Joakim Mæhle Pedersen (born 20 May 1997) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a full-back for club VfL Wolfsburg and the Denmark national team.
Club career
AaB Born in Østervrå, Vendsyssel, Mæhle started playing football with local club Østervrå IF and moved to the AaB youth academy as a 12-year-old. At the age of 19, Mæhle was promoted into the first team squad on 10 June 2016 and also signed a full-time senior contract with AaB. He made his debut for AaB on 7 August 2016. He started on the bench, but replaced Thomas Enevoldsen in the 89th minute in a 2–1 victory against FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga.
On 11 November 2016, Mæhle earned a new contract until 2020. In April 2017, AaB confirmed that they were in negotiations with a foreign club about Mæhle.
Genk On 9 May 2017, AaB confirmed that they had sold Mæhle to Belgian club Racing Genk for an undisclosed fee, starting from 1 July 2017.AaB sælger Mæhle til KRC Genk‚ aabsport.dk, 9 May 2017 He was signed to succeed right-back Timothy Castagne, who had moved to Atalanta. Mæhle made his debut for Genk on 29 July 2017 in the first league match of the season against Waasland-Beveren as a substitute for Amine Khammas. In his first season with the club, he was not a fixed starter, competing with Clinton Mata for his position. In his second season, after Mata's departure to Club Brugge, he won a permanent starting position. That season, Mæhle grew into a key player in the Genk starting eleven. At the end of the season, Genk won the Belgian championship.
On 11 September 2019, Mæhle extended his contract until June 2023.Mæhle forlænger aftalen med belgiske mestre, bold.dk, 11 September 2019
Atalanta Genk announced on 22 December 2020 that Mæhle had signed for Atalanta on a five-year contract for a fee of €10 million. His transfer was made official on 4 January 2021. He made his Serie A debut for Atalanta on 6 January in the club's 3–0 win over Parma. On 28 February, Mæhle provided an assist in Atalanta's 2–0 win over Sampdoria. Mæhle scored his first goal for Atalanta in a 6–2 Serie A victory over Udinese on 9 January 2022.
VfL Wolfsburg In August 2023, Mæhle joined VfL Wolfsburg for a fee of reportedly around €12 million. On 16 September 2023 he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 win against 1. FC Union Berlin.
International career Mæhle made his Denmark national team debut on 5 September 2020 in a Nations League game against Belgium; he substituted Martin Braithwaite in the 72nd minute of a 2–0 home loss. He scored his first international goal in a friendly against the Faroe Islands on 7 October 2020.
In June 2021, he was included in the national team's bid for 2020 UEFA Euro, where the team reached the semi-finals.
On 12 October 2021, Maehle scored the only goal as Denmark defeated Austria to secure a place at the World Cup in Qatar.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAaB2016–17Danish Superliga24130––271Genk2017–18Belgian Pro League25020––2702018–19Belgian Pro League39321130–5442019–20Belgian Pro League2502160–3312020–21Belgian Pro League16100––161Total105462190–1306Atalanta2020–21Serie A2003020–2502021–22Serie A2611181–3532022–23Serie A34320––363Total80461101–966VfL Wolfsburg2023–24Bundesliga30230––3322024–25Bundesliga28330––3132025–26Bundesliga16120–202012026–272. Bundesliga5010––60Total79690–20906Career total288152432912034319
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsDenmark20206120211772022111202382202480202550202681Total6312
Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mæhle goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Joakim MæhleNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 7 October 2020 MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark 2 3–0 4–0 Friendly2 31 March 2021 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 8 2–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification3 21 June 2021 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 13 4–1 4–1 UEFA Euro 20204 26 June 2021 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 14 3–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 20205 1 September 2021 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 17 2–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification6 9 October 2021 Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova 20 4–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification7 12 October 2021 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 21 1–0 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification8 12 November 2021 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 22 3–1 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification9 29 March 2022 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 25 1–0 3–0 Friendly10 7 September 2023 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 38 2–0 4–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying11 17 November 2023 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark 42 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying12 7 June 2026 Odense Stadium, Odense, Denmark 59 2–0 Friendly
Honours Genk Belgian First Division A: 2018–19 Atalanta Coppa Italia runner-up: 2020–21
References
External links
Profile at the VfL Wolfsburg website