Laura Blindkilde Brown

Laura Blindkilde
Blindkilde with Aston Villa in 2022
Personal information
Full name Laura Madison Blindkilde Brown
Date of birth (2003-09-09) 9 September 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Height 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) [1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder[2]
Team information
Current team
Manchester City
Number 19
Youth career
Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2020 Birmingham City 1 (0)
2020–2024 Aston Villa 41 (0)
2024– Manchester City 8 (1)
International career
2019 England U17 4 (0)
2021–2022 England U19 11 (0)
2022– England U23 16 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:25, 6 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:14, 27 October 2024 (UTC)[3]

Laura Madison Blindkilde Brown (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 under-23s. She has played for Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and has represented England since under-17 youth level.

Club career

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Birmingham City

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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.[citation needed]

Aston Villa

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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.[4] 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.[5][6]

Manchester City

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On 31 January 2024, Blindkilde signed for WSL club Manchester City on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £200,000.[7][8] 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.[9]

International career

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Blindkilde has represented England at under-17,[10] under-19,[11] 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.[12]

Blindkilde was first called up to the England under-23 team on 25 August 2022 for a fixture against Norway.[13] 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.[14] On 6 April 2023, Blindkilde scored her first youth international goal with the under-23s against Portugal in a 3–2 victory.[15] On 24 October 2024, 18 months later, she scored her second goal for the under-23s in a 1–1 draw with the Netherlands.[16]

Personal life

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Blindkilde was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and received keyhole surgery on her heart.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 3 November 2024.[1]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 0
Total 8 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 11 1
Career total 50 1 5 1 13 1 3 0 71 3

Honours

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Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b Laura Blindkilde Brown at Soccerway
  2. ^ "Laura Blindkilde Brown". Manchester City F.C. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  3. ^ Laura Blindkilde Brown at Flashscore.com
  4. ^ "Laura Blindkilde Brown pens first pro deal". avfc.co.uk. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Star. ⭐@laurablindkilde is our Young Player of the Season for 2022/23! ✨". Twitter. Aston Villa FC. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Kelsey, George (1 February 2024). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: 10 things you didn't know". Manchester City F.C.
  7. ^ Sanders, Emma (29 January 2024). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: Aston Villa midfielder one of three deadline day signings for Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  8. ^ 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. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  9. ^ 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. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  10. ^ "England squad". thefa.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  11. ^ Davies, Callum (24 June 2022). "WU19s squad named for EUROs". England Football. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b Ruszkai, Ameé (26 June 2022). "Laura Blindkilde Brown: England's De Bruyne-inspired teen who overcame heart surgery". Goal.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  13. ^ Davies, Callum (25 August 2024). "England WU23s squad to face Norway". England Football. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  14. ^ Veevers, Nicholas (2 September 2022). "Norway 1-2 England WU23s". England Football. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  15. ^ Smith, Frank (6 April 2024). "Report: Portugal 2-3 England WU23". England Football. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  16. ^ Drury, Adam (24 October 2024). "Report: England WU23s 1-1 Netherlands". England Football. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
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