Anton Gaaei

Anton Gaaei
Gaeei playing for Ajax in 2026
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002
Place of birth Viborg, Denmark
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Ajax
Number 3
Youth career
Bruunshåb/Tapdrup IF
Overlund GF
Viborg
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Viborg 38 (0)
2023– Ajax 76 (5)
2023– Jong Ajax 8 (0)
International career‡
2022 Denmark U20 2 (0)
2023–2025 Denmark U21 18 (0)
2025– Denmark 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:32, 17 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 11:19, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

Anton Gaaei (Danish pronunciation: [ˈænˌtsʰʌn ˈkɑjˀ], born 19 November 2002) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Eredivisie club Ajax and the Denmark national team.

Club career

Viborg FF

Anton Gaaei started his career in Bruunshåb/Tapdrup IF and then passed by Overlund GF, before he moved to Viborg.[1] From the summer 2020, Gaaei began training regular with the first team. On 2 September 2020, Gaaei got his official debut for Viborg, as he came on from the bench in the 76th minute against FC Fredericia in the Danish Cup.[2] Three months later, in December 2020, Gaaei signed a new deal with Viborg until June 2023.[1]

In his youth, Gaaei was primarily a winger, but was later converted to right-back. On 1 April 2022, Gaaei got his league debut for Viborg and Danish Superliga debut in a game an against SønderjyskE.[3] Gaaei ended the 2021–22 season with six league appearances. He became a regular starter in the 2022–23 season, making 37 appearances across all competitions.[4]

Ajax

On 17 August 2023, Gaaei officially joined Eredivisie side Ajax for a reported fee of DKr35 million[5] (about €4.5 million),[6] signing a five-year contract with the Dutch club.[5][6][7] In the process, he broke the transfer record as Viborg's highest-grossing sale.[5][8]

Gaaei made his competitive debut for the club on 3 September 2023, replacing Devyne Rensch in the 62nd minute of a 0–0 away league draw against Fortuna Sittard.[9][10] He faced criticism for his early performances, with analysts highlighting defensive frailties.[11] In De Klassieker against Feyenoord on 24 September, Gaaei started but made two errors leading to goals and was substituted after only 32 minutes.[12][13] On 25 February 2024, in a match against AZ, Gaaei was again substituted in the first half.[14] Despite these difficulties, he scored his first goal for the club with a volley against Go Ahead Eagles in April 2024, which won the club's Goal of the Month award.[15] He finished his debut season with 34 first-team appearances across all competitions, while also featuring 8 times for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie.[4]

Gaaei began the 2024–25 season positively by scoring the decisive penalty in the record-breaking 34-penalty shootout against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on 15 August 2024.[16] Under new manager Francesco Farioli, Gaaei established himself as a regular part of the first-team squad, competing for the starting right-back position and making frequent appearances.[17] He scored his first two Eredivisie goals for Ajax during the season, netting twice by mid-March 2025.[4] He also provided a key assist during De Klassieker against Feyenoord on 2 February 2025, contributing to Ajax's 2–1 victory.[18]

International career

Gaaei represented Denmark at the under-20 level, earning two caps in 2022.[4] He made his debut for the Denmark U21 team in November 2022.[19] He subsequently became a regular for the U21 side, participating in friendly matches and the qualification campaign for the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[4][19] As of March 2025, he had earned 14 caps for the under-21 team.[4]

Personal life

Anton Gaaei is the son of former Viborg FF player, Carsten Gaaei, who later also coached at several clubs.[20][21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 August 2026[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Viborg 2021–22 Danish Superliga 6010——70
2022–23 Danish Superliga 280415[b]0—371
2023–24 Danish Superliga 4000——40
Total 3805150—461
Ajax 2023–24 Eredivisie 251108[c]0—341
2024–25 Eredivisie 2531014[d]0—403
2025–26 Eredivisie 261217[e]11[f]0363
2026–27 Eredivisie 00003[b]1—31
Total 76541322101138
Jong Ajax 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 80———80
Career total 122592372101679
  1. ↑ Includes Danish Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  3. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Europa League, three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ↑ Appearance in European play-offs

International

As of match played 10 June 2025
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Denmark 202510
Total10

References

  1. 1 2 Gaaei belønnes med kontrakt, vff.dk, 6 December 2020
  2. ↑ FREDERICIA VS. VIBORG 1 - 1, fcn.dk, 2 September 2020
  3. ↑ VIBORG VS. SØNDERJYSKE 2 - 1, soccerway.com, 1 April 2022
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Anton Gaaei at Soccerway
  5. 1 2 3 Korse, Otto Christian (17 August 2023). "Officielt: Anton Gaaei skifter til Ajax i rekordhandel". bold.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Zevende nieuwe speler voor Ajax: rechtsback Gaaei komt over van Viborg". NOS.nl (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ajax contracteert Anton Gaaei". AFC Ajax (in Dutch). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Anton Gaaei solgt til AFC Ajax". Viborg FF (in Danish). 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Fortuna Sittard vs. Ajax 0-0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "Vernieuwd Ajax raakt verder achterop door teleurstellend gelijkspel bij Fortuna". NU (in Dutch). 3 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Rofekamp, Tom (21 September 2023). "Jack van Gelder test Ajacied nu al af: 'Heb liever iemand die kan verdedigen'". Voetbalzone (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Dissonant Gaaei krijgt wind gigantisch van voren: 'Zo naïef, dit is echt zielig'". Voetbalprimeur (in Dutch). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Vlietstra, Bart (24 September 2023). "Een schouderduw van Feyenoorder Timber en Ajacied Gaaei kukelt omver, het past binnen de nieuwe machtsverhoudingen". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "'Gaaei na bijna fatale fout opnieuw voor rust gewisseld bij Ajax'". Voetbal International (in Dutch). 25 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  15. ↑ "Gaaei wint Goal of the Month: 'Beste gevoel dat ik dit seizoen heb gehad'". Ajax.nl. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "Penaltyreeks Ajax gaat wereld over: 'Misschien de meest dramatische ooit'". Voetbal Primeur. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "Europa League 2024/25: Francesco Farioli's Ajax Vs Okan Buruk's Galatasaray – Tactical Analysis". Total Football Analysis Magazine. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  18. ↑ "Gaaei: 'This day deserves a ten'". Ajax. 3 February 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  19. 1 2 Anton Gaaei national team profile at the Danish Football Association (in Danish)
  20. ↑ Vild forvandling: Nu afslører dansker genistregen, tipsbladet.dk, 14 April 2024
  21. ↑ Carsten har altid været sælger og sportsmand: Han blev kendt, da han spillede på Viborg FF's førstehold, hvor sønnen Anton i dag spiller, viborg-folkeblad.dk, 17 June 2023
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