap came during the 1998 World Cup, with Laudrup calling time on his international career following their quarter-final defeat to Brazil.
“That was a great stage to retire on,” he reflects. “After leaving Real Madrid, I went to Japan – I wanted to go somewhere I could still play, but also have a bit of freedom after being in Southern Europe since 1983. I thought maybe I should retire from the national team, but the coach asked me to continue. I realised that even though I liked life in Japan, I wanted to finish at a higher level. There was some interest from countries like Turkey and France – Marseille wanted me – but the Southern European passion was what I didn’t want any more! [Laughs]
“I joined Ajax – that team was incredible, with the De Boer brothers, Danny Blind, Edwin van der Sar and Jari Litmanen. We won the Double, so I continued with the national team, we qualified for the World Cup and lost in the quarter-finals to Brazil. We really challenged them and it was a great way to finish my career.”
