| Joakim Mæhle | |
| Full Name: | Joakim Mæhle Pedersen[1] |
| Birth Date: | 20 May 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Østervrå, Denmark |
| Height: | 1.85 m[2] |
| Position: | Full-back |
| Currentclub: | VfL Wolfsburg |
| Clubnumber: | 21 |
| Youthyears1: | –2009 |
| Youthclubs1: | Østervrå IF |
| Youthyears2: | 2009–2016 |
| Youthclubs2: | AaB |
| Years1: | 2016–2017 |
| Clubs1: | AaB |
| Caps1: | 24 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2017–2021 |
| Clubs2: | Genk |
| Caps2: | 105 |
| Goals2: | 4 |
| Years3: | 2021–2023 |
| Clubs3: | Atalanta |
| Caps3: | 80 |
| Goals3: | 4 |
| Years4: | 2023– |
| Clubs4: | VfL Wolfsburg |
| Caps4: | 30 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2017 |
| Nationalteam1: | Denmark U20 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2017–2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Denmark U21 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 2 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2020– |
| Nationalteam3: | Denmark |
| Nationalcaps3: | 49 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 11 |
| Club-Update: | 23:05, 21 May 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23:28, 29 June 2024 (UTC) |
Joakim Mæhle Pedersen (born 20 May 1997) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg and the Denmark national team.
Born in Østervrå, Vendsyssel, Mæhle started playing football with local club Østervrå IF and moved to the AaB youth academy as a 12-year-old. At the age of 19, Mæhle was promoted into the first team squad on 10 June 2016 and also signed a full-time senior contract with AaB.[3] He made his debut for AaB on 7 August 2016.[4] He started on the bench, but replaced Thomas Enevoldsen in the 89th minute in a 2–1 victory against FC Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga.
On 11 November 2016, Mæhle earned a new contract until 2020.[5] In April 2017, AaB confirmed that they were in negotiations with a foreign club about Mæhle.
On 9 May 2017, AaB confirmed that they had sold Mæhle to Belgian club Racing Genk for an undisclosed fee, starting from 1 July 2017.[6] He was signed to succeed right-back Timothy Castagne, who had moved to Atalanta. Mæhle made his debut for Genk on 29 July 2017 in the first league match of the season against Waasland-Beveren as a substitute for Amine Khammas. In his first season with the club, he was not a fixed starter, competing with Clinton Mata for his position. In his second season, after Mata's departure to Club Brugge, he won a permanent starting position. That season, Mæhle grew into a key player in the Genk starting eleven. At the end of the season, Genk won the Belgian championship.
On 11 September 2019, Mæhle extended his contract until June 2023.[7]
Genk announced on 22 December 2020 that Mæhle had signed for Atalanta on a five-year contract for a fee of €10 million. His transfer was made official on 4 January 2021.[8] He made his Serie A debut for Atalanta on 6 January in the club's 3–0 win over Parma.[9] On 28 February, Mæhle provided an assist in Atalanta's 2–0 win over Sampdoria.[10] Mæhle scored his first goal for Atalanta in a 6–2 Serie A victory over Udinese on 9 January 2022.[11]
In August of 2023, Mæhle joined VfL Wolfsburg for a fee of reportedly around €12 million.[12] On September 6th, 2023, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win against 1. FC Union Berlin.[13]
Mæhle made his Denmark national team debut on 5 September 2020 in a Nations League game against Belgium; he substituted Martin Braithwaite in the 72nd minute of a 2–0 home loss.[14] He scored his first international goal in a friendly against the Faroe Islands on 7 October 2020.
In June 2021, he was included in the national team's bid for 2020 UEFA Euro, where the team reached the semi-finals.[15]
On 12 October 2021, Maehle scored the only goal as Denmark defeated Austria to secure a place at the World Cup in Qatar.[16]
| Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| AaB | 2016–17 | Danish Superliga | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 25 | 1 | ||
| Genk | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 54 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 | 1 | |||
| Total | 105 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 128 | 6 | |||
| Atalanta | 2020–21 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 35 | 3 | ||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 3 | |||
| Total | 80 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 96 | 6 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 33 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 239 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 282 | 15 | |||
| Denmark | 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 17 | 7 | ||
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 49 | 11 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scores and results list Denmark's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mæhle goal.
| Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 October 2020 | MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark | 2 | 3–0 | 4–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 31 March 2021 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria | 8 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 21 June 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 13 | 4–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 | |
| 4 | 26 June 2021 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 14 | 3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 | |
| 5 | 1 September 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 17 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 6 | 9 October 2021 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova | 20 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 7 | 12 October 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 21 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 8 | 12 November 2021 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 22 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 9 | 29 March 2022 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 25 | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 7 September 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 38 | 2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 11 | 17 November 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 42 | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
Genk
2018–19Atalanta