Martin Braithwaite

Danish international striker Martin Braithwaite has played in some of the world’s biggest football leagues. After domestic spells in Denmark, England, and France, he currently plays alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the first team of Barcelona, one of the most successful football clubs in the world. He has won 39 caps for Denmark, scoring seven goals, and playing in the 2018 World Cup.

Braithwaite was born in 1991 in the Danish port city of Esbjerg. It was with their biggest team, Esbjerg fB, that he made his professional debut in 2009, going on to make 89 appearances and score 17 goals. After a particularly successful 2012-13 season, during which he was an ever-present and helped the team to win the Danish Cup, he began attracting international interest. French Ligue 1 side Toulouse signed him for €2 million and he began four successful seasons in France’s top-flight, scoring 35 goals in over 130 appearances. In 2017, Middlesbrough signed him for £9 million, and he spent two seasons playing in the Championship, scoring nine goals in 40 appearances.

Despite being well-liked by managers and fans, Braithwaite’s ambition was to play in the Spanish La Liga and, after a short loan spell with them, he moved to Leganes in 2019 for €5 million, becoming their second-most expensive signing. Within months, however, Barcelona approached with an offer to sign him for €18 million. Making his debut for the world’s richest club as a substitute, he immediately made an impact with two assists in under 20 minutes.