Joakim Mæhle: Denmark's new superstar

As the Euros progress, one lesser-known defender continues to stand out: Denmark's full-back Joakim Mæhle. At 24-years-old, it's slightly surprising it's taken so long for the Atalanta defender to go mainstream, but he still has plenty of time to become one of the best full-backs in Europe.

The Lowdown: Joakim Mæhle has been one of the sensations of Euro 2020, providing Denmark with a constant attacking threat throughout the 90 minutes, and his performances have caught the attention of Europe's top clubs. 

The Danish international came through Aalborg BK's youth ranks and he quickly attracted the interest of Belgian side Genk in 2017, replacing Timothy Castagne who had moved to Atalanta. Mæhl established himself and played 129 games and won a league title in 2018/19, Genk's first since 2011.

Last season, Castagne moved to Leicester and in January, like Genk, Atalanta also saw Mæhl as the perfect replacement for the Castagne, giving him 24 games since his arrival at the start of the year. 

His growth at Genk saw him called up to the Danish national team for the first time in October 2020, featuring 14 times since and scoring four goals.

Attributes: The Atalanta's star played almost his entire career as a right defender/full-back, but for his national team, Mæhle has played all four Euro 2020 games on the left-side, showing his versatility with the ability to play on both wings; a massive asset for any manager.

The intelligence of his off-ball movements allied with his tremendous speed allows Mæhle to make overlapping runs into the box, which gives his side a huge advantage when attacking. Mæhle has also shown an ability to playmake from an inside fullback position, much like João Cancelo does at Manchester City, using his superb passing range. His decision-making also has been improving in recent years, despite only recording six assists between Genk and Atalanta last season.

At the other end of the pitch, he's not the ultimate defender, but he is capable of doing his job effectively and has an amazing work rate. But even so, because he is such an attacking full-back, any manager would be smart to use him in a defensive line with three centre-backs, allowing Mæhle to show his best football and not expose him to opposition attackers.

Comparable players: Leicester's wing-back Timothy Castagne. Both players have had near-identical career paths, and play the same way on the pitch, with the systems they play at club level highlighting their attacking qualities. Currently the Belgian international defends better than Mæhle, but the Danish defender could be one of the game's best wing-backs if he continues improving at his current rate.

©Getty / Eurasia Sport Images

Key Stat: Mæhle is joint-second with Eden Hazard and Mateo Kovacic for most successful dribbles (11) at Euro 2020, only behind Netherlands' playmaker Frankie de Jong (16).

Playmaker Potential Score: 8.5/10. The context of how Denmark are currently playing and their togetherness due to what happened to their star Christian Eriksen might be helping Mæhle play the best football of his career. Even so, his first six months at Atalanta have shown why he has the potential to be one of the best wing-backs in Europe in the not too distant future.

Profile

Name: Joakim Mæhle Pedersen
Position: Right-back/Right wing-back/Left-back/Left wing-back
Date of Birth: 20 May 1997
Team and Number: Atalanta, #3
Nationality/Eligability: Danish, Denmark