PLAYER PROFILE

Thomas Gravesen

Position: Midfield

Height: 6'0

Weight: 12st 3lbs

Date of Birth: 1976-03-11 Vejle, Denmark

Thomas Gravesen

Thomas Gravesen began his career with Vejle in his native Denmark before his move to Hamburg in 1997. The German club were attracted by his strength and versatility and, although he is a midfielder, Gravesen often played in a sweeper role for the Bundesliga outfit.

Gravesen has earned many international caps for Denmark and, after a fall-out with the ex-Denmark coach Bo Johansson, Gravesen has returned to prominence as an international since Morten Olsen became the national boss.

With a very good technique and a fierce shot he had no problem making the first-choice eleven at Goodison. He made 33 appearances for Everton in his first season.

However, a combination of injury, suspension and a public disagreement with Walter Smith saw Gravesen's appearances limited in 2001/02. He was restored to the first team by David Moyes, and was a vital part in Everton's late push away from the relegation zone. He also formed an effective midfield duo with Bolton's Stig Toftig in Denmark's 2002 World Cup campaign, and was voted his country's Player of the Tournament.

2002/03 was a much better season for him, as Moyes kept him in the first team, and he was able to find more consistency from regular football. However, he hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in April 2003 when his horrendous challenge on Olivier Bernard went unpunished and lead to Everton scoring the winning goal.

He was ever present in the side during the 2003/04 season, and also for Denmark during their Euro 2004 campaign. The summer of 2004 saw him become a target for former club Hamburg, though Everton were incredibly reluctant to let their star midfielder go. He expressed his discontent at the club, but vowed to stay as long as he could see some kind of improvement in the club's ambition.

Having lead them to an unlikely title charge in the first half of the season, Gravesen could hardly have been disappointed in that respect, but when Real Madrid came calling in January 2005, it was impossible for player or club to resist.

He stayed in Spain for a year and a half, but struggled to settle. He therefore moved to Celtic in August 2006. He began brightly at Celtic Park, scoring in an Old Firm derby and grabbing his first-ever hat-trick against St Mirren.

However, mid-way through the campaign he lost his place and struggled to regain it, meaning he moved on again in August 2007, rejoining former side Everton on a season-long loan.