Lukas Kirkegaard
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lukas Emil Kirkegaard | ||
| Date of birth | 31 August 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Viborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Viborg | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Viborg | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024– | Viborg | 15 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2026– | Denmark U21 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:23, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 01:48, 2 April 2026 (UTC) | |||
Lukas Emil Kirkegaard (born 31 August 2005) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Danish Superliga club Viborg. He has also made an appearance for the Denmark national under-21 football team.
Career
Kirkegaard is a product of Viborg, where he spent his entire youth career.[2][3] After several years within the Viborg youth system, he became regularly involved with Viborg's first team during the 2023–24 Danish Superliga season. Though he was frequently on the bench during league matches, he did not see any playing time.[4][5] In December 2023, he agreed to and signed a new contract with the club, which saw his contract extended until June 2025. At the same time, it was announced that he would be permanently promoted to the first-team squad beginning in the 2024–25 season.[6]
On 4 September 2024, Kirkegaard made his debut, coming on in the 75th minute to replace Thomas Jørgensen in a Danish Cup match against AC Horsens.[7][8] A few days later, on 16 September 2024, Kirkegaard extended his contract with Viborg until June 2028.[9] In a Danish Cup match against Næsby Boldklub, Kirkegaard scored his first professional goal in a 4–1 win in the fourth round.[10]
On 28 March 2025, Kirkegaard made his Danish Superliga debut, coming on in the 88th minute to replace Daniel Anyembe in the 4–0 victory over AaB.[11] His first Superliga goal for the club came on 12 April 2026 when he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Sønderjyske.[12]
International
Kirkegaard made his international for Denmark U21 on 31 March 2026, in a 4–0 win over Wales U21.[13]
Career statistics
- As of match played 17 May 2026[14]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viborg | 2024–25 | Danish Superliga | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 7 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Danish Superliga | 15 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 17 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
- ^ Includes appearances in the Danish Cup
References
- ^ Lukas Kirkegaard at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Rasmussen, Simon Søndergård (7 March 2026). "Studenterfest endte i tragedie, så nu besøger Viborg-talent gravsted før hver kamp" [A student party ended in tragedy, so now a Viborg talent visits the gravesite before every match]. DR (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Kristensen, Danni (5 December 2023). "En drøm går i opfyldelse: Viborg FF giver ung forsvarsspiller kontrakt" [A dream comes true: Viborg FF gives a young defender a contract]. Viborg Stifts Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Kristensen, Danni (13 October 2023). "Fra seriebold til førsteholdsbejler på et år: Ung Viborg-spiller tager den svære vej til topfodbold" [rom lower-league football to a first-team contender in one year: A young Viborg FF player takes the hard road to top-level football]. Viborg Stifts Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Schmidt, Martin (4 December 2023). "Fem mand ude: Viborg udtager mulig debutant mod FCM" [Five players out: Viborg names a possible debutant against FCM]. Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Bak, Daniel (5 December 2023). "Viborg belønner kommende førsteholdsspiller" [Viborg rewards an upcoming first-team player]. Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ "Horsens vs Viborg". Soccerway. 4 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ "Lukas Emil Kirkegaard forlænger til 2028". Viborg FF (in Danish). 16 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Bech, Malthe (16 September 2024). "Viborg forlænger med forsvarstalent" [Viborg extends the contract of a defensive talent]. Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ "Viborgs reserver slår Næsby ud og avancerer i pokalen" [Viborg's reserves beat Næsby and advance in the cup]. Berlingske (in Danish). Ritzau. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Kristensen, Danni (30 March 2025). "Så kom debuten endelig: En drengedrøm gik i opfyldelse for Viborg-knægt". Viborg Stifts Folkeblad (in Danish). Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ "Viborg sejrer i Haderslev efter grusom situation" [Viborg triumphs in Haderslev after a grim incident]. Tipsbladet (in Danish). Ritzau. 12 April 2026. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ^ Runge, Kristian Stabell (1 April 2026). "Viborg-komet fik landsholdsdebut: Surrealistisk" [A Viborg rising star made his national team debut: Surreal]. Bold (in Danish). Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ Lukas Kirkegaard at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
External links
- Lukas Emil Kirkegaard national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
- Lukas Kirkegaard at Soccerway