| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 19 November 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Viborg, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | 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 | 54 | (4) |
| 2023– | Jong Ajax | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Denmark U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2023– | Denmark U21 | 14 | (0) |
| 2025– | Denmark | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:33, 17 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:50, 10 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Anton Gaaei (born 19 November 2002) is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Eredivisie club Ajax.
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]
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]
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]
Anton Gaaei is the son of former Viborg FF player, Carsten Gaaei, who later also coached at several clubs. [20] [21]
| Club | Season | League | National cup [a] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viborg | 2021–22 | Danish Superliga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Danish Superliga | 28 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 [b] | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2023–24 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 46 | 1 | ||
| Ajax | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 [c] | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 [d] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| 2025–26 | Eredivisie | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 76 | 4 | ||
| Jong Ajax | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 8 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 98 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 130 | 5 | ||