Showcase cards: 16 Danish players chosen by six selection rules, and the 2025/26 pool
16 cards, one player per position group under each of six selection rules.
How to read it: each card shows one player’s 2025/26 numbers, his cluster in the style and quality maps, the change since the previous season and his nearest historical analogs; the rule that chose him is at the foot. The atlas below plots every player-season of 2025/26.
How the 16 cards were chosen
Why these cards: one card per position group per rule, applied in this order — (a) highest goals + assists per 90, league-adjusted, (b) youngest national-team call-up, (c) most top-9 minutes among the UEFA Euro 2024 squad, (d) most domestic-league minutes among the UEFA Euro 2024 squad, (e) most top-9 minutes, (f) most domestic minutes under 23 without a top-9 season. A player already chosen by an earlier rule falls through to the next name, so a later row can show the second name by its measure. Rows group the six rules; the national-team core row holds two of them.
Style mapOlder forwards with moderate playing timeQuality mapHigh-card-rate forwards
Author’s reading (not computed)
Experienced forwards on managed minutes — median age 31, about 40 % of minutes, output at median. The impact or target forward used in rotation (Holten, Nartey, Dolberg).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
↑change+0.07G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1368 min → 932 min)
Historical analogs at age 21 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
LázaroBRA
ESP-La Liga 2022/23 · 716 min · 0.45 ·
d = 0.44
Adam HložekCZE
GER-Bundesliga 2022/23 · 1286 min · 0.42 ·
d = 0.47
Valentin MihailaROU
ITA-Serie A 2020/21 · 698 min · 0.38 ·
d = 0.53
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025
Selected as: highest goals + assists per 90, league-adjusted among FW.
Veteran rotation midfielders — median age 30 on managed minutes (40 %), output at median, card rate above it. Experience kept in the squad rather than on the pitch every week (Jørgensen, Vallys, Eriksen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
↑change+0.24G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 2682 min → 1449 min)
Historical analogs at age 22 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Noni MaduekeENG
ENG-Premier League 2023/24 · 1053 min · 0.37 ·
d = 0.54
Kai HavertzGER
ENG-Premier League 2020/21 · 1520 min · 0.32 ·
d = 0.62
Crysencio SummervilleNED
ENG-Premier League 2022/23 · 1426 min · 0.31 ·
d = 0.67
Selected as: highest goals + assists per 90, league-adjusted among MF.
Style mapHigh-assist forwardsQuality mapHigh-volume scorers in top-five leagues
Author’s reading (not computed)
Creators from the front line — assist rate more than double the forward median on rotation minutes (38 %), scoring at median. Wide forwards and second strikers who feed the box rather than occupy it (Højlund, Jensen, Bech).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
↑change+0.14G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 2004 min → 2750 min)
Historical analogs at age 23 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Khvicha KvaratskheliaGEO
ITA-Serie A 2023/24 · 2737 min · 0.44 ·
d = 0.20
Vinicius JúniorBRA
ESP-La Liga 2022/23 · 2823 min · 0.45 ·
d = 0.41
Joshua ZirkzeeNED
ITA-Serie A 2023/24 · 2759 min · 0.35 ·
d = 0.54
UEFA Euro 2024
Selected as: most top-9 minutes among UEFA Euro 2024 squad FW.
Veteran rotation midfielders — median age 30 on managed minutes (40 %), output at median, card rate above it. Experience kept in the squad rather than on the pitch every week (Jørgensen, Vallys, Eriksen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change+0.04G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1061 min → 2410 min)
Historical analogs at age 34 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Pascal GroßGER
GER-Bundesliga 2024/25 · 2327 min · 0.25 ·
d = 0.12
Christopher TrimmelAUT
GER-Bundesliga 2020/21 · 2572 min · 0.25 ·
d = 0.22
Ivan RakitićCRO
ESP-La Liga 2021/22 · 2182 min · 0.25 ·
d = 0.32
UEFA Euro 2024
Selected as: most top-9 minutes among UEFA Euro 2024 squad MF.
