Anton Gaaei

Anton Gaaei
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 (age 22)
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 37 (2)
2023– Jong Ajax 8 (0)
International career‡
2022 Denmark U20 2 (0)
2023– Denmark U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:10, 22 December 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:50, 30 December 2023 (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.[1]

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.[3] 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[4] (about €4.5 million),[5] signing a five-year contract with the Dutch club.[4][5][6] In the process, he broke the transfer record as Viborg's highest-grossing sale.[4][7]

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.[8][9] He faced criticism for his early performances, with analysts highlighting his deficient defensive skills and frequent loss of possession.[10] 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 for 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.[11][12] On 25 February 2024, in a match against AZ, Gaaei again was substituted in the first half after a weak performance.[13]

Gaaei won the Ajax Goal of the Month award for April 2024, after scoring a stunning volley in the home match against Go Ahead Eagles.[14]

On 15 August 2024, Gaaei scored the winning penalty in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round shootout against Panathinaikos, helping his club advance to the play-off round.[15] As the taker of the 34th penalty, Gaaei played the decisive role in the longest-ever penalty-shootout in UEFA competition.

Personal life

Anton Gaaei is the son of former Viborg FF player, Carsten Gaaei, who later also coached at several clubs.[16][17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 22 December 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Viborg 2021–22 Danish Superliga 6 0 1 0 — 7 0
2022–23 Danish Superliga 28 0 4 1 5[b] 0 37 1
2023–24 Danish Superliga 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Total 38 0 5 1 5 0 46 1
Ajax 2023–24 Eredivisie 25 1 1 0 8[c] 0 34 1
2024–25 Eredivisie 12 1 1 0 8[d] 0 21 1
Total 37 2 2 0 16 0 55 2
Jong Ajax 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 8 0 — — 8 0
Career total 83 2 7 1 21 0 109 3
  1. ^ Includes Danish Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. ^ Five appearances in UEFA Europa League, three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appeaeances in UEFA Europa League

References

  1. ^ a b Gaaei belønnes med kontrakt, vff.dk, 6 December 2020
  2. ^ FREDERICIA VS. VIBORG 1 - 1, fcn.dk, 2 September 2020
  3. ^ VIBORG VS. SØNDERJYSKE 2 - 1, soccerway.com, 1 April 2022
  4. ^ a b c Korse, Otto Christian (17 August 2023). "Officielt: Anton Gaaei skifter til Ajax i rekordhandel". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Zevende nieuwe speler voor Ajax: rechtsback Gaaei komt over van Viborg". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Ajax contracteert Anton Gaaei". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Anton Gaaei solgt til AFC Ajax". Viborg FF (in Danish). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Fortuna Sittard vs. Ajax 0-0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Dissonant Gaaei krijgt wind gigantisch van voren: 'Zo naïef, dit is echt zielig'". Voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "'Gaaei na bijna fatale fout opnieuw voor rust gewisseld bij Ajax'" (in Dutch). 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Gaaei wint Goal of the Month: 'Beste gevoel dat ik dit seizoen heb gehad'". Ajax.nl. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Penaltyreeks Ajax gaat wereld over: 'Misschien de meest dramatische ooit'". Voetbal Primeur. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  16. ^ Vild forvandling: Nu afslører dansker genistregen, tipsbladet.dk, 14 April 2024
  17. ^ Carsten har altid været sælger og sportsmand: Han blev kendt, da han spillede på Viborg FF's førstehold, hvor sønnen Anton i dag spiller, viborg-folkeblad.dk, 17 June 2023
  18. ^ Anton Gaaei at Soccerway