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Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen has named Italian legend Francesco Totti and Danish great Michael Laudrup as two of his footballing idols while growing up as a child.
Totti is considered the best AS Roma player of all time after spending 28 years of his life with the Serie A outfit. He helped his boyhood club lift five trophies, including the 2000-01 Serie A title. With 250 Serie A goals to his name, the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner is second on the all-time goal-scoring list in the domestic competition.
Laudrup, on the other hand, is a two-time Danish Player of the Year award winner. He lifted 15 trophies during his illustrious career, spread across clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Ajax. He led Denmark to the quarter-final stage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
During one of the most recent MUTV Fans' Q&A sessions, Eriksen was asked about his footballing idols growing up. He responded to the fan:
"I had two. Totti because I played Football Manager and then, after, it was Laudrup. Michael Laudrup, the one and only. Just because he was Danish and I liked his style."
Eriksen, 30, joined Manchester United on a free transfer earlier in July after departing Brentford at the end of last season. He has been in fine form for Erik ten Hag's side, scoring one goal and contributing six assists in 20 appearances across all competitions this campaign.
A set-piece specialist renowned for his stellar playmaking abilities, he represents Denmark at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He is expected to feature for his national team in their final Group D clash against Australia on Wednesday (30 November).
Christian Eriksen opens up on his reason behind joining Manchester United
Speaking to Viaplay (via Sport Witness), Christian Eriksen shared his joy in joining Manchester United during the close season. He said:
"It is one of the biggest clubs in the world. It was a redemption after what had happened earlier, and like proving that you could get an offer from Manchester United. It was great. It's a huge club I've joined. I had enough opportunities. I had enough options to choose from, but it was all about finding the right one."
Eriksen, who featured in 11 Premier League games for Brentford during the 2021-22 campaign after joining in January this year, continued:
"Of course, Brentford wanted me to stay, but I would say, where I am in my career, I had the opportunity to step up to what I had dreamed of and hoped for. I wanted to kickstart my career by going to an even bigger address club and I succeeded."