Style mapHigh-assist defenders with high playing timeQuality mapYoung low-minute defenders
Author’s reading (not computed)
Attacking full-backs — assist rate seven times the DF median on starter minutes (65 %). The wide defender whose job ends in the final third (Nelsson, Rieper, Andersen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change+0.02G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 2583 min → 2875 min)
Historical analogs at age 30 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Joël VeltmanNED
ENG-Premier League 2021/22 · 2874 min · 0.06 ·
d = 0.21
Omar AlderetePAR
ENG-Premier League 2025/26 · 2798 min · 0.06 ·
d = 0.24
Nélson SemedoPOR
ENG-Premier League 2022/23 · 2632 min · 0.03 ·
d = 0.33
UEFA Euro 2024
Selected as: most top-9 minutes among UEFA Euro 2024 squad DF.
Starting playmakers — assist rate three times the midfield median on 62 % of minutes, scoring nearly double. The creative hub of the middle third (Grønning, Oggesen, Nielsen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change−0.04G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1649 min → 1009 min)
Historical analogs at age 35 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Jan KopicCZE
CZE-First League 2024/25 · 1023 min · 0.14 ·
d = 0.45
Paweł OlkowskiPOL
POL-Ekstraklasa 2024/25 · 744 min · 0.09 ·
d = 0.48
Florent MolletFRA
SUI-Super League 2025/26 · 1183 min · 0.07 ·
d = 0.50
UEFA Euro 2024
Selected as: most domestic minutes among UEFA Euro 2024 squad MF.
Development defenders — median age 22, about a third of minutes, output at the floor. The tier the 23–25 cohort draws from (Dalsgaard, Nielsen, Sørensen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change−0.02G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1417 min → 988 min)
Historical analogs at age 36 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Haitam AleesamiNOR
NOR-Eliteserien 2026/27 · 1041 min · 0.03 ·
d = 0.09
Kian HansenDEN
DEN-Superliga 2024/25 · 1122 min · 0.02 ·
d = 0.22
Brian HamalainenDEN
DEN-Superliga 2024/25 · 801 min · 0.02 ·
d = 0.27
UEFA Euro 2024
Selected as: most domestic minutes among UEFA Euro 2024 squad DF.
Ball-winning, duel-heavy midfielders — the card rate (about 2.5 times the midfield median) is the defining feature, production at the floor of the group. The destroyer profile, often in a double pivot (Davidsen, Pedersen, Janssen).
Historical analogs at age 21 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
GaviESP
ESP-La Liga 2024/25 · 1085 min · 0.15 ·
d = 0.10
Yan CoutoBRA
ESP-La Liga 2022/23 · 1158 min · 0.17 ·
d = 0.19
Romano SchmidAUT
GER-Bundesliga 2020/21 · 1177 min · 0.17 ·
d = 0.22
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025
Selected as: youngest national-team call-up among MF.
Experienced defenders on managed minutes — median age 31, 44 % of minutes, output at the floor. Leadership and cover rather than a starting role (Høgsberg, Flö, Markmann).
Historical analogs at age 22 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Alessandro BuongiornoITA
ITA-Serie A 2020/21 · 858 min · 0.01 ·
d = 0.04
Bosko SutaloCRO
ITA-Serie A 2021/22 · 920 min · 0.01 ·
d = 0.12
Adam ObertSVK
ITA-Serie A 2023/24 · 941 min · 0.01 ·
d = 0.15
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025
Selected as: youngest national-team call-up among DF.
