Laura Blindkilde Brown
|
Blindkilde in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Laura Madison Blindkilde Brown | ||
| Date of birth | 9 September 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Worcester, Worcestershire, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder[3] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Manchester City | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Warndon Villages | |||
| Aston Villa | |||
| Birmingham City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Birmingham City | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2024 | Aston Villa | 41 | (0) |
| 2024– | Manchester City | 34 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2019 | England U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | England U19 | 11 | (0) |
| 2022– | England U23 | 16 | (2) |
| 2024– | England | 4 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 11:15, 20 March 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:20, 7 March 2026 (UTC) | |||
Laura Madison Blindkilde Brown (Danish: [ˈple̝nˀˌkʰile]; born 9 September 2003) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the England national team. She previously played for Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and has represented England at youth level.
Early life
Blindkilde played football with Warndon Villages Boys until aged 9. She then joined the Aston Villa academy having trailed for the under-11s, prior to joining Birmingham City five years later.[4] She attended Tudor Grange Academy in Worcester followed by Worcester Sixth Form College.[5][6]
Club career
Birmingham City
Blindkilde played for the under-21 academy team at Birmingham City before making her senior debut for the club on 11 December 2019 as a stoppage time substitute against Manchester United in a 3–1 League Cup group stage defeat. She made her FA Women's Super League debut the following month, on 5 January 2020 in a 2–0 defeat to Arsenal.
Aston Villa
In June 2020, Blindkilde moved to Aston Villa, initially playing with the club's academy team. On 9 September 2021, she signed her first professional contract for Aston Villa. She chose to switch from playing under her surname "Brown" to displaying her Danish middle name "Blindkilde" on the back of her shirt for the 2021–22 season.[7] Blindkilde was named Aston Villa Women's Young Player of the Season for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, having played in all but one WSL fixture in the latter.[8][9] She finished her career with Villa having made over 50 appearances for the club.[5]
Manchester City
On 31 January 2024, Blindkilde signed for WSL club Manchester City on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £200,000.[10][11] On 21 April 2024, she scored her debut goal for City against West Ham United in a 5–0 victory, helping the team reach the top of the table after a 13th consecutive league win.[12]
Brown began the 2025–26 season in good form with 6 consecutive starts for City. She won the supporter's Player of the Month award for September 2025,[13][14] and was awarded Player of the Match the following month in a 2–1 win over Liverpool, playing a key role in City's dominant performance.[15] A week later, in a League Cup group stage match against Newcastle United, Blindkilde scored the winning penalty during the sudden-death shoot-out.[16]
International career
Youth
Blindkilde has represented England at under-17,[17] under-19,[18] and under-23 level. She is eligible to represent Denmark through her Danish mother, but has stated that she only wishes to play for England.[19]
Blindkilde was first called up to the England under-23 team on 25 August 2022 for a fixture against Norway.[20] She made her debut later in that match on 2 September, coming on as a 83rd minute substitute in a 2–1 win over Norway under-23s.[21] On 6 April 2023, Blindkilde scored her first youth international goal with the under-23s against Portugal in a 3–2 victory.[22] On 24 October 2024, 18 months later, she scored her second goal for the under-23s in a 1–1 draw with the Netherlands.[23]
Senior
Blindkilde received her first senior call-up on 19 November 2024 for the friendly fixtures against the United States and Switzerland.[24] On 3 December, she made her debut against Switzerland as part of the starting eleven in a 1–0 result.[25] Blindkilde has been awarded the Legacy number 233 by The Football Association.[26] In June 2025, she was named as a standby player for UEFA Euro 2025,[27] before returning to the senior squad for friendly fixtures in October.[14]
Style of play
After joining Manchester City in January 2024, Blindkilde played in a number 10 role, in advanced positions or on the wing, before moving into a more defensive central midfield position by October 2025, nearer to the defensive line. England under-23 manager Emma Coates described her diverse skillset as emphasised by her "quality on the ball" rather than tactical positioning and is considered as a defensive midfielder, akin to Keira Walsh, for the England senior team.[13][14]
Personal life
Blindkilde was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and received keyhole surgery on her heart.[19]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 15 March 2026.[2]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Birmingham City | 2019–20 | Women's Super League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| Aston Villa | 2020–21 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Women's Super League | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 1 | — | 58 | 2 | |||
| Manchester City | 2023–24 | Women's Super League | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Women's Super League | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 23 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Women's Super League | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 24 | 1 | ||
| Total | 34 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 53 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 76 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 113 | 5 | ||
International
- As of match played 7 March 2026[2]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Honours
Individual
- Aston Villa Women's Young Player of the Season: 2021–22,[8] 2022–23[9]
References
- ^ "Laura Blindkilde Brown". England Football. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "L. Blindkilde Brown". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024.
- ^ "Laura Blindkilde Brown". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ Laura Blindkilde, Brown (12 December 2024). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: My grassroots story". England Football. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ a b Fofana, Aida; Edwards, Tom (5 December 2024). "Lioness' England debut inspires Worcester pupils at her former school". BBC News. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Gardner, Theo (5 June 2025). "Former Worcester Sixth Form student named on standby for Euro 2025 squad". Worcester News. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "Laura Blindkilde Brown pens first pro deal". avfc.co.uk. 9 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Star. ⭐@laurablindkilde is our Young Player of the Season for 2022/23! ✨". Twitter. Aston Villa FC. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ a b Kelsey, George (1 February 2024). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: 10 things you didn't know". Manchester City F.C.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (29 January 2024). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: Aston Villa midfielder one of three deadline day signings for Manchester City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ Hunsley, James (31 January 2024). "Man City confirm big-money Laura Blindkilde Brown signing from Aston Villa as they look to keep chase with Emma Hayes' Chelsea in WSL title race". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ Millington, Adam (21 April 2024). "Manchester City 5-0 West Ham: City cruise to victory to go top of Women's Super League". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ a b "WSL talking points: Arsenal face dilemma and Blindkilde Brown gives Wiegman nudge". The Guardian. 13 October 2025. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ a b c Ruszkai, Ameé (24 October 2025). "Why Man City star Laura Blindkilde Brown can be the answer to one of the Lionesses' longest standing issues". Goal.com. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Carthew, Megan (12 October 2025). "Liverpool 1-2 Man City: Dramatic endings see Man City take home the points". VAVEL. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ Dunn, Carrie (19 October 2025). "Laura Blindkilde Brown scores decisive penalty for Manchester City". SheKicks. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ^ "England squad". thefa.com. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Davies, Callum (24 June 2022). "WU19s squad named for EUROs". England Football. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ a b Ruszkai, Ameé (26 June 2022). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: England's De Bruyne-inspired teen who overcame heart surgery". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Davies, Callum (25 August 2024). "England WU23s squad to face Norway". England Football. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Veevers, Nicholas (2 September 2022). "Norway 1-2 England WU23s". England Football. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Smith, Frank (6 April 2024). "Report: Portugal 2-3 England WU23". England Football. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Drury, Adam (24 October 2024). "Report: England WU23s 1-1 Netherlands". England Football. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (19 November 2024). "Hemp to miss England matches after knee surgery". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ Hunter, Laura (3 December 2024). "England Women 1-0 Switzerland Women: Grace Clinton earns victory as Lionesses close out international calendar for 2024". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ "England women's senior team legacy and results archive". England Football. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (5 June 2025). "James and Agyemang in England's Euro 2025 squad". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
External links
- Laura Blindkilde Brown at Manchester City F.C.
- Laura Blindkilde at Soccerway (archive)
- Laura Brown – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Laura Brown at WorldFootball.net