Anton Gaaei
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002
Place of birth Viborg, Denmark
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Ajax
Number 3
Youth career
Bruunshåb/Tapdrup IF
Overlund GF
Viborg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 Viborg 38 (0)
2023– Ajax 12 (0)
2023– Jong Ajax 1 (0)
International career‡
2022 Denmark U20 2 (0)
2023– Denmark U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:09, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:09, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

Anton Gaaei (born 19 November 2002) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Eredivisie club Ajax.

Club career

Viborg FF

Anton Gaaei started his career in Bruunshåb/Tapdrup IF and then passed by Overlund GF, before he moved to Viborg.[1] From the summer 2020, Gaaei began training regular with the first team. On 2 September 2020, Gaaei got his official debut for Viborg, as he came on from the bench in the 76th minute against FC Fredericia in the Danish Cup.[2] Three months later, in December 2020, Gaaei signed a new deal with Viborg until June 2023.[3]

In his youth, Gaaei was primarily a winger, but was later converted to right-back. On 1 April 2022, Gaaei got his league debut for Viborg and Danish Superliga debut in a game an against SønderjyskE.[4] Gaaei ended the 2021–22 season with six appearances.

Ajax

On 17 August 2023, Gaaei officially joined Eredivisie side Ajax for a reported fee of DKr35 million[5] (about €4.5 million),[6] signing a five-year contract with the Dutch club.[5][6][7] In the process, he broke the transfer record as Viborg's highest-grossing sale.[5][8]

Gaaei made his competitive debut for the club on 3 September, replacing Devyne Rensch in the 62nd minute of a 0–0 away league draw against Fortuna Sittard.[9][10] He faced criticism for his early performances, with analysts highlighting his deficient defensive skills and frequent loss of possession.[11] In De Klassieker on 24 September, Gaaei started in the lineup, and went on to make two pivotal mistakes resulting in goals by Santiago Giménez. Consequently, he was substituted by Rensch in the 32nd minute, before the match was temporarily halted due to disruptions from the crowd. Gaaei's performance received scathing reviews, being labeled as "poor" and "naive", and analyst and former coach Mario Been stated that Gaaei did not meet the standards expected to play for Ajax.[12][13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 21 December 2023[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Viborg 2021–22 Danish Superliga 6010—70
2022–23 Danish Superliga 280415[lower-alpha 2]0371
Total 3405150421
Jong Ajax 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 10——10
Ajax 2023–24 Eredivisie 120105[lower-alpha 3]0180
Career total 47061100611

References

  1. ↑ Gaaei belønnes med kontrakt, vff.dk, 6 December 2020
  2. ↑ FREDERICIA VS. VIBORG 1 - 1, fcn.dk, 2 September 2020
  3. ↑ Gaaei belønnes med kontrakt, vff.dk, 6 December 2020
  4. ↑ VIBORG VS. SØNDERJYSKE 2 - 1, soccerway.com, 1 April 2022
  5. 1 2 3 Korse, Otto Christian (17 August 2023). "Officielt: Anton Gaaei skifter til Ajax i rekordhandel". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Zevende nieuwe speler voor Ajax: rechtsback Gaaei komt over van Viborg". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ajax contracteert Anton Gaaei". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Anton Gaaei solgt til AFC Ajax". Viborg FF (in Danish). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Fortuna Sittard vs. Ajax 0-0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Vernieuwd Ajax raakt verder achterop door teleurstellend gelijkspel bij Fortuna". NU (in Dutch). 3 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Rofekamp, Tom (21 September 2023). "Jack van Gelder test Ajacied nu al af: 'Heb liever iemand die kan verdedigen'". Voetbalzone (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Dissonant Gaaei krijgt wind gigantisch van voren: 'Zo naïef, dit is echt zielig'". Voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Vlietstra, Bart (24 September 2023). "Een schouderduw van Feyenoorder Timber en Ajacied Gaaei kukelt omver, het past binnen de nieuwe machtsverhoudingen". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Anton Gaaei at Soccerway
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