Style mapHigh-assist forwardsQuality mapHigh-volume scorers in top-five leagues
Author’s reading (not computed)
Creators from the front line — assist rate more than double the forward median on rotation minutes (38 %), scoring at median. Wide forwards and second strikers who feed the box rather than occupy it (Højlund, Jensen, Bech).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
↑change+0.09G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1110 min → 2615 min)
Historical analogs at age 24 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Francis AmuzuBEL
BEL-Pro League 2022/23 · 2299 min · 0.22 ·
d = 0.43
Juan SantosBRA
TUR-Süper Lig 2025/26 · 2571 min · 0.25 ·
d = 0.46
Chukwubuikem IkwuemesiNGA
BEL-Pro League 2024/25 · 2329 min · 0.20 ·
d = 0.46
Style mapHigh-scoring attacking midfieldersQuality mapProductive midfielders in top-five leagues
Author’s reading (not computed)
Goal-scoring attacking midfielders — non-penalty goal rate three times the midfield median on starter minutes (56 %). The number 8/10 who arrives in the box (Frendrup, Froholdt, Jørgensen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change−0.02G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 3103 min → 3081 min)
Historical analogs at age 25 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Kaishū SanoJPN
GER-Bundesliga 2024/25 · 3043 min · 0.04 ·
d = 0.35
Maxime LopezFRA
ITA-Serie A 2021/22 · 2938 min · 0.09 ·
d = 0.41
Philipp TreuGER
GER-Bundesliga 2024/25 · 2881 min · 0.08 ·
d = 0.49
Selected as: most top-9 league minutes among MF.
Victor NelssonNordsjællandDF0.01G+A / 90 adj.—Career →
DFNordsjælland
Victor Nelsson
DF · 28 · Nordsjælland (2026/27)
2025/26 · Hellas Verona · ITA-Serie A
G+A / 90 adj.
0.01
Non-penalty goals / assists per 90
0.00 / 0.00
Minutes
3315 (97 %)
Style mapHigh-assist defenders with high playing timeQuality mapYoung low-minute defenders
Author’s reading (not computed)
Attacking full-backs — assist rate seven times the DF median on starter minutes (65 %). The wide defender whose job ends in the final third (Nelsson, Rieper, Andersen).
Historical analogs at age 28 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Federico BaschirottoITA
ITA-Serie A 2023/24 · 3294 min · 0.02 ·
d = 0.17
Johan VásquezMEX
ITA-Serie A 2025/26 · 3215 min · 0.02 ·
d = 0.21
Sebastiano LupertoITA
ITA-Serie A 2023/24 · 3406 min · 0.04 ·
d = 0.34
Selected as: most top-9 league minutes among DF.
Most domestic minutes under 23, no top-9 season yet
Style mapHigh-assist forwardsQuality mapHigh-volume scorers in top-five leagues
Author’s reading (not computed)
Creators from the front line — assist rate more than double the forward median on rotation minutes (38 %), scoring at median. Wide forwards and second strikers who feed the box rather than occupy it (Højlund, Jensen, Bech).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change+0.01G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1582 min → 2330 min)
Historical analogs at age 23 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Daniel KarlsbakkNOR
NOR-Eliteserien 2025/26 · 2347 min · 0.17 ·
d = 0.11
Tobias BechDEN
DEN-Superliga 2024/25 · 2262 min · 0.15 ·
d = 0.12
Bohdan ViunnykUKR
POL-Ekstraklasa 2024/25 · 2329 min · 0.16 ·
d = 0.33
Selected as: most domestic-league minutes among under-23 FW without a top-9 season.
Style mapOlder rotation midfieldersQuality mapProductive midfielders in top-five leagues
Author’s reading (not computed)
Veteran rotation midfielders — median age 30 on managed minutes (40 %), output at median, card rate above it. Experience kept in the squad rather than on the pitch every week (Jørgensen, Vallys, Eriksen).
Trajectory 2024/25 → 2025/26
→change+0.03G+A / 90 adj.(one season, 1741 min → 2579 min)
Historical analogs at age 21 (d = distance on three standardised features: league-adjusted goals + assists per 90, minutes, league multiplier)
Jens Hjertø-DahlNOR
NOR-Eliteserien 2025/26 · 2372 min · 0.11 ·
d = 0.33
Mateusz KowalczykPOL
POL-Ekstraklasa 2024/25 · 2465 min · 0.12 ·
d = 0.38
Tomasz PieńkoPOL
POL-Ekstraklasa 2024/25 · 2487 min · 0.10 ·
d = 0.41
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025
Selected as: most domestic-league minutes among under-23 MF without a top-9 season.
Westerlo (BEL-Pro League) · 44 % of the league's goals scored
UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2025
Selected as: most top-9 minutes among home goalkeepers.
* Each card renders the existing dataset; no computation beyond the join. Age on the name line is the 2026/27 season-start age (start year − birth year); the club is from the 2026/27 tables, or — labelled "latest known" — from FBref's country page where the player has no 2026/27 row. Age on the analog line follows the analog finder's convention (season start year + 1 − birth year).
The atlas: every player-season of 2025/26, one dot each
How to read it: every dot is the 2025/26 season of one of the forwards in the leagues this report covers. The two axes are the first two principal components of his five per-90 numbers (goals, assists, minutes share, age, cards) — dots that sit close together had similar seasons. The style projection uses the raw numbers, the quality projection the league-adjusted ones, so switching shows who moves when the strength of his league is counted. Colours are the clusters named below; green dots are Danish-eligible players, a black ring marks a national-team call-up. Hover a dot for the player, click to pin, scroll to zoom, type a name to find him.How to read it: every dot is the 2025/26 season of one of the midfielders in the leagues this report covers. The two axes are the first two principal components of his five per-90 numbers (goals, assists, minutes share, age, cards) — dots that sit close together had similar seasons. The style projection uses the raw numbers, the quality projection the league-adjusted ones, so switching shows who moves when the strength of his league is counted. Colours are the clusters named below; green dots are Danish-eligible players, a black ring marks a national-team call-up. Hover a dot for the player, click to pin, scroll to zoom, type a name to find him.How to read it: every dot is the 2025/26 season of one of the defenders in the leagues this report covers. The two axes are the first two principal components of his five per-90 numbers (goals, assists, minutes share, age, cards) — dots that sit close together had similar seasons. The style projection uses the raw numbers, the quality projection the league-adjusted ones, so switching shows who moves when the strength of his league is counted. Colours are the clusters named below; green dots are Danish-eligible players, a black ring marks a national-team call-up. Hover a dot for the player, click to pin, scroll to zoom, type a name to find him.
Every player in the 2025/26 pool — all 244, searchable
The cards above pick by rule. This is everyone with a 2025/26 season in the data: 38 forwards, 113 midfielders, 67 defenders and 26 goalkeepers. Open a name for what the report measures about him, in plain words. Rank is within his own position group on quality-adjusted production; the two arrows mark a mid-season move.
244 of 244
PlayerAgePosClubMinutesRank
No player matches. The pool is every Danish-eligible player with a season row in the leagues this report covers; a player in a league it does not cover is not here.
How we know
As an analytics question In numbers: 16 showcase cards chosen from the 2025/26 pool by six selection rules, one per position group per rule.
What we did We matched each player's season to his national-team call-ups and photo, then picked one player per position group under each of six rules.
Sources 2025/26 FBref, Wikipedia and Wikidata rows joined by name and birth year; six selection rules, applied in order — see below.
What this means
The cards are examples chosen by rule, not a ranking or a selection: a player appears because he comes first under a rule, and a later rule skips anyone already chosen. A card’s numbers are one season’s; the analogs show what followed for similar player-seasons, not what will follow for this player.
What this does not show
Players the rules did not pick (the full pool is in the list below), anything beyond the five season numbers, and any prediction for a player.
Data snapshot: FBref tables fetched 14 September 2026, snapshot commit ef7dbd4 · code: src/historical_analogs.py, src/render.py (_build_cards), src/pool_table.py · status: exploratory, not pre-registered · all limitations